Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-17
Member from Adams Takes Exceptions te
Way Newspapers Quote Him.
WORKING SHORT TINE
stuefer Committee Waiting for Chairman
and Cigar Box for Witnesses
NOTHING DONE ON THE PARDON MATTER
senate Lines Up with House on Taxa
tiOn of Railway Terminals by
cities In which They
Are Located.
Grom a stan Correspondent

a
! LINCOLN. March l6--(special telegram
The hght on railroad taxation has been
/ revived in the house. sweeEy Of Adams
| tonight submitted an amendment which.
| 1t is said, viii reopen the whole contro-
Versy The amendment went over by re-
! quest Of the author and may be called up
! tomorrow. II is identical with the Cald-
/ well amendment which was sidetracked
| Friday night by the adoption OF the Thomp.
! son amendment. except that It goes fur
\ ther. The Caldwell amendment took the
| market value Of stocks and bonds plus the
| indebtedness Of railroads as the basis OF
| valuation. Sweezy contends that this does
not catch railroads having no stocks and
! bonds and that his amendment supplies this
! deficiency by providing for taxing tangible
! property Of such corporations. Caldwell
favors this amendment. He had determined
on submitting some such proposition to
| modify his original plan so as TO consider
stocks and bonds not as the basis, but as
| an item Of valuation.
Opponents of the Caldwell amendment
are opponents OF the Sweezy amendment.
| They see little practical difference between
! them. The chief objection urged TO the
Caldwell amendment was that II contem-
plated a speculative and therefore fictitious
basis Of valuation and II is argued this
element is not satisfactorily eliminated by
! Sweezy's plan. sweezy voted for Thomp-
sons amendment. Loomis Of Dodge MY
submit a proposition TO tax proprietary
lines when the fight is again in full sway.
! Friends Of the Thompson amendment will
steadfastly support his proposition.
Some excitement was provoked in the
| house tonight when Sweezy offered a reso-
! luton providing that the house proceed
no longer without an oficial stenographer
| TO report the remarks of the members He
| was impelled by the alleged failure OF the
| newspapers TO correctly quote him and other
| members The resolution was voted down.
Seyer. Douglas OF Rock. Thompson OF
herrick, Wilson OF Pawnee and Good OF
Nemaha deprecated its adoption. They
| thought the reporters did not Intentionally
misrepresent the actions OF any member
| Thompson observed that the newspaper
men were entitled TO commiseration be.
cause OF the poor acoustics OF the hall,
/ and Wilson remarked: Amy member who
/ is so thin skinned he can't stand news
| paper criticism ought TO thicken up his
/ skin"
The house spent the afternon on routine
and the night considering the revenue bill,
making a few minor amendments.
Investigators Are Idle.
Nothing has been done by the special house
| committee appointed by the speaker to IN
yestigate the bond purchasing methods en-
ployed by ex-State Treasurer Stuefer As
has been said, the committee Is without a
head. Three men have been named and
have declined to serve, but the third Doug
las OF Rock, not having formally" ten
dered his declination to the speaker, the
speaker is deferred from appointing anyone
else TO act as chairman. AS early as last
Thursday Mr.. Douglas informed the news
paper men that he would not serve on this
committee; this morning he repeated these
words. But Speaker Mockett, when asked
this afternoon what he had done about the
chairmanship. said the matter stiH rested
with Mr.. Douglas. from whom he had re-
ceiyed no notice OF his formal" decIina-
tion to serve.
Those who are in earnest in demanding
this investigation before it is time to act
on the claim Of 5000 which Mr. stuefer
has in the claims bill. are disposed 10
think that, whatever the motive, the mat
ter Of an investigation will be deferred by
this chairmanship proposition until II is
too late TO do anything Il is possible
that one Of these gentlemen will call this
matter up in the house unless the speaker
takes action In q day or so. As is re-
! fected by the state press. the demand for
this investigation is general and persistent,
and It is evident that disappointment will
follow a failure to bring about the inquiry.
Waiting on Summers.
| On the subject Of Investigations It may
| be remarked that matters seem TO be at q
stsndstill in the BARLEY cigar box" in
| quiry. Chairman Knox Of the committee
| said today he and his associates were snx-
! ious to get down to business again. and
would as soon as possible. The revenue
! bill debate last week in the house necessa-
/ rily interrupted these hearings. but It is
/ hoped that this week something can be ac-
eOmplshed.
Chairman Knox Of the BARLEY investiga-
tion committee tonight announced a meet
| ing for O'Clock tomorrow morning W.
s. Summers has agreed 10 be present
/ As in the case Of the Investigation or
dered into the affairs Of Stuefer. so n
| the Bsrtley investigation, great interest is
aroused over the state. II the extracts
! from the state papers form a Just criterion
= the demand for a thorough and honest
probing Of this matter is overwhelming
/ II is the general opinion that the commit
| tee could obtain access TO some vital facts
by proceeding with the examination Of wit
| nesses.
Pardon Matter Drass.
The house judiciary committee 10 which
was delegated the task OF investigating the
/ BARLEY pardon TO determine lite Legality
/ likewise has done nothing Nelson OF Doug
las, chairman Of that committee, said to-
day he thought the committee would get
down 10 work on this right away. The
committee will hnd strong demands for
and against this investigation. From the
/ first OF the session influences have been
/ at work 10 stall on any and all investiga-
/ tions relating 20 the BARLEY case end these
! powers have increased their efforts Of
i late, since this agitation has become so
I general. Prominent lawyers OF the leEis-
I lature think there is more available ground
| on which this committee could proceed
than any Of the other investigating bod
/ les. The facts that the pardon made out
was never signed By the secretary Of state
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