Omaha daily bee., 1904-12-24
4 FINELY ApMoNTTIoN.


| A TIMELY A DMONITION.
Judge Sears hits the nail squarely on
the head when he admonishes the in
coming legislature not to heed the cry
Of Pass the appropriation bills and adj
journ." To pass appropriation bills and
adjourn would be simply running away
from pressing duties and grave respon-
sibilties. The coming legislature will
| be in position to render the state inval-
liable service by making searching in
| finances, the sources of the states rev
enues, the unavoidable expenditures for
the maintenance of state government
and state institutions, and the avoidable
expenditures and leakages. The task is
by no means an easy one and cannot be
efficiently performed in a few days.
The election of legislature more than
nine-tenths republican does not neces-
sarily mean that the people Of Nebraska
do not keenly feel the burden of taxa
ton or the burden of public debt. The
overwhelming majority in the legislature
is rather to be interpreted as a popular
expression of confidence and trust that
the republican party will endeavor to
right whatever may be wrong, to rectify
abuses and devise measures that will
check extravaganza and prevent pecula-
ton, embezzement and wastefulness in
all branches of government, state,
county, municipal and school district as
well.
First and foremost of all, precaution-
ary measures should be taken for the
better safeguarding of public funds, and
especially funds dedicated TO popular
education in public schools, normal
schools and universities. The repeated
failure of constitutional amendments de-
signed to make the investments of public
the same time fully as safe as they now
are, should not deter the incoming leg
islature from formulating and submit
ting constitutional amendments of the
same character as well as other amend
ments that will make the executive and
judicial departments conform to the ex-
listing conditions and enlarged demands
of the state.
Our present constitution Is strait
jacket and something decisive must be
done in the very near future to loosen
the organic law where it is too tight In
the meantime a more rigid compliance
with constitutional provisions and limi-
tations should be enforced. The best
way to get defective constitution
Is to try to live up to 1t, even
If enforcement creates serious friction
and inconvenience. Had this been done |
within the past two decades the consti- |
tuition would have long since been re-
vised either by direct amendment or the |
framing of an entirely new constitution. |
1t goes without saying that the com |
ing legislature will be compelled not !
only to grapple with the problems of |
making the state government self |
sustaining without increasing the states |
debt, but that many measures affecting |
the farmer, the business man and the |
working man in their mutual relations
will have to be disposed of nationally |
and to the best interests Of their con-
stituents. To rush things headlong with
out serious consideration in order to ex-
pedite appropriations and adjourn would
in the end prove more costly than a full |
siXty-day session spent in diligent and
intelligent effort to give the people the
most salutary laws that can be enacted
TO meet the public wants and remedy
existing evils.