Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1903-02-01
Talk in and Around the Capitol is All
Of Revenue Revision.
ONE MEASURE WILL BE READY IN WEEK
Committeeman Announce They Will Put in
Time Industriously.
SOME DOUBT ABOUT CHARACTER OF BILL
General Opinion IL VIII Re = Cen
erRl OVerhRuIing OF Present
Laws Instead of New
Measure.
tFrom a STAG Correspondentl

LINCOLN. Jan. Si>-(Special Pursuant
to arrangements made yesterday, both the
house and senate today adjourned until
Monday. February 9, at 2 p. M, to afford
time for the Joint committee on revenue to
complete its work of framing a revenue
bill. The house was in session little
over an hour. converting shortly after 10
this morning and adjourning at HAS. There
were but hfty-two members present at roll
call and many OF them were not in their
seats until their names we're called the
second or third time The senate held un-
til noon.
Revenue revision. naturally, is the topic
OF general conversation, with the signih-
cance of the weeks adjournment as n side
light 1t required hard fight to obtain
this week for the committee and now that
it has been obtained nothing short OF a
genuine, complete bill providing for proper
revision OF the revenue laws of the state
will be expocted-yet that such a measure
will be ready for introduction at the end
of this interim is by no means certain. IL
is big task to accomplish in week and
while the committeeman. most of them,
think they can make it, others entertain
grave doubts and adhere to the theory that
the committee will require further time.
EX-Speaker Sears, one OF the prominent
members OF this committee, feels confident
that the bill will be ready at the end of
the week and other members have expressed
similar views. The present revenue law
contains 240 sections and II will be neces-
sary for each one of these to be dealt with
separately and carefully, so that anyone
can see what IS before the committee The
committee has decided to hold morning,
afternoon and night meetings every day
from until the legislature reconvenes.
tI,.,. a., a.
something
Take Present Law as Basis.
! Whether fragmentary or complete revis-
| ion will be the result of the committees
| work is still an unsoved problem. Repre-
/ sentative Douglas Of Rock county is au-
thority for the statement that nothing but
J amendments of the present statute will be
/ attempted, not a complete new law. The
present Nebraska revenue statute has been
taken as the basis of operations.
| NFragmentary revision is what the rail-
roads prefer, since they have not been
successful thus far in blocking the per-
sistent movement for this reform II is
still the purpose OF these corporations to
head off any action along this lima II pos
sible. but their success is fraught with en-
inent dangers. II has been argued that
! the majority OF the Joint committee is
! friendly to railroad interests. and while
there is a question as to this, II is entitled
| to serious consideration, yet the assump-
( ton that a majority OF the meh on this
committee would arbitrarily favor the rail-
roads in the performance of the grave and
important duties before them probably
should not be entertained OF course It Is
true that one OF the house members OF
this committee is a paid employe OF the
. nd ,Ft thr
a paid employe of the Elkhorn and It also
is true that what is known as the organ
ization" factions Of both house and senate
are well represented. So that in any event
there Is no great fear that the railroad in
terests are going to suffer.
Senator Brown chairman OF the Joint
committee. this morning voiced the sentl-
ments of his colleagues when he said:
I'VE have started out on this important
work and all we ask is for the people to
suspend judgment until we have completed
our task. Then will be the time TO make
comment and criticism; It's too early now"
sears IL Confident.
Ex-speaker Sears said last night in re-
ferring to the work OF the committee:
Il was very much afraid we were not
going to be given this week in which 20
do this work. Some members took the
liberty to cast aspersions upon us by insin-
uating that we would trihe away the time
and not sincerely devote our efforts to
framing a revenue bill. / am sorry our
motives have been thus impugned for we
want and intend 20 do our best and II we
are unable by the end Of the time allotted
TO us to produce the bill expected OF US.
II won't be our fault. We will have some
sort Of revision and something will be bet
{ tor han Httf I dn
a failure to complete the work"
Serious complaint has been made by eer-
tain members OF the house COMMITTEES on
finance, ways and means OF the Impossi-
bility OF getting other members Of the
committee down to work.
"No committee In the house Is con-
fronted with more important work than
this one" said a member today. land yot
we have actually done nothing. II has
beeh impossible to get our committee down
TO business. We are now covered up with
pressing matters, matters that should have
been attended 10 long ago, and still nothing
is done. The result will be that we will
come TO the end OF the session with our
hands empty Ahd be caught in snap and
forced TO wind up affairs in a shape that
will reflect discredit II not dishonoT on
the entire committee, when not all will be
| to blame One very essential thing for
this committee to do is to go over the af-
fairs Of all the state institutions, ascertain
the needs OF each, both as TO employees and
material. and then as to financial appro-
priations Unless we take hold OF this
right away It will be impossible for US to
complete Il. Then when the session is
about over representatives from these va
rious institutions will crowd in here and
submit their numerous demands and we
won't know whether they are all just or
not. the result being that we will have 10
either allow them and run the chance OF
doling out money unnecessarily or cut
them down when they may really need
the money. There is too much mystery
/ about this sort OF thing"
Two Bills on Railroad Taxes.
! Senator Hall Of Douglas by special re.
L nt,onflI this rnnrnlnr intrnannnh q hIlI -