Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-11
CONTROL OF CORPORATIONS
Iowa League Of Municipalities Proposes to
Take Them Cut Of City Politics
STATE TO ASSESS AND INSPECT THEM
e. n. Crabtree, n Mining Promoter,
Brings suit for MIIIion Dollars,
ALLEGING Conspiracy on
Part of Defendants.
lFrnm a san Correspondentl

(From a STAFF Correspondent
DIES MONIES, Aug. 1O.-tSpecial The
Iowa League Of Municipalities, which last
year a. its annual convention asked for
and subsequently secured. the enactment
Of the law for a uniform system Of accounts
for Iowa cities Will this year at its annual
convention ask for much more drastic
legislation. This will be legislation along
the lines Of state control Of municipal
service corporations and taxation Of the
Same by the executive council, consisting
Of the governor. secretary Of state treas
urcr and auditor At present the assess
ment OF such corporations Is fixed by the
assessor with power as a board OF review
resting with the city council. The fact
that the league. besides securing the uni
form system of accounts law, has secured
practically every other piece Of legislation
It has asked makes Its action on this matter
one of vital Importance, though the legisla-
ton proposed will probably he more yigor-
ousy opposed than any It has yet cham
pioned. 1t is proposed I'm the bill, which
will he discussed at the annual convention
in this city on September Is and IA, TO
require that the state shall annually,
through the Office OF the auditor Of state,
make an investigation Of the accounts OF
all such municipal corporations as street
railways tltNNIlN llblN anu gus Nblll AcalhNo
and water works and publish the same.
This will inform the citizens of such cities
OF the financial gains of the corporation
from an unbiased source and better guide
them in the control. This. with the placing
of the assessment OF such corporation in
the hands of the state executive council,
Il is asserted, will eliminate entirely the
participation OF such corporations in city
politics. President Harry Gross OF this city
is ardently in favor OF the proposed bill
and other officers are also. 1t is probable
that after discussing the matter at the
convention a legislative committee will be
appointed to urge It upon the Legislature
The league will at its convention discuss
a number of matters. such as pertain to
sewage disposal and sanitary problems that
confront cities.
MilIiOn-DOIIar Damage Suit.
c. II. Crabtree OF this city has started a
million dollar damage suit in the district
court of this city in which he charges con-
spiracy on the part of Des Mones. st. Louis
and Sioux Falls. South Dakota, people. The
suit is the largest damage suit ever started
| in the courts here and in his petition he
alleges that the conspiracy caused the death
Of his daughter and has wrecked his own
| fortune. CrRbtree is interested financially
lin the Gladiator Consolidated Gold Mining
! and Milling company, which is a cOnsolida-
ton of the Gold Fish, Red Cloud and Glad
! iator gold mines of the Black Hills
| He opened an ONCE In this city and alleges
| in his petition that he employed Attorne,
| A. l.. Steele of this city to assist him
| Steele subsequently started suit agains
| Crabtree for $4,000 for wages and got
| Judgment for something like $1,000. J.. C
| Dooley also started suit here over matter
growing out OF the gold mines and stool
owned by him In his petition Crabtre
alleges that in the conspiracy II. A. GLE
of Deadwood,, 8. D., put the stock o
the company on the market at a loJ
price In order to deplete the stock; tina
| w. l. Rowland and Aaron Anderson %
Sioux Falls. s. D.. falsely, SECURED an in
dictment against him which was after
ward dismissed; that ]. b, GOode o
st. Louis, induced him to transfer
million dollars Of the stock OF the compan,
TO him and then tried TO use It to the detri
ment of Crabtree; that County Attorne!
Jesse \. Miller of this city. Joined in tn
conspiracy in trying to prevent indict
ment against A. l.. Steele; that c. NJ. Mage
OF Clarion, Ia, was employed. as his attor
ney, but Joined the conspiracy and refuse
to ask questions pertinent to the trial an
that all these people have conspired t
defraud him of his ownership of con
trolling interest in the $4,000 900 Of stoc
of the gold mine: that forty or fifty suit
were started against him part Of tn
conspiracy by the persons made defendsn
in his suit and that the strain not onl
caused the death of his daughter Ros
but has caused his own complete nervou
collapse besides costing him a vast amour
of money and has damaged him to the ex
tent OF 100000.
stock Exhibit Big.
At tho Office of the State Department o
Agriculture today It was discovered tina
the stock exhibit this year at the stat
fair will be larger than ever before. Th
entries have been footed up and there wi
be about fifty carloads OF horses. sixty o
cattle. i5 of hogs twenty of sheep AM
! 125 of farm implements.
Was HuHmeIer Murderedf
: A secret inquest was conducted by CorO
ner Robinson Of Jasper county at Newto
today 10 ascertain the cause OF the deaf
of George Huffmeier Of Knoxville who die