Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-19
Five Absentees May Change Result al
Another Time
oUSE PASSES OPEN PRIMARY BILL
Measure as Amended is Sent Over to
Senate for Action.
TERMINAL TAXATION BILL AGAIN
senate Measure IL Received and Read
First Time and VIII Likely Take
Place of House Measure
on Calendar.
tFrom a stnn correspondentO

(From Stan Correspondent)
LINCOLN, March ESPECIALLY )-Tha
senate this afternoon took up for the
first time the question Of maximum
freight rates when the Aldrich bill. s,
F. 825, was discussed in committee OK
the whole The bill provides for hori-
Eontal cut Of 20 per cent in al freight
schedules in force January 1. The OH
allows the railroads to go before the rail-
way commission and show that any rat'
is nonoompensatory and eSermits any ship
per to show that the rate is unjustiy
high It provides a penalty of from SlO,-
900 to $25, 900 for violations.
After a bitter debate in which MEM
bers charged each other with being rail-
road tools the committee of the whole
found itself tied on tho bill. Two votes
were taken, both resulting II to IL. FirO
members were absent and the opponents
of the bill assert they will win out by
a small majority with a full senate
Thomas and Saunders Of Douglas both
voted against the bill and Buck Of Otoe
was the only one of the five fusion mem
bers who opposed 1t. He is being charged
by the other democrats with repudiating
the promises made by the party during
the campaign.
Patrick of Sarpy and Burns of Lancas-
ter clashed late in the debate, and the
words "demagogue" railroad tool" and
similar epithets were hurled back and
forth across the chamber until the chair
man had to rap for order. There were
also other minor clashes between mem-
bers during the discussion.
The first vote was taken on n motion
of Epperson of Clay TO indefinitely post
pone the bill, and II stood IA to Ia, Chair
man Saunders declaring 1t lost for want
of majority. The vote on the motion
of Aldrich to recommend 1t for passage
was the same and that motion was de-
clared lost. Then Wilcox of Thayer
moved to rise and report progress and
asked leave to take the bill up at another
session, and this motion was carried.
why AIdrich Offers IL.
Aldrich supported his bill on the ground
It provides speedy relief for unjust rates
and would leave TO the commission the
power to adjust Inequalities in the law.
He presented petitions from shippers in his
district who, he said, represented $5,OOO,0O0
worth Of property, asking the law be en-
| acted.
Clarke Of Adams opposed the bill, de-
| claring the methods looked ragged" and
the legislature should be modest in its
demands on the railroads.
| King supported the measure, citing as
an instance of inequality the fact the rate
from Osceola to Omaha is practically
the same as the rate from omaha to Chi
cago. five times as far He said the bill
would require the roads 10 go into court
and show the justness OF their charges.
Patrick In a speech supporting the bill
cited figures comparing Iowa and Nebraska
/ varha ENAV aNnaz 10 honN he
said, the Iowa rate was 45 cents, and the
Nebraska ratio cents; for a 1OO-mlle haul
the Iowa rate is 81 cents and the Ne
braska rate 1S cents, an increase of 30 per
cent over the Iowa rate. Other comparisons
showed similar percentages in favor of the
| Iowa rate
Espperson of Clay declared there is no
demand for a maximum freight rate law,
and he believed the matter should be left
| to the railway commission. He said any
rate law passed by the legislature would
| hamper the commission. Ashton OF Hall
favored the bill, declaring it would equalize
Inequalities between rates in the interior
towns and Missouri river towns. McKes-
son, Gould, Burns and Wilson opposed
action by the legislature,
The senate this afternoon attached an
other amendment TO the Aldrich bill con-
| ferrlng new powers on the department OF
commerce and labor and then again rec
commended the bill for passage. The bill
originally permitted the governor TO order
the investigation of any corporation. but
| by an amendment offered by King this
power is now restricted to corporations I'm
which the public has an interest"
Primary Bill Passes.
The statewide primary bin. amended so
that any person may vote at any primary
without telling his party afiliation, passed
| the house this afternoon by vote OF 70 TO
/ "A, with thirteen members absent. Several
OF those who voted against the bill ex-
planned their votes, ana with the exception
Of one each opposed It because of the open
| primary amendment, which was adopted