Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-05
Tels. siS-soa.

for safe investment Of the permanent school
fund. enlargement Of the supreme court
and changes in the salaries Of the latter
and state oficials are the ones Governor
Mickey laid particular stress upon. He
recorded himself as preferring proposed
amendments to the state constitution
rather than a constitutional convention.
Mr.. Memminger is the author OF another
bill Of some Importance. It provides for
a reduction in the maximum passenger rate
on railroads in this state from 3 to ~
cents, leaving the half rate age limit as
at present, 10 years. e
Amend Revenue Bill.
The revenue bill will be reported to the
house in the morning. 1t has been amended
in many places by the house committee.
Among the important amendments are the
following: To assess life insurance COM
panies on 1 per cent of their gross re-
ceipts. This was done after a hard fight
by the insurance lobby. Fire insurance
companies when assessed locally Will be as
sessed less the reinsurance. County as
SCISSORS shall appoint deputies without the
confirmation of county boards. Telephone
companies to be assessed on gross receipts
in excess of $12 per instrument. Personal
property to be assessed where owner re-
sides except where there are local estab-
lishments.
Tonight Chancellor Andrews was before
the finance committee and asked for $T04,-
900 appropriation for the university. He
asked this besides the 500, 900 for the ex-
perimental station.
The Douglas delegation held a meeting
and discussed charter amendments, but de-
cided on nothing definite.
Legislative Gossip.
II is Of interest to note that Mikesell and
Shipley, the two f~usionist members in the
house who voted against H.. r. 800. the bill
to compel railroads to pay city taxes, are
members OF the house revenue committee,
and that this committee has given 1t out
already that 1t will make or recommend no
changes in the revenue bill, now in its
custody, that will, In any way, tend to in
crease railroad taxes or even disturb the
equilibrium OF the present glarlng inequali-
ties which exist in the matter of railroad
taxes. These are two of the four fusion
lists who did not vote for H.. r. $50. They
proved intractable when their party friends
strove to get them in line on this measure,
Belden Of Richardson introduced in the
house another bill cutting of the fat fees
of the clerk of the supreme court. It goes
farther than the other measure and fixes
the salary for the reporter, clerk and H.
brarian Of the supreme court, who is the
same individual, at $500 a year for all
services rendered. II Allows the clerk two
assistants, one of whom shall be a stenog-
rapher, and receive not more than 81, zoe
and three additional clerks at 5000 each q
year. Mr.. Belden said 1t Is the same bill
he introduced two years ago. He thinks
hat as the session is so near an end there
will be little chanc of the bills passage.
Members OF the legislature have arisen
in their manhood and might" to declare
that they will not longer tolerate the hard
ship OF having to wade through slaughter
TO a throne to shut the gates of mercy on
mankind" by giving unequivocal lndcrse-
ment to the resolution pending before tbs
house providing for the elevation of all the
pavements leading to the state capitol
building. These ~payements are half a foot
below the level OF the capitol grounds, and
are streams Of water aud slush after q
heavy snow or rain. They are nothing but
drainage canals, and people going to the
capital are frequently obliged TO wade In
water up to their shoe tops or take TO the
banks and plough through mud. The reso-
luton says these walks shall be elevated
two inches above the common level.
Kaveny Of Butler, in the house, intro