Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-03
(From a stan Correspondent.)

CFrom a STAFF Correspondent)
LINCOLN, Neb April 2.-(special.)-
Aside from a great bulk OF routine busi-
ness transacted today by the house and
senate, the house disposed OF two very i'm
portant matters. the beet sugar bounty
claims and the Stuefer investigation case.
The former was referred to the district
court OF Lancaster county for adjudication
and the committee on investigation in the
stuefer Burt county bond case reported
exonerating the ex-state treasurer from
blame, commencing Representative Sears
motives in instigating the prosecution and
| the house adopted the report.
The house received two other reports Of
considerable interest. They we're the re-
| port of the governors private secretary
| that his eXcellency had signed H. r. 800,
the Omaha charter bill and that OF the
railroad committee, returning Kennedys
bills, providing for the enforcement Of the
maximum freight rates law without recon-
mendat!on.
The stuefer committee report is signed
by all the members. Mangold of Douglas,
however, throughout the investigation,
manifested his interest in behalf Of Mr..
stuefer, withheld his approval from that
| portion Of the report attributing to Mr..
! Sears the highest motives in inviting this
| investigation. After reviewing the reso-
| luton introduced by Nelson of Douglas,
authorizing the investigation OF stueters
| official conduct IN the matter OF the Burt
county bond purchase and recommending
that his claim of 5000 for bond premium
be not acted on until this investigation
| closes. The report goes into detail on the
evidence before the committee and states;
In conclusion your committee finds that
| while the word bonus y inaptly used in
! the record Mr. Stuefer did not receive /
~ Prop oe s9s S'nsE tffhnE
while he did not move with the energy nor
exercise the cunning of bond. broker In
| securing bonds for Investment, he did use
the reasonable diligence of a state treas
! urer In securing such bonds and is eXone-
above motion.
The committee feels that It's work would
be incomplete without thanking Mr.. Sears
for his services so magnantmously rendered
| His absolute fairness in the investigation
| is a full refutation of the implied reflection
| that he was actuated BY other than high
and conmendable purpose TO seek the
charge, as in view of the fact that upon the
/ surface of the above transaction there was
! fatr-minded man. NJ
| After the reading OF the report Sears took
the floor. He said that as every charge he
made originally with reference to this mat
ter had been substantiated by the evidence
| given before this committee he desired,
|
him in argument, to go into detailed re-
/ view and argument OF the case before the
house and requested that the matter be
| taken up as a special order Saturday. But
| the house refused to grant the request. II
was then voted to have the claims commit
| tee Of which Sears Is chairman, return to
| the house H. r. 164. the bill providing for
! the payment to Stuefer OF $1,000 for pre-
MUM of his oficial bond for the last year
! Of his term as state treasurer, and Sears
promised to return the bill tomorrow.
Sears is not satisfied with the report OF
the commi tee, nor. however. was ne sur
| prised at it. He regards 1t as a white
! washed affair.
signs Omaha Charter.
| Governor Mickey at $3.50 signed the So
| called Omaha charter bill, H. r. 500, which
| amends the city charter AS the measure
| carried an emergency clause IL became a
| law at once Like other bills introduced at
! this session OF the Legislature involving
! the affairs of Omaha. without the emerg-
ency clause its prime purpose would not
| be accomplished.
One OF the most essential changes made
| by this law is that respecting the number
OF wards and councilmen. II empowers
the city council at its option, to increase
| its membership and the number OF wards
| after this springs election-to thirteen,
| the number at present being nine. The act
| places the chiefs of fire and police depart
ments on an equal salary basis, $4,000 a
year. From the FIRE chiefs salary was cut
$500 and to the police chiefs salary added
| $500 to effect this equilibrium. The city
comptroller is raised from 81. 500 to So, 900
and the fremen and policemen are advanced
on a graduated scale OF wages, the patrol
month. The act provides for the adjudi-
cation Of all paving petitions before the
paving is done. so as to prevent so much
litigation as has arisen owe. these matters
and is now pending in the courts, much
Of It.
But to those who were foremost In pro-
noting this act the most characteristic
change II brings about-the political change,
as one OF the members OF the delegation
/ from Douglas county explained II, with
manifest satisfactjon-is that IL compels
the approval by the city council Of every
employe hired by the Board OF Public
Works before these employees can obtain any
money for their work from the city. This
rule is to obtain vita respect to the most
humble man In tine city's service. In
speaking further of this matter. the mem
Der said he had besn informed in Omaha
| today that, as this law went into effect at
once, every city employe IN Omaha would
be discharged forthwith and entirely
new set hired. He was told this by mem
Der OF the council, he sad. He added, far
ther, that this councilman, whose name he
did not give stated that about 250 en-
ployes had been put to work this spring
and that every one OF these would be turned
off at once,
LabOrers n Political Asset
The gentleman volunteering this infor-
nation is a staunch member Of that fac