Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-22
FOX LONGER OFFICE TENURE
County Commissioner and Supervisors En-
dorss the Sloan Bills.
TO MEET NEXT YEAR AT GRAND ISLAND
Association votes I'm Favor of LegisIa-
ton that VIII Enable County
Boards to Build Bridges
by Day


The second days session Of the State
Association OF County Commissioners and
Supervisors resulted in the selection of
Grand Island as the place of the meeting
January 20, 1904, York contesting; in the
Endorsement OF various Legislative meas
ures. pending or TO be submitted, and in a
general discussion Of questions frequently
confronting commissioners and supervisors
IN the performance of their duties. The
attendance at this session was at least
$50, exclusive Of Douglas county commits
sloners and ex-commissioners
Most important of the endorsements given
legislative proposals at this mornings SEES
sion was that Of the six bills introduced in
the senate Tuesday by Sloan of Fillmore
extending 10 four years the term Of office
Of county clerks, now two years; county
treasurers, now two years; county survey
ors, now two years; county commissioners
now three years; county supervisors, now
two years; county judges, now two years;
county sheriffs, now two years; extension
70 be retroactive only one year.
Change Of Sentiment.
County Clerk Plaster Of Gage county
spoke for the project, and though some OF
the convention delegates seemed in doubt
as to the propriety Of the proceeding, there
was no dissenting voice when Vice Presi-
dent Thorpe put to a vote the resolution in
structing the commissioners legislative
committee to work with the legislative
committees of other county officers organ
~izations for the passage of the Sloan bills.
scarcely six weeks ago the commissioners
then at Beatrice, voted down a similar mo-
ton In as little time as they endorsed this
one. No one seems to know just how sentt-
- 49, 800
Another resolution adopted was one pre-
scented by Henry M. Kidder of Scribner,
calling upon the legislature to enact some
law which shall compel railroad companies
TO provide, without discrimination, for ship
pers of grain and stock, sites along their
tracks for elevators and sheds, and to pro-
vide also ample accommodations for ship
pers Of live stock who are accompanying
their shipments.
With three negative votes. there was re-
ferred to the legislative committee with the
endorsement of the convention a resolu-
tion introduced by9 John Adams of Adams
county, pledging the associations effort to
secure the enactment Of the pending bill
setting apart one ward of the asylum for
the insane at Lincoln for the reception,
treatment and care Of inebrlates.
FavOrH Day Labor Plan.
The association by vote concurred in the
action of the legislative committee looking
TO legislation that will enable county
boards to have bridges built by day labor
instead Of by contract, II so preferred.
O'Keeffe Of Douglas opposed this on the
ground that 1t encourages a disposition to
allow politics to enter too largely into
manual service rendered a county--in other
words, that 1t opens the way for. commits
sioners to make votes by letting men of
dnexperience attempt work which they are
not competent to do.
In the afternoon, besides the question
box discussion, the association pledged it,
self to two important measures. One, in
troduced by Ok Reconnaissance H.. e. ostrom
OF Douglas, was for a special enactment
empowering the boards of counties with
more than $1,000 population to dispense
with ward and precinct assessors, now en-
ployed at So per day, with privilege OF en-
pIoying as many deputies as they wish at
the same wages, and for replacing this
system with one which contemplates the
employment Of one assessor for the county
at a salary OF 81. 500, he to be provided
with such help as he has to have. Ostrom,
IN support of his measure, stated that 1t
had cost Douglas county SIS, 900 to make its
last assessment and that in one district the
cost OF the assessing had been equal 10 one
half the amount raised in that district by
the 9-mill levy for the general fund.
To Assess mt Full Value.
Along the same line there was appointed
q committee, comprising G. W. Welton OF
Lancaster county. J. P. Falter OF Cass
county and Louis Held of Platte county, to
undertake mandamus proceedings against
the assessors Of any county who shall fail
to assess at fair cash value, and to man
damus also the State Board of Equaliza-
ton in the same event, action in both
cases conditioned on the failure of the pres
ent legislature to enact such law as will
make any dereliction of duty impossible.
This same committee is to prompt the leg
islature TO remove the present law COM
polling an assessment of at least ! mill for
the State university. The commissioner
state that II assessment be made at fair
cash value a 1 mill levy will produce a
fund much larger than the university re-
quires.
There was endorsed by the association q
recommendation that the weed-cutting Law
be changed to make the cutting season be-
gin July 10 instead OF August 10.
The old legislative committee was re.