Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-27
Measure Only Intended to Cover Meetings
Already Past and Gone,
CONTROL OF EXPENDITURE ADVISABLE
Appropriation to Be Made Definite and
Left in State Treasury,
VOUCHERS MAY HEREAFTER Be AUDITED
Conditions at Present Not satisfactory
TO All, and Those Interested In
University Would Like to see
Reforms Instituted.
tFrom a stan Correspondent.l

Mullen Dill, giving authority to the board
Of regents of the university to hold execu.
tive sessions, merely legalizes the closed
meetings which this board has always
held"
That is the way a state officer today ex-
pressed himself on the bill which the
gentleman from Gage has introduced In the
house as sop thrown out by the board
OF regents TO the people who are demand
ing that state business shall be attended
to in the open and not behind closed doors.
The bill provides the regents shall hold
open meetings. but It provides that when
the regents think 1t to the best interests
OF the university they may hold executive
sessions 1t is in line with the other bill
introduced by McMulen. which provides
all moneys received by the university. ex-
cept the money raised by levy. shall be
held by the state treasurer and paid out
by him on warrants issued by the auditor
on certificates issued by the board. The
argument for the passage of this bill will
be that II conforms to the supreme court
opinion which was In effect that govern
ment funds donated to the university can
be paid out by the treasurer on the order
OF the regents without a specific appropria-
tion by the legislature. However, I'm the
BILL the cash fund which comes under its
provisions Is not mentioned. This fund
NuIIlS lHe last premium amounted TO
abount $4,000. Should the McMullen bill
pass this money could be used without
the legislature having anything to say
about It, This cash fund is made up OF
fees charged the students.
Sentiment for Limited Appropriation.
strong sentiment exists among the
members OF the legislature now to either
abolish the l mill levy and appropriate
what the regents need in specific sum
or to make the mill levy the maximum
and give authority to the State Board OF
Equalization to make the levy sufficiently
large to cover the appropriations made for
the beneht of the school
This probably would have been done By
the Legislature four years ago had not
the university lobby ,-beeRs' sufficiently
strong to induce Governor Mickey to go
back on a promise he made to request tho
introduction of bill for this purpose.
When the new revenue law was intro
duced It was the intention of the revenue
committee to introduce companion bills,
| one of which would make the mill levy
| for the university the maximum, so the
state board could reduce the levy to
accord with the university appropriation.
| II was late in the session when the reve-
nue. bill was introduced and the forty
| day limit in which bills can be introduced
lapsed without the companion bill having
| been prepared. member of the reve-
nue. committee went to Governor Mickey
| and explained the intention of the COM
mittee and asked him to send a special
request to the legislature for the introduce
tion of the bill, which, under the con-
| stitution, he has a right to do. The gov
ernor agreed to do this the following day
! and the bill was drawn by the present
attorney general, W. T. Thompson. The
university lobby got to work on the gov
ernor and he agreed not to have the bill
introduced. providing a certain building
I wanted by the university should be paid
| fo- out of the l mill levy instead of the
| general fund
| II was explained to Governor Mickey by
! this member of the revenue committee
| that the increase in the assessment dus
! to the new revenue law would increase
the revenues for the university TO an un-
! known extent, and for that reason au-
thority should be given the State Board
of Assessment TO reduce the levy to con-
form to the appropriations made for the
university by the Legislature.
Increase IL Certain.
The same condition exists today, in that
real estate will be reassesed in 1908. and
there is every reason to believe. on this
CldSS Vi piOptiAS diVHG NHcIN Will DC hn III
crease in valuation OF from 5000 900 to
$50. ,OOO The fact that the sessions of the
Board OF Regents are held behind closed
doors, and that no vouchers for University
expenditures amounting TO almost half a
million a year. are offered for inspection,
! approval or rejection by the state auditor
is becoming CALLING 10 some members of the
legislature who have the best interests OF
the university at heart As there is a
growing sentiment that this Legislature Is
out for the square deal the university may
be placed on a business basis over the pre-
test OF the Board Of Regents.
Employees Get Their Pay.
Employees OF the legislature became hilar-
iously happy this morning when they re-
ceived their pay for the arduous duties per-
formed for the benefit Of the state. From
the janitor Of the lOx1O committee room 20
the watchman who nightly sleeps or sits
beside the doors TO the senate chamber and
the house, each received his stipend out
OF the states big money box, and each
subscribed 20 an oath that he had earned
the money, every cent Of it. The members
OF the legislature will do the same thing
about next Thursday and each will receive
500 20 do with what he pleases so long
as he conforms to the law in getting rid
of 1t.
And this money proposition recalls that
some ot the members are not anxious to
take the junketing trips TO the state in
stitutions. because II has been broken 10
them very gently that they will have to
pay their railroad fare and hotel expenses
out OF their own little pockets The money,
however. Will be returned 10 them when
they file receipts for their expenditures
with the state auditor. but they will have
to have receipts for every cent they spend.
Some Of the members object TO being out
this small change even for week or two
just in the midst OF a cold spell, and there
fore Il II very likely most OF the visiting
VIII be done by subcommittee.
The subcommittee is al work on the bill
l