The Columbus journal., 1907-04-03
Lincoln Letter
Current Gossip from the
STATE CAPITAL
LeRlslaelve and Otherwise

~ObbSWU SO08up uUOtua SUS / Il
III STATE CAPITAL III
legislative and Otherwise
The ant-pass bill went through the
house with but one dissenting vote
(that Of Cme) and immediately after
the senate accepted the house amend
ments The bill carries the emergency
clause and win become a law just n
soon rs signed by the governor. BY
reason of the senate provision making
the holder Of . pass equally guilty with
the giver, every owner Of IN annual
In the state. not especially excepted
by the provisions of the bill, win be-
come a criminal and subject to prose
cution unless he throws his paste
board into the IRE or hands it hack to
the giver Several members OF the
legislature Who have been making fire.
Quent .ripe home on complimentary
transportation will have to pay when
they leave after the final Winiup.
Under provisions of the bill attorneys
or surgeons 10 receive passes must be
able to show that they are bona fide
employees. the major portion Of whose
time is employed in the service Of the
company" from which they might re-
ceive the transportation. Cones OBJ
lection is that there are hundred and
one pretexts through which a railroad
may cOnstrue lawyer and doctor poll
ucians az over the state as employees.
The house recommended for passage
Aldrich's maximum freight rate bill by
practically a unanimous vote. The
senate having passed the measure, it
will be certain Of passage now and
equally certain Of approval. The bill
makes a reduction OF Is per cent in
the rates in force January 1. 1907. on
live stock. potatoes. grain and grain
products. fruit, coal. lumber and build
ing material in car load lots. The rail-
way commission is given power to
raise or lower rates. If the roads show
that the rates are not reasonable, the
commission has power to permit the
roads to raise rates. The friends Sf
give immediate relief from the unjust
charges on the principal products slsed
and shipped in the state and without
waiting an indefinite time on the rail-
way commission. 1t was urged as a
temporary and supplementary act to
1.sl h0 NJ
commission.
Two bills regulating the South Oma-
ha live stock exchange Gnd the stock
yards were passed by the house. One
hill by Adams of Dawes provides for
q general cut amounting to so per cent
on the profits in the charges made at
The yards for feed. yardage and sim
iiar service II provides also for state
weights Of live stock and for annual
public reports showing the business
condition of the company. The Do
ran bill Is aimed at the commission
men and the live stock exchange. It
provides a cut i'm commission charges
to put them back to where they we're
two years ago before \ general reiuc-
tiOn was made by commission men.
An anti-iiiscrimination feature also
practically knocks out the stock ex-
change by opening up that exchange
to any character OF irresponsible con-
Germ. Under its present rules COM
mission man must pay the shipper for
all live stock sold for him whether
the commission man can collect or not.
The house refused to stand for S. F.
3S4. which conferred upon the state
labor bureau authority to investigate
corporations and look into the books
of these concerns. a bill which it was
said Governor Sheldon heartily en-
dOrsed. and it was indefinitely post
pOned upon the recommendation OF
the judiciary committee. McMullen
and Harvey made talks against the
bill. and though Noyes of Cass offered
amendments, they were not acted up
ON. and the house sustained the re-
port of the committee S. F. 3O8 re-
ceived similar fate. This Is the bill
by Aldrich Of Butler providing COM
mon carriers shall receive permission
from the railway commission before
floating bonds.
The railway commission has not yet
formally organized owing to the alb
sence Of Robert COwell, the member
from Omaha. He failed to come early
in the week and it is not known when
he will he present. His resignation has
been expected for some time. as he has
told friends that he would resign IL
the work Of the commission required
much of his time. He was not present
to be sworn in when other state Of
ficers took the oath of ONCE January
3. but took the oath later
The single tax" theory is dead as
far as the present session of the legis-
lator is concerned. The senate killed
q bill introduced in the house BY Rep
resentative Davis. Later a similar
fate befeN s. F. No. lO9. presented by
Senator Mckesson. Governor Sheldon
recommended in his message that all
mortgage Indebtedness be deducted
from the assessed valuation of the
property.
The senate declined to reconsider its
action of the previous day indefinitely
pOstpOning III. r. 4O3, by Blystone. ap-
prOpriating $4,000 for q hospital
building at the Lincoln hosrital for
the insane for the use Of men. Nc