Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-30
DISCUSS The REVENUE LAW
General Opinion It's Success Depends Upon
State Board.
BOARD OUT OF LICENSE QUESTION
Doctors Have n Warm Discussion
over Use of Liquor by Menu
hers of the Pro-
fession.
tFrom a stan Correspondent.l


LINCOLN, April 29.-(Special Various
taxpayers from out in the state who have
been at the capital lately are very much
interested In the workings of the new rev
enue law. II is the general impression
that n the State Board Of Equalization
does It's duty the revenue measure will
meet all the requirements that are ex-
p,c,.d u f.. Nearly all Of them have put
the proposition up to the state board.
And this has caused considerable specu-
lation as to what the present state board
will do when 1t meets. This present board
is composed of Governor Mickey, Treasurer
Mortensen and Auditor Weston. In an in
terview during the week the revenue COM
mittee was framing the new bill, Treas
urer Mortensen stated that be was for tax
ing railroads just the same as any other
property. for city purposes and everything
else. Auditor Weston was on the board
last year that allowed the railroads to es-
cape the payment of so much taxes. This
will leave the matter up to Governor
Mickey as to whether or not Omaha will be
allowed to tax the railroad terminals for
city purposes and as to whether the rail-
roads will be allowed to escape their taxes.
Recently Governor Mickey said he was In
favor OF the passage of a revenue bill in
accordance with the constitution. He was
in favor, he said, of taxing railroads and
corporations and everything along the lines
Of the constitution. On the taxation ques-
tion the constitution says: The legisla-
ture shall provide such revenue as may be
needful by levying a tax by valuation, so
that every person and corporation shall pay
a tax in proportion to the value Of his, her
or its property and franchises, the value to
be ascertained in such a manner as the leg
~islature shall direct.
1t is the impression Of those visiting the
capital that II Governor Mickey follows
out the plan of the constitution the taxes
Of the railroads will be materially increased
at the next meeting of the State Board of
Equalization.
Council Passes on
The governor appointed police board of
South Omaha will not grant liquor licenses
this May. TIL city council, which has
heretofore attended to this little detail
Of the city's business, will continue to do
1t at least this one time more. The new
board will have power to appoint policemen
and hremen, but 1t will have nothing to do
with the ~saloonmen's license. This by
reason Of the fact that house roll 1856, the
bill that creates the board and gives 1t
the power to grant liquor licenses, did not
pass the legislature with the emergency
clause attached. Therefore the bill will
not become operative until July. or ninety
days after its passage, and in the mean
time, on May 1, the city council will have
acted on the liquor license applications.
The fact that the bill failed to pass with
the emergency clause is plainly shown by
the records Of the house, notwithstanding
the enrolled bill now in the office Of the
secretary Of state has the emergency clause.
whether intentional or not, a blunder was
made In the house engrossing room and
the emergency clause was added. On the
engrossed bill rotations are made to the
effect that the emergency clause had been
stricken of, and to make 1t more plain
the emergency clause at the end of the bill
is scratched of with red ink. Assistant
Chief Clerk Barnard said that the mistake
was absolutely inexcusable and could not
have been other than the result Of any
thing but the grossest ca~relessness.
House roll 267. the South Omaha charter
bill, provided for the
police commission, but it did not delegate
to the board the authority to grant liquor
licenses. To remedy this house roll sSs,
creating the board and giving it the author
ity to regulate the liquor licenses, was
introduced. The original bill had attached
to 1t the emergency clause. The vote was
taken April 4 and It stood 81 to % against.
The notations on the bill show that as it
had failed to receive the required two
thirds constitutional majority, It had failed
to pass with the emergency clause. Gill
bert of Douglas then moved that the emer-
gency clause be stricken of and the bill
was passed by the house by a vote Of Sc
to 10. To pass with the emergency clause
1T would have been necessary for sixty six
members Of the house to have voted in the
Affirmative.
City Attorney Mprdock Of South Omaha
was here today and secured a copy of the
records In the case. He is representing
the city council of South Omaha and this
body expects to prevent the police board
from having a hand in the liquor license
question this year.