Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-25
FRIES DEFENDS LUMBERMEN
Says the State Association iS hot Violating
Any Law.
LAYS BLAME ON THE OMAHA DEALER
Regents of University DO Not Think
Appropriation for Administration
Building VIII Lapse with
the Month.
AVS BLAME ON THE OMAHA DEALER

building VIII lapse WIN
the month.
From a Stan Correspondent)
LINCOLN, Aug. A.-Cspecial. .)-senator |
Fries of Valley county was in Lincoln last
night, having just recently returned from a |
visit to California points. Senator Fries is |
just now feeling the public pulse, prepara-
tory to announcing his candidacy for the |
republican nomination for governor. When |
asked concerning the prospective proceed |
ings to be instituted against the alleged |
Lumber trust by the attorney general at |
the conclusion Of the grain suit Senator |
Fries said: |
THE state association of lumber dealers |
will welcome a suit to be started by the |
attorney general or any one else. You see |
we have been through the mill once and a |
judgment was secured against us. That |
taught us lesson and we at once burned |
up our old constitution and bylaws and |
reorganized in conformity with the laws |
Every move we have made has been made |
after a consultation with attorneys who |
know their business so a suit against the |
association will not injure us. The asso-
clation is not doing business contrary TO
law"
Before going TO California Senator Fries
made trip back to his old home in Vir-
glna where he attended a reunion Of the
Fries family at which were present 800 per-
sons of whom $50 were named Fries and
the other $50 or thereabouts were descend
ants Of the family. The occasion was GER
tainly a Fries out" said the senator in tell
ing about.
Locates Trouble in Omaha.
Should Attorney General Brown start pro-
ceedings to see whether the lumber dealers
of Nebraska are organized to shut out the
little dealers and control trade and prices
he will. in all probability, secure some evi-
dence from among the members of, the
Lumber Dealers association, who will tell
some stories against the big lumber dealers
in Omaha which will materially help him.
A lumber dealer who does not aspire to
control more trade than right around in his
territory is authority for the statement that
1t is not the state association that conrols
prices, but that It is few Omaha dealers.
In Omaha, besides the big dealers. there
are several firms that bid on bills of lumber
In nearly every town in the state and thus
enter into competition with the little retail
dealers. 1t is the belief Of this man that
these scalpers are maintained by the big
dealers, who keep them up merely to harass
the retailers out in the state. On one or
two occasons where complaints have been
made to the big dealers the bidding on bills
Of lumber in a country town has been
! stopped. thus showing that the big dealers
have influence with the scalpers and that
when the country dealer will buy his lum-
Der through the Omaha firms and be good
he will not be molested.
Brown to Personally Investigate.
Attorney General Brown, who will start
mandamus proceedings against County
Clerk Drexel shortly to compel him to as
sess the reserve fund of the Woodmen Of
the World. has his petition all ready to file.
but will hold It until some time next week
| until he can take a trip to Omaha and ex-
anime the records In the case. A certih-
cate was received from the county assessor
| that he had assessed the reserve fund and
| spread 1t over the records, but a lettor ac-
companying the certificate said he had not
! done that. To get himself on the right
track the attorney general will make a per-
sonal investigation of the records OF the
Douglas county officers.
Little Talk of Politics,
John Ehrhardt, judge advocate general OF
the National Guard. was In Lincoln on
business today and said no one around his
part of the country was talking politics.
I'VE Of the North Platte country at this
/ time concede the right of the South Platte
people to nominate the supreme judge, but,
of course, can't say what we Of the North
Platte might think when the convention
| meets. However, / have heard very little
talk about the candidates"
! Regents Worried over Appropriation.
The Board OF Regents of the State uni
versity at its meeting held yesterday after
noon instructed C. s. Allen to look out
for the appropriation made by the legisla-
ture two years ago for the construction of
the administration building and which it
was generally supposed would lapse back
to the treasury August 81 Inasmuch as the
building is just fairly started nearly all Of
the appropriation would lapse under that
Interpretation of the constitution that all
appropriations lapse three months after the
adjournment of the next legislature.
! Member Allen, however, is not much wor-
ried about the lapsing of the appropriation,
as he puts different construction on the
constitution, and IT is supposed Attorney
General Brown comedies with the views of
Mr.. Allen. The section OF the constitution
which controls the time appropriations
shall lapse reads follows:
Section 10 Cappropriations). Each legisla-
ture shall make appropriations for the ex-
pense of the government until the expira-
tion of the first fiscal quarter after the ad-
journment OF the next regular session and
all appropriations shall end with such fiscal
quarter. And whenever IL is deemed neces-
sary TO make further appropriations for
deficiencies the same shall require a two
thirds vote of all the members elected to
each house and shall not exceed the amount
| OF revenue authorized by law to be raised
in such time. Bills making appropria tions
for the pay of members and officers of the
legislature and for salaries of the officers
| of the government shall contain no provi-
sion on any other subject
1t is the opinion of Mr.. Allen that this
section refers merely to appropriations for
the current expenses OF running the state
and not to appropriations for permanent
improvements.
Auditor Searle. however is not in the
city. and until he returns Mr.. Allen is not
sure just what he will do in the matter,
as IT may be the auditor would refuse 20
issue warrants on the appropriation after
the last OF the month.
Fights 10 Get out of Town.
Because he fought to get out Of Lincoln
Albert Scott was arrested and lodged in
Jail last night. Scott had been at work