Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-27
eErrINe EgkN AGAQN.

Eight years ago this winter a desper-
ate attempt was made by Treasury
Embezzler BARLEY and his copartners
in speculative bank w%recking to pull a
bill through the Legislature repeating
the state depository law. Had this eff
fort been successful the shortage in
the treasury would doubtless have been
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars
greater than 1t was when he turned
over to his successor.
When The Bee turned It's searchlight
upon the corruptionists who were try
ing to break into the treasury by the
repeal of the depository law they swore
that they would get even. BY centerlng
their individual and corporate influence
they forced the passage of the Russell
Churchill police commission bill and
placed the government of the Omaha
fire and police departments into the
hands Of Buccaneer Broatch and a
brace Of political pirates of the same
stripe. This piece Of spite legislation
could not have been accomplished but
for the dark lantern delegation from
Douglas, who had no grievance either
individually or collectively, but were
the sole and exclusive property Of the
corporations. The outcome Of the Rus
sell Churchill bill was police misrule
and factional d%issension that brought
disaster to the republican party and re-
suited in the election in 1896 Of a popo-
cratic legislative delegation from Doug
las county.
The enactment Of the Gilbert test
oath primary election law is another
piece Of "get even" legislation that
could not possibly have run the gauntlet
Of both houses but for the active CO.
operation of the corporation managers
and lobby. The introducer of the bill
is VIGOROUSLY the representative of the
Omaha Street railway and the Omaha
Gas companies. Mr.. Gilbert knew as
well as anybody does that the test oath
bill would be offensive to organized
labor and all other classes of labor, but
he did not dare refuse to do the bidding
of his masters.
The spotter bill was logrolled
through the house like the tread of a
cat without being discussed in commit
tee Of the whole, as any other bill would
have been under the rules. Few people
outside Of the Douglas delegation were
aware of it's character until 1t had
reached the senate. where 1t met it's
first check. In the discussion before
that body the vicious features of the
bill were pointed out forcibly and on a
rising vote eleven senators stood up
against 1t. When the bill was placed
on final passage next morning nine Of
the eleven senators who had denounced
this measure Topped and registered
their votes in its favor. What caused
this remarkable change can only be
surmised. The w~ell-grounded suspicion
is that 1t was so ordered by the cor
poration managers who expect by this
measure to dominate primary elections
by acknowledgements and incidentally
will be in position to blacklist employees
who disobey instructions and shippers
who do not honor the political drafts
of traffic managers.
Manifestly, the object Of the test oath
bill is not so much to "get even" as II
is to crush out the independent spirit
Of men Of all parties who resist corpora.
ton rule by refusing to vote for yellow
dogs and rascals nominated by theil
own party or candidates who owe thell
nominations to corruption and fraud
That a legislature overwhelmingly re
publican should allow itself to enac-
such an u%nrepublican measure will bC
deplored by all republicans who believe
in the cardinal principles of their party