The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-18
BY A STAFF CORRESPONDENT.

| Oh A CORRESPONDENT.
Springfield. ILL.,. March 17.-Trautmann,
member from East st. Louis. challenged the
Cook County delegation this morning to OPP
pose at their peril measures in which the
! country districts solely are interested. His
words were to the effect that If the Chicago
members want fight they will get 1t. and
more than they can cope with.
This stand resulted from the determined
opposition by the Chicago members to Rep
resentative Bundy's bill changing the basis
| of assessment from fifth to one-thrd
| the market value of property. The change
| Is much needed in the southern part of the
State, and in all sections where values are
| low. In Chicago, because Of the enormous
| property interests, the one-fifth taxation
gives revenue sufficient. Hence the Ques-
| ton is very knotty one.
The bill was reported from the Revenue
Committee with the recommendation that it
| do not pass. This committee Is dominated
by Chicago. Hence the supporters of the
measure made their fight on the floor. Bun
dy spoke at length in defense of the change,
citing the conditions and stating that many
of the Southern Illinois counties were I'M
able properly to support county institutions
and business departments because Of the
existing condition. The recent report OF
shocking condition of Southern illinois jails,
was referred TO as case in point
Wilkerson of Cook and others Of the
Windy City delegation vehemently decried
the bill. claiming that a change would do
untold damage in Chicago, would unsettle
business and give opportunity for tax
dodgers to escape the Collector. Wilkerson
moved that consideration of the bill be
postponed. This motion lost under the
gaveL Bundy then moved that the House
nonconcur in the committee report lie was
SUSTAINED under the gayeL- 1t is probable
County by an amendment to the BILL and
that in this amended shape It will pass. !
Of Fayette and Indy were among those
who spoke in favor of the Bundy bill. ..fhe
constitutional limitation" said Mr.. Tipr,r,
of 70 cents on the SlO0 valuation was maIa
on the assumption that the property be
assessed at its fair cash value. With prop
erty assessed at one,ffth of its real value
nearly all the counties are in trouble My
county RichlandD is from A.oOo to s5vvj
behind every year"
Indy delivered the same argument, say
ing that in Bond County, to clear UP in
deDtedness 1t had been NECESSARY to issue |
$4,000 in bonds.
LEGAL KILLING.
It wish sometimes that Kentucky law |
was the law in Illinois, that when one man
in the heat of passion kills another for the {,
performance of a revolving crime, he is |
not at once charged with guilt and brought |
killing, but sometimes in Kentucky you can |
do it legally"
the Illinois House. Judge l.. Y. Sherman
attacked the bill. making manslaushter an |
infamous crime The measure provokeu
general debate. and finally was practically |
killed, being returned TO second reading |
and rereferred to committee.
The bill was first Introduced by Gaie
only that petit larceny be erased from the |
list of crimes. which. upon conviction. takes
committee it was amended to add man,
slaughter to the list: The bill was passed
from second to third reading last week
without objection and came up upon its |
Clarence barrow was the first to announce
his opposition to increasing the number of
crimes which the law stigmatZes as IN
famous" Especially, he argued, no such
ban such should be put upon mansaughter.
Answering him. other members averred that
II forgery, for instance. were on the in
famous list. then should not manslaughter I
be there also? Is not the latter the more
serious offense? 1t seemed the sense Of the
majority of the House that forgery was the
more grave Of the two, far more SO as
signifying the moral turpitude of the person
Finally, the argument led to the impas-
stoned declaration in favor Of an injured
man or men using extreme methods when
reused by the blacklist of insults. AT this
stage the House was in no temper for such
legislation, and it required abouty thirty
seconds to bury the bill.
PIG-PEN PETITION.
The unsavory nature of q certain pig-sty |
and the unthinking manner in which a farm
er disposed of a dead COW figure in a unique
and redolent petition that was brought be-
fore the Assembly this morning. 1t comes
from the hills of Henderson County, where |
few people abide. but where are enough to
cause neighborly friction The aggrieved
person is Mrs. Martha Summers. In a let
ter to Judge Sherman she explained that
she did not know what to do about her
troubles. that she had seen his pictures in |
the papers and thought that he might do
for her. She had learned that |
Henderson County had no representative,
and she knew of Senator o. F. Berry But !
the latter. she declared, is a good friend Of |
Mr.. Nelson, and that she feared he would
be prejudiced. Accordingly, in Sherman she
saw her only recourse
She incosed the petition addressed to the
Members OF the Honorable Legislature"
and Judge Sherman introduced this docu-
ment this morning.
MY grievance is this" she writes Our