Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-12
WHAT GOVERNOR MICKEY FoRGErs.

Governor Mickey has after mature re-
Election reached the conclusion that
there is no need of IA special session of
the legislature. Governor Mickey's
reasons for declining to call an extra
session for the purpose of submitting
constitutional amendments or for any
other purpose is tersely stated as fol
lows:
In view of the experience Nebraska has
had in voting on proposed amendments to
the constitution no one can reasonably
hope to see the amendments carry at the
next general election IL submitted.
While 1 am in favor OF amendments to
the constitution in a number Of particu-
lars, 1 don't feel justified in putting the
state to the expense Of an extra session
for the purpose of again submitting the
amendments.
That method of relief is an acknowl-
edged failure in this state and l know
of no greater reason to hope for its sue
cess next year than in previous years,
when constitutional amendments have
been defeated.
Governor Mickey evidently forgets
that the defeat of the twelve amend
ments to the constitution submitted in
1896 was due chiefly, if not wholly, to
the fact that Nebraska was the political
cyclone center of national campaign,
when popular attention was all focused
upon Bryan's paramount issue. For all
that several of the amendments then
submitted came within less than 1900
votes of being adopted by a majority
of all the votes cast at the election thus
affording conclusive proof that the peo-
pie of Nebraska realized the imperative
need of the revision of our organic law,
particularly the enlargement Of the SUI
preme court and safeguarding of the
state school trust funds.
Governor Mickey says he is in favor
of a revision of the constitution by con-
vention, but he forgets that the PROPOSE
ton to call a convention submitted last
year was defeated by the corporation
influence which dominated both the re-
publican and democratic state conven-
tons. Had either of these conventions
endorsed the proposition it would have
carried by a decisive majority. An
endorsement by the conventions would
/ have resulted in the counting of each
vote given for the straight party ticket
for the convention, whereas failure to
do so required every ballot not marked
yes to be counted against the PROPOSE
ton.
| Governor Mickey may not remember
that the defeat of the proposition for a
| constitutional convention was made
doubly sure by the corporations through
placed the proposition at the tail end of
the ballot instead of printing it at the
head. A great majority of the voters of
| all parties who voted the straight ticket
labored under the impression that they
were voting for the amendment as we'll
as for the whole ticket, when, as a
matter of fact, their failure to mark a
cross opposite the proposition counted
as vote against it. Even then the
constitutional convention would have
carried had it not been submitted in a
national campaign year. of which fact
Governor Mickey evidently was OBJ
livious.
1t is passing strange that Governor
Mickey did not arrive at his conclusion
not to call the legislature as early as
did the railroad managers, whose chief
lobbyist gave it out cold several days
before the governors statement was
given to the press that no extra session
would be called by Governor Mickey
Manifestly there are several things Gov
ernor Mickey forgets and does not want
TO remember.