Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-18
Rrom q stan Correspondentl

'@N- -
CFTom a STAFF Correspondent
LINCOLN, March ii Special Telegram)
st. PRtricks day was busy one for the
Legislature. especially in the house. BY
convening at 10 a. N. and adjourning at
1920 p. N. Il passed ten bills, reached the
last section, PA, in its consideration OF the
revenue bill, amended and recommended for
passage the Ramsey elevator bill, secured
the appointment of u sitting committee, a
chairman to the Stuefer investigating com
mittee and raced through a huge pile Of
less important routine. Although the
shamrock was thoroughly in evidence in che
house that body held its fierce career
and paused not" like the senate to pay for
mai tribute 10 the patron saint of the
emerald iale. The upper branch devoted
some time to speeches on St. Patrick and
his poBterity and even drafted resolutions
to King Edward, which were cRbled later,
felcitating his majesty upon the progress
wrought in the conditions of Ireland as q
result OF his official acts
While, as has been said, the house at
last p.loughed its way through the revenue
bill, 1t did not conclude consideration Of
that measure. 1t viii be taken up again
in committee Of the whole when more
amendments are TO be offered. The fight
pending. Sweezys amendment was not
disposed Of tonight, as was expected. but
is to come up today. Loomis will then
submit a few amendments, as will also
Spurlock. to other sections. number Of
members fell on Sweezy tonight with con-
siderable force TO induce him to submit
his proposition on its merits without fur
ther discussion, but the gentleman from
Adams stiIl has the floor" There is little
if any possibility Of this amendment, a
modification Of the Caldwell amendment,
passing.
Discovers a smooth scheme.
Almost al the eleventh hour II is dis
covered that the electric light companies
have succeeded In bending the revenue bill
toward their exchequers. BY some sleiEht
of hand performance they slipped into the
bill a provision giving them the benefit of
the gross earning franchise tax, which is
accorded to telephone, telegraph, express
and pipe line companies The electric
concerns hoped to get In as pipe line com
panies in section so of the bill. Their
scheme was TO pan of their conduits as
pipe lines. They stole the march with
such subtle skill as TO deceive even mem
bers Of the house who had been looking
! for some such play, but their game has
been discovered and Thompson OF Merriok
will tomorrow offer amendment pro-
vidlng that this section shall not apply
TO electric light concerns. All the public
| utility corporations held out this gross
earnings franchise tax sop TO the legisla-
ture as a good thing" and as ie Indicated
some Of these concerns have been sue
cessful. The street railways were about
to get in under this method but at the
! last moment were defeated
1t is more than probable that had the
discovery not been made tonight the street
/ railway, the gas, waterworks and all the
rest of these utility corporations would
/ have stormed the house with a battering
ram 10 force their way In behind the cleo
! trio companies. The chances now are two
TO one all these concerns will be defeated
/ in this move. Exposing these subtle -Rc-
tics will serve TO illustrate the fnllRCy and
deceit OF the argument advanced by GER
tain Of these corporations that To tax their
/ gross earnings as franchise, aside from
their tangible property would tend TO in
crease rather than decrease their aEgre-
gate taxes II will serve to substantiate
the assertion, based on honest investigR-
tion, that to the Omaha street railway
alone this method OF taxation in q single
year would mean net saving Of about
s32 900 in taxes.
Sitting Committee Wins.
The opposition to the appointment by
the speaker of sitting committee was no
J longer able TO stem the tide" and the
l speaker named thirteen members 10 take
charge Of this important work However
the motion calling for The committee wSs
| considered fair in that II provided that
the committees power would not become
absolute until the hfty-hfth day. The COM
mittee is composed OF nine men who,
judged by their allegiance TO matters Rf-
fectinp the railroads interests, are re-
Eardcd as railroad men and four anti-rail-
road men Other corporations as well
have good friends on the committee.
Nov that the speaker has al last found
somebody who will accept the chairman
ship OF the stuefer investigation com
mittee. McAIlister OF deuel., that board OF
inquiry. not 10 be outdone by the BARLEY
inuuisitors proposes 10 get up with the
larks every morning and pull on" q few
Investigations before work time II starts
out al in the morning
The Omaha charter bill with the amend
meuts already published, was one Of the
ten bills passed by the house today.
Summers before Committee.
The BARLEY investigation committee held
a brief session during the noon recess To-
day, examining United States District At
torney " :. Summers Of Omaha. Mr.,
Summers declared be had no knowledge
Of the cigar box the pluudered funds OF
10 whom they we're loaned He also stated
that he mad not been in collusion with
BARLEY or anyone else al any stage OF thii
mysterious proceeding by which the state /
money was placed beyond easy recovery
and had had nc part in securing BARLEY I