The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-04-12

REFCBLIC SPECIAL
Springfield. IL. April IL.-what promises
10 I've the supreme test % strength between
the organization people in the House OF
Representatives and the followers CT Rep
resentative Sherman is coming next Tues
day. Its respiration will be the appearance
In the House OF the Mueller municipal own
ership bill
SherLan will demand that the bill be
considered by the House in committee OF
the whnle Tie organization people will at
tempt 10 SEED the bill to the Committee on
Municipal Corporations. or which Cicero ].
LlEd.y o: Bond County is chairman.
Information has been brought to the
Sherman people tAat Speaker Miller is get
ting ready 20 send the bill 20 the commit
tee UrCer the Eavei. To foTestal this. Sher-
mans foiloweT will present a written de-
mznG fer a roll call on the proposition.
They win not take the chance of the pre-
siding officer suffering a temporary at
tack Of deafness at the critical moment.
Noting OF this sort has ever been done In
the Illac:s Legislature before. and the out
come viii h. watched with more than or
6ina-y interest
~ LEGISLATIVE GRAVEYARD"
Sherman Is not IT all backward in saying
why he doss not want the municipal-owner-
ship bill 20 30 20 Mr.. Lindly's committee.
Tn Committee" he says. lis a legisla-
tive graveyard. Whenever a pill comes along
hat does not suit the powers that be. it is
referred TO the Committee on Municipal
Corporations. There II is locked up until
II IS su:tocateG. Some day its lifeless body
may be brought into the House. but the
chances are that It VII be buried without
ccremeEy anu without IIowers.
An examination # the house synopsis in
d:oates that there is considerable founda-
uoa Tor the Judge : Cstinzte Of MIR. Lind
ly's committee. As i resting place for
measures which are calculated to distress
coTpcT2tioEs At certainly is without a rival.
Prominent among them is a long list Of oils
which have the ii pearance of having been
designed TO bring grief 10 the Chicago Gas
trust, but which have gene to pieces long
before their mission was accomplished.
SOME OF THE CoRPSES.
Nh. Samuel E. Erickson had a choice lot
or these bills referred to Mr.. LindIy's com
mittse- One Of them repealed the Cas-front-
age act, another repealed It's companion.
me consolidation act A third bill provided
for the inspection OF gas and a fourth nro-
hlbited unjust discrimination in the mater
OF liking rates for lighting. A ffth hill
fixed the rates and a sixth permitted the
pubic-lighting plants to sell light in compe-
Iaon with the trust. These bills are all
ddeie d : to In the past tense, for life has
Along with Mr.. Erickson's bills and
marked by a common headstone. are Mr..
Sainuelson's bill to permit municipalities To
own and operate lighting plants: ]. w. Tur1
her bills 10 enable cities of less than %
- population 10 maintain electric light
plants and to repeal the gas-frontage law.
BOwieS's bill for the last named uIrnose'
ana several others on the same line. Among
mem are bills broughtinto being BY Messrs
Donoghue. McManaman and Struckms1
any one Of which would have thrown the
IlShting corporations Of the State into corr
~vulsicns had 1t ever reached a Jsngs--
.endar. SaF
BLTGHTrNG influence APPARENT.
There are any number OF pubic owner
snip bills in the Committee. TLgs Z, gin
with the street railway measure INTRODUCED
by Mr.. Patterson aud include similar Iir.
presented by Messrs.N che. Mitch.l ,gc-
Manaman. Wilkerson, Gutenberg and .-r-
haps others. Donochue's c5rpre5e7eEva
BIN covering the public ownership az ali
sorts OF utilities Is at the bottom on The
tally in IL.
The full effect of the comnn.t.s,-s hIiyb,-
ing influence cannot be fully understood
until il is known that Mr.. Nohe's stl eet-
car bill is only one Of Ihree eveIereen
from the Zen OF that eminent
statesman which have withered in Inc
committee and have wasted to moe
shadows. ~
Mr.. wilkerson's bm providing for a svs-
intttee on Municipal Corporations ana i'm
suffered a stroke c. paraIvSis.
I ms, however, may have been because the
governor frowned upon it. an dnot because
OF the hostility Of the committee.
ETickson's bill 20 regulate street car f1res
suffered a similar affIction and tn LIr-
Ton and Lyons bills TO punish bookmaklnx /
tel into q fit which has disabled their Use.
Tor all time to come. Even Schia-
senhaufs bill to regulate bill posting went
INTO a decline when it got into Mr.. Ind
ey's committee.
Mr.. Rice had a fine. healthy measure TO Z
the liability OF corporations orerat- 4,
ns electrical apparatus. IN the matter of :
damages caused by such corus.rarlCns- n !
vent 10 the COMMITTEES Oh Municip7I Cor
1~orations and Is now out a shadow OF its D.,
self. ]
NOHE THE REAL CHAIRMAN. :
Drew's bill requiring the use of fireproof- ]
ng in the construction OF certain buildings !
as suffered in like manner. Geshkewich's :
70 prohibit the use of slot machines for I
.ambling purposes is about as dead as Il =
Tell can be, and it has been in the commit :
ee only a short tirse.
Mr.. Indy is a genial gentleman with a 8
arge heart and he cannot be accused IF !
ming everything that has come 20 daatb :
, MS committee However. Mr.. IIndIv is !
] company that Is less considerate q
Nhlle he is chairman of the Committee d.
real head Is Mr.. Nohe. The commfttss !
as famed up for that gentleman ana NJ g
indi9 was added to 1t at the last momenf :
} give IL standing. He did NOT var. ~ =
IN hn4 - -. oduL Inc o n