Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-02
If Legislative Labors Are Finished it
Means Lively Times,
EVENUE DEMANDS FIRST ATTENTION
Railroads Center Their Opposition on Tax
alton of the Terminals.
OTHER IMPORTANT MATTERS ON TAP
No Apparent Inclination TO Take the
Lid on the Celebrated BsrtIey
Cigar Box and Investi-
gate Contents,
tFrom a stan Correspondent

(From a staff Correspondent)
LINCOLN, March 1.-(Special)- the
twenty eighth Nebraska legislature COM
pletes its docket within the sixty-day limit
set by law II will need to accomplish a
great deal more in the next twenty-slx
days than It has in the last thirty -four.
When the recess was taken Friday the
thirty-fourth legislative day was finished.
The session reconvenes again tomorrow
afternoon. From January 6. when the
session began, up to tomorrow, forty-seven
work days have passed, and from Monday
until April l there will be Just twenty-six,
exactly enough TO complete the session.
But IL the legislature loses as much time,
proportionately this month as It did dur
ing January and February It will come far
from winding up affairs by April 1. Thir-
teen days during the session thus far 1t
has not put in. or course, week Of this
time was given up to the Joint revenue
committee.
When the work undertaken and that com
Ileted thus far is compared II appears that
this legislature is, to say the least, a de-
Lucrative body. or the important projects
of legislation how many have been con-
summated? There is revenue revision, ad-
mittedly the biggest and most Important
task before this legislature. It really is
scarcely out of the she'll stage. True. a
bill has been drafted and is now in the
hands of the standing house revenue COM
mittee, but from what is known OF that
bill It is evident that II It passes at all 1t
will be after a prolonged fight has been
made for II is not one that will meet such
general approval as to pass through un-
obstructed.
Then there is the matter OF constitutional
amendments. one of the most important
before the legislature. Nothing conclusive
has been done with 1t. Governor Mickey
has urged action however, and It 10 prob
able the matter will receive some impetus
this week, but everything OF this character
lis yet to be accomplished.
Some Pressing Questions.
Under this head Of constitutional amend
ments may be found sou,e OF the pressinE
questions before the people Of Nebraska
For instance, the persistent demand for
the safe investment OF the permanent
school fund and the status Of the supreme
court. Governor Mickey and others are
convinced that immediate changes are i'm
perative. 1t is proposed that the bench
be enlarged in membership and that the
salaries of the members be substantially
increased. This all must be done through
| the pTOCtbS Vi COnSlllullOnhl
There is, too, a demand Of undetermined
extent for increases in the salaries OF state
officers. This, 'tco, must be done through
amendments to the state constitution.
OF course there Is tho demand from
Omaha and other municipalities for a law
| emitting them to levy a direct tax on
railroad terminals for local purposes. a de-
mand so persistent that the railroads have
arrayed their mightlest hosts against II
with unrelenting vigor from the hrst Of
| the session. They have centered their
forces against this proposition as they have
against no other one. This still is un-
attended to One bill, H. r. III, has come
! and gone and been succeeded by another,
| II. r. 800, which has been tied up In the
hands of hostile committee ever since its
introduction. The railroads are determined
to keep 1t tied up there II possible. or
falling in this as 1t seems they must, kill
! the bill in another way.
The bills to reapportion the legislative
and judicial districts OF the state have Just
barely been introduced. II they get beyond
the jockeying line they will do well. There
are a lot OF other measures of local charac-
ter, such as the Omaha and South Omaha
charter bills, which have been presented
and hung up for mysterious reasons.
Cigar box Lid Closed.
But one OF the most righteous demands OF
the people of this state kas not even had
a hearing yet, and that is the demand for
an investigation into the cigar box mystery
in connection with the Bartley case. Some
had thought the legislature would not fail
to address itself to this important matter.
but it appears that the legislature is coldly
Indifferent to 1t. The only thing that has
been done in connection with the Bartley
case is the introduction OF a resolution by
Senator Hall Of Douglas for the release
from their obligation to the state Of the
men who went Bartiey's security. But
honest inquiry develops little or no grounds
for believing that this resolution will ever
receive the sanction OF the legislature.
Probably had not the state OF Nebraska
been so desperately IN need OF drastic
revenue revision and pressed it's demands
with such perslstency as TO force the legis-
lature to pay some attention to them, there
would have been less obstruction to faith
ful work. But the railroads, being un-
alterably opposed TO any form OF revenue
revision that would bring them to time on
the payment OF taxes, simply determined
at the outset on blocking every move tend
ing to change the present revenue laws
and It must be admitted their efforts have
not been in vain. II is said quite generally
that the railroads dictated enough OF ths
revenue bill to make II satisfactory "a
them.
The revenue bill doubtless will be turned
over to the house by the committee Tues
day, when preliminary skirmishing may
set in. II. r. $50. the so-oalled Omaha taz
commissioner bill, probably will get into
the house Tuesday, and possibly Monday
But Il will come back handicapped. The
4. majority OF the committee on cities and
! towns, as has already been stated in The
! Bee, will recommend IL for indefinite post
ponement and the minority for passage
The common ground Will be the genera
file. and 1t will be the play OF the minority
; to land he bill on that base. Unless thii
can be accomplished II. r. $50 is a "goner.