Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-25
Bill Likely to Get Through the
EOuse Tuesday.
PPRopRIATloNS BEYOND The LIMIT
Senate or Governor Win Have to Wiel
the Pruning Knife.
HOUSE OvERORAws lHE STATE FUNDS
indications legislature VIII Not he
Able 60 Adjourn saturday as
Planned and May Possibly
Stay Another Week.
From a stan correspondent.O


| LINCOLN, March 2-(Special) MEM
pers OF the legislature made great progress
on their pledges TO the people during the
last week and the indications are the close
OF the present week will see every repub-
lican platform pledge in the hands OF the
governor During the week the railway
commission bill was agreed upon and the
conference committee amendments accepted
oy both houses. and it is now In the hands
OF the enrolling clerks preparatory to be-
ing taken to the governor. The terminal
tax bill passed both the house and the SEN
ate and will so TO the governor the first OF
the week II the house amendments are
! agreed upon in the senate. OF course ~ the
| senate balks then conference committee
VIII nave to be appointed and both branches
OF the legislature will have to agree upon
| amendments. However, the head of the
railroad lobby announced last night there
would be no further fight on this bill. but
the friends Of the measure will not relax
their vigilance until the bill is delivered to
governor Sheldon. At least one member OF
the senate is not favorable to the amend-
ment which provided that the local asses
sors shall not assess the franchise but
friends of the bill believe this amendment
is good one, as it leaves the franchise to
the state board. Whether the terminal tax
! Dill VIII be the success its sponsors claim
for 1t depends largely upon the state board
and the plan its members adopt to distribute
the value Of railroad property to the various
| towns of the state Some OF the members
of the board, however have taken a great
interest in the bill. especially Governor
Sheldon, to whose firm stand for the plat
form pledges is largely due the passage OF
the bill, so 1t is likely, unless the railroads
control the board majority. the bill will be
IintpTprqfad aq ffc frta
Primary Dill in House.
The senate has amended the house pri-
mary bill and that will be back to the lower
branch for concurrence during the nrst
days OF the week, There seems little ques.
tion that these amendments will be ac-
cepted, though some Of the members object
10 the provision which requires the voter
to say he will support the ticket at the
coming election. This is Interpreted to
mean he will vote for a majority Of the can
didates nominated by his party. Several
members believe it is sufficient to have the
voter swear he has generally supported the
ticket at the last election and not attempt
to control his action in the future election.
There may be fight on this provision
which may necessitate the appointment OF
a conference committee
The anti-pass bill should be settled in the
house Tuesday. There has been more plav
over this than any other measure. and
those republicans who want TO keen their
pledges are getting exceeding tired Of the
way some of the members are acting and a
showdown certainly will come Tuesday
morning when the bill comes up as a spe.
cial order.
Riot of Appropriations.
The one pledge which the republican
party made to the people, and a most i'm
portant one, IS being shot to pieces with a
recklessness that is short of appallinR.
That pledge is the promise TO be economi-
cal I'm the appropriation OF the peoples
money. Never in the history Of the state
has house Of representatives run so COM
pletely wild on the money question The
most optimistic do not estimate the income
of the state during the next biennium al
more than S50O,O0O, and yet the house has
passed and recommended tor passage an
preparation bills amounting to almost
s5.OOO0OO Bills carrying large appropria-
tions have been rushed through without a
protest and without attention being paid
to them. Now that they have done their
worst in this line the house members are
beginning to realize that they must go
home and face their constituents, and they
are hoping the senate will use better judg-
ment The senate may and the senate
may not, cut down these appropriations
II the senate does not of course Governor
Sheldon will, but that will not save the
house members from the odium which al
ways will attach 20 them for the reckless
handling Of the peoples money. The way
is open for enormous cuts and they will
have TO be made, or. as Springer Of scott's
Bluff suggested, we had better apply for
a receiver for the state" Boards have
been created by the house without number
and each bill creating a board carries an
appropriation. Appropriations have been
made by the house for Investigations along
numberless lines and they went through
because some members claimed they were
in the interest of the farmers. one mem-
br suggested that the house treated the
farmers as though they knew nothing, and
he wanted bill put through creating a
board to teach the farmer how TO sharpen
a plow." OF course the bills are not in
the interest OF the farmers at all. but In
the interest OF some fellows in town who
want jobs on the boards.
Senate Has Chance TO Prune.
II has been suggested that friends OF
some Of the big appropriations should get
wise TO the fact that the governor cannot
reduce an appropriation or increase one.
but he must either endorse Il or veto II
I'm its entirety. The governor will begin
10 veto the minute the appropriations reach
the limit OF the states income. But the
senate has the first Whack al the enormohs
house appropriations, and where the mem-
bers will begin 10 cut Of course Is not
known at this time. It Is more than likely.
however, one Of the first appropriations 70
receive the pruning knife win be the
$4,000 for buildings al the state farm.
Unless the friends Of this measure consent
20 allow this money 10 come out Of the
l-mil levy set apart for the university they
may not get a cent. because it IS asserted
a womens building al the state farm is
not 30 necessary that II has 10 be built
this year and neither are the other build
ings asked for.
Another appropriation which probably