Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1903-02-05
Half Hearted Denial Of Statement Kansas
Law is Being Taken for Basis
FROM MANY STATES BEING USED
Explanations of Holding Sessions in Secret
Are Many and Varied.
RAILROAD LOBBY ExERrlNG PRESSURE
Some House Members Insist ~ Cor
pOratiOns Garry the Day In the
Committee House VIII Re-
feet Measure.
Crrom a star correspondent.l

NFEOtn n OIhu NoFTtHpOnOenLl
LINCOLN, Feb. 4.--(Special.)- 1.-The sub
committees Of the revenue committee ex-
pect to have their work in shape to report
to the committee Of the whole tomorrow,
thus giving the committee Friday and Sat-
urday in which TO compile the hill.
The committee met tonight and hetrd
the reports of the subcommittee. Only q
short session was held.
The subcommittee on schedule Of per-
sonal property submitted a list Of i0l ques-
tions, which was cut down to eighty by
the committee of the whole.
The committee on corporation stated II
would be ready to report tomorrow. This
committee is handling the railroad taxa
tion question.
The committee on tax titles and fore
closures was not ready to report tonight
The committee on assessment had a par
tial report This committee will not rec
ommend change in the assessment law.
The argument used by the committee
against forcing assessors to assess prop
erty at cash value is that IL would permit
cities to create more debt than they
should. BY enforcing this law the COM
mittee argues that cities would be COM
pelled to change their charters and that is
asking too much.
At the morning meeting II was decided to
leave the taxing Of railroad terminals to
the legislature.
The chief work tomorrow will be the
framing of the sections into a bill. Rep
resentatives Wilson and Warner we're with
the committee today. The report Of the
death OF the latter's mother was incorrect.
Mrs. Warner was dangerously i'll, but Is
now greatly improved.
Some members of tie committee are de-
nying today that the committee is using
the Kansas bill for a basis OF operation.
but as the information comes straight and
the denial is not emphatic, but is a state
ment that the revenue laws of many states
are being used, IL is the belief that the
Kansas bill will be the principal portion
of the new Nebraska revenue law. Mem
| beTs Of the committee explain the secrecy
in regard to what they are doing by saying
| that 1t is to facilitate the work one mem
ber said last night that the bill would
probably be ready to be made public by
the last Of the week.
Some Little Peculiarfties.
peculiar condition Of the state OF mind
Of the revenue committee is this; Taken
separately. of into a corner away from the
watchful eyes of the railroad lobby and the
! other members of the committee ma
jority of the members will exprets them
! the newspapers are concerned The usual
answer to an inquiry of this character is
! II see no reason why the newspapers Ghould
be excluded and believe It is no more than
] right that statement OF the doinss of the
committee should be given to the public.
But a majority of the committee is against
| 1t, so what can do. / don't care particu-
larly." The same member in most every
instance Is for secrecy when meeting as
a committee of the whole.
The committee is at a disadvantage. The
taxpayers of the state have no lobby here
or one to bolster up and encourage those
members of the committee who are really
desirous of carrying out those ideas they
know TO be right and just. 1t is the hon
est individual working alone against the
greatest corporations in Nebraska, an op-
position to the people OF Nebraska as
money, brains and push can make II.
One members OF the house, that body
which IL is an open secret the railroads
| clRim, said last night:
Don't think for a minute because the
legislature has adjourned and we are sup
posed to be at home attneding to private
business. that we are not keeping a weather
eye on the revenue committee. II IL
brings in a bill which does not provide for
just taxation and IL has the appearance of
a idAhOdu ultdoultt gOu eau IebL dbbuTHu
IT will be killed or amended to suit the
people. II may be the committee will get
up a bill that we won't pass and the re-
mainder OF the session will be spent in
| killing Il, with the result that no revenue
measure will be adopted, but IL such is the
case, I will wager that very few faces that
are here now will adorn the legislative
halls during the next session"
And this man expressed the general opin-
ion of a majority Of the representatives and
senator's who have been to the capital this
week.
Water Works Company Interested.
II Is more than probable that the city
Of Omaha will not get possession of the
water works plant ot that city without FIRST
following out the usual line Of procedure
in Omaha affairs, a trip through the courts
Today e. NJ. Fairfield secured from the
clerk OF the house and the secretary of
the senate certified copies OF the proceed
ings OF the days during the pending and
passing OF the bill known az II. r. 81. an
act TO compel the city council OF Omaha
to purchase the water works. In addition
to that Mr.. Fairfield secured certified
copies Of the house and senate journal Of
the 5th. 9th, 9th. 10th. 18th. 18th and 18th
days II is believed IL is the intention OF
on the manner It was passed. or on some
technicality connected with its passage.
The records we're carefully gone over by
the secretary OF the senate and by the
clerk Of the house, and while no irregular
ity or errors were noticed by them. II may
be. under the examination that will be
given the records by the water works rep
resentatives, flaw will be discovered
Secretary Keim OF the senate haG re-
turned TO his post and many Of the en-
ployes Of the senate have followed suit.
Dates of Committee Meetings.
From now the standing committees OF the
senate vii, meet as below. senator Hall
arranged the meetings today:
Accounts and ExpendituTes-Cox chair
man; Norris. Anderson. HARRISON Saun-
aers. Meets az /! ?. m. Wednesday aud
AgrIeultuTs- chairman; Reynolds.