Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-10-06
ALEeIsLArug PRoeR1N.

In HIS Harrisburg address President
Roosevelt outlines the substantial leg
islation enacted by the last Pennsyl-
vania legislature, which he says
marks an epoch in the history OF the
political betterment OF political condi-
tons" and in so doing constructs a
Legislative program, which for the
most part would At we'll In many other
states and especially in Nebraska.
Speaking to the people OF Pennsyl-
vania, the president says.
Through your legislature you have aboi-
ished passes; you have placed the oflces
Of the secretary Of the commonwealth and
the insurance commissioner upon an honor
able and honest basis OF salary only by
abolishing the fee system; you have passed
a law compelling the ofheers and employees
OF great cities TO attend TO the duties for
which they are paid by all the taxpayers,
and to refrain from using the power con-
ferred by their ofnces 20 influence political
campaigns: you have prohibited the solicit
tation or receiving Of political assessments
by city employees: you have by law pro-
tected the state treasury from depreciation
and conserved the public moneys for use
only In the public interest: you have by
law for the protection OF the elective fran
chise made tampering with the ballot boxes
and the casting OF illegal votes 80 difficult
as in all probability 10 be upprohtable you
have provided a primary election law which
guarantees TO the voters free expression
In the selection OF candidates for once;
you have by law regulated and improved
the civil service systems Of your greatest
cities and, finally. you have patsed law
containing a provision which I most earn
estly hope Will in substance he embodied
in law by congress at the coming session
"a provision prohibiting the officers OF any
corporation from making a contribution OF
the money OF that corporation TO any rsn-
didste or any political committee for the
payment Of any election expenses Whist
ever
Taking up this enumeration as at
fected by local conditions In Nebraska,
we can see that while some Of the
work has already been done here,
much of II is yet 20 be accomplished.
Nebraska long ego threw safeguards
around IT'S state treasury and enacted
laws to prevent the farming out of
public funds for private gain. Ne
braska has fairly adequate laws for the
protection of the elective franchise
against ballot-box frauds and illegal
voting. Nebraska has a direct pri-
mary law governing its largest city
and county. Nebraska has corrupt
practices law. prohibiting campaign
contributions from privileged corpora
lions. and also law forbidding the is
sue of free passes for the purpose of
manipulating conventions.
Nebraska has yet to enact law alb
solutely abolishing free passes. II has
yet to enact law completely wiping
ing all of it's public officers upon an
honorable and honest basis of salary.
Nebraska has yet to enact law ex-
tending civil service tenure to mu-
nicipal and state employees and COM
polling them to attend exclusively to
their public duties. Nebraska has yet
to make It's primary law statewide In
it's operation and give the people out
side of the one large county the same
guaranty of free expression in the Sc
lection of their candidates for ONCE.
Nebraska has still other laws to en-
act as we'll as these, among them.
Laws to compel the railroads to pay
their taxes the same as other people:
laws to prevent determinations and
extortion in the exactions of the rail-
roads for carrying freight and passen-
gers; laws to drive the corrupting lob
byists out of the state house. This
does not exhaust the list by any means,
but includes the most important. If
the coming Nebraska legislature
would carry through legislative pro-
gram like this it could expect common
dalton like that just given in Pennsyl-
vania for "a remarkable record of
achievement +"