The Tupelo journal., 1904-03-25

The house infOEncu the senate that
it had adopted the conference commit
tees report on the pension bill.
The senate adopted the report OF
the conference c)mmittee IN the PEN
sion bill.
Senator Magrider called up the I'M
finished business from the day before,
the merger bill, and resumed his ar
gument. The amendment offered by
Senator Groom on that day was the
pending question. There were three
systems, he said, affected by this bill,
the Frisco system and the Mobile &
Ohio and the Southern system. These
latter two roads, he commended, were
in no way parallel or competing lines,
and he gave facts and figures to bear
out his argument. The law, he said,
provided that no parallel or competing
lines could consolidate, but this was
a judicial question and could easily
be settled by the courts.
Senator Dunn said this was a ques-
ton in which the whole State was
interested. His district would be the
one to Immediately suffer by this
measure. He said there was now a
cast pending in the courts of his
county to decide the question Of COM
petition, and thought it was strange
that the friends of the bill could not
wait for that decision. He read a
letter from ex-Attorney General Mon
roe McClurg strongly condemning this
kind of legislation.
Mr.. Belk said we should not care
about who or what was individually
benefited by this law. The only ques-
ton with him was whether the bill
carried into effect the intention Of
the constitution. He believed it would.
He did not care anything about local
interests, or the fight in East Mis-
sissippi. The bill required that these
consultations must be made under
the laws of the State, and he believed
the bill should pass.
Senator Moore, of the Thirteenth,
said he could not vote for the meas
ure, regardless of the feeling of the
people who 'pay the freight" Who
is it who are asking for the passage
of this bill? Certainly not the peo-
pie of the section affected by it. These
people who are dependent upon these
roads for transportation and freight
rates are not asking for it.
Senator McLaurin, Of the Twen-
tieth, said there vas no comparison
between the bill putting the Yazoo
& Mississippi Valley and the Gulf &
Ship Island under the supervision of
the railroad commission and this bill.
The bill was left pending when the
senate adjourned.
The house met at $50, Speaker
Thomas in the chair.
S. B. 332-Exempting all property
maintained by taxing all notes or evil
dence of debt on property sold in this
State IN installment plan; by sewing
machine companies, typewriter COM
panies, piano and organ, clock and
stove and range companies, not resi-
dents of this State. Failed to pass.
The report of the conference com
mittee On the pension bill was adopt
ed, which makes a change in the board
of examiners, instead of the board of
supervisors, sheriff and chancery
clerk, it makes five Confederate sol
diers the board. Adopted.
Mr.. Lopez offered a resolution al
lowing the clerk ten days additional
pay to complete the journal of the
house and furnish copy of same to
| printer and secretary of State. Adopt
ed.
The committee appointed to inyes-
tigate the State Offices reported that
the several offices were correctly con
Quoted and the books and records cor.
rectly and neatly kept. Adopted.
S. B. 3S3-To appropriate SIS, 900 to
be used by the governor in paying
Tho Of nn nunctiontJn nf
the various State institutions. Passed
SO to 5.
MI. Brown called up the motion to
reconsider S. B. SOTO defray ex.
fray expenses of the State in the suit
of the State of Louisiana VS.. State OF
Mississippi, in the boundary line dis.
pute.
The bill was then reconsidered by
a vote of 50 to AZ.
Mr.. Coocy offered a substitute com.
promise measure providing that the at
torneys be paid $4,000 as a retaining
fee, and $4,000 for expenses, and at
conclusion of suit in favor of the State
then the legislature shall settle with
said attorneys as it sees fit.
The bill was then read a third time
and failed to pass by a vote of 81
to 80.
MI. Ross called up the motion to
reconsider S. B. 379-For support OF
experiment stations in the northwest.
ern portion of the State and n in
the delta.
The bill was reconsidered and an
amendment offered striking out the
appropriation for the year 1904, which
was adopted. The bill was then
passed.
Uniform School Books.
The action of the senate in ratify.
ing the report of the conference com
mittee on the uniform school book
bill and passing the as
amended by a vote of % to Is proved
somewhat Of a surprise, especially to
the school book lobbyists, who have
been at the capital for several weeks
attempting to accomplish the defeat
| of the measure.
The bone of contention was the
house amendment eliminating the gov.
ernor and attorney general from mem
bership on the school book commits.