Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-13
RAILROAD LOBBY IN FORCE
Lincoln Sees Swarm Of striksn from AL
Over Nebraska
CLANS GATHER To COMBAT TERMINAL TAX
Individual Members Of House Beset by
CIamOrOus Advocates of Corporate
Control, Desperately Striving
to Change votes.
trrom a star correspondent.,

roao magnateS and lobbyists into Lincoln
last night was only prelude to the still
greater invasion OF railroad satellites to-
night. The Lincoln hotels are teeming with
out-of-town visitors as never before seen
during this session and the great majority
Of the newcomers are pluggers called in by
the railroads to get in their work against
the terminal taxation bill. General Man
ager Holdredge OF the Burlington went
back to Omaha. but as a substitute Jim
Kelby came down today TO add the pres
tige of some one higher up to the swarm
OF paid retainers camping out here. Each
member Of the legislature finds himself
with railroad lobbyists to the right and
railroad lobbyists TO the left and railroad
lobbyists in front Of him.
The movements Of the railroad army are
being directed by the big guns, who are
personally on the spot For the Burllng-
ton Jim Kelby, w. A. Dilworth, Frank
Young, Tax Commissioner Pollard and Lee
spratlen are issuing commands. For the
Northwestern Ben White and his right
bower, Carl c. Wright, with Bob McGinnis
in the rear. are on deck. For the Union
Pacific Bob Clancy. Edison Rich. George
Holcomb, Charlie Lane and Tax Commits
sioner scribner are doing the heavy work
Carl c. Wright Makes a Scene.
Carl c. Wright, who represents "the only
good railroad" made quite a scene in the
lobby of the Lindell tonight in a verbal
setto with Representative Mike Lee. He
raised the Omaha against the state" flag
and accused Lee of trying to rob the state
for the benefit of Omaha, forgetting to
say, however, how much the Northwestern
was robbing the city by taking its new
freight depot site of the city assessment
roll without giving the state anything to
make up for it. Lee suggested that the
Northwestern was shlrking its city taxes
and then Wright INDUCED in a few person
alities. Wright seems to be the most ex-
! cited member OF the railroad brigade, and
even so far forgot himself as to ask County
Commissioner Ure IL there was not a
chance to compromise.
Railroads Aim Rt House.
| What has stimulated the activity Of the
railroad crowd is the action OF the senate
today in committee of the whole ordering
the terminal taxation bill. introduced by
Senator Thomas. to be engrossed for third
reading and recommended 1t for passage
with only three or four feeble dissenting
votes. The Clarke bill is set for special
order tomorrow afternoon in the house, and
the railroad plan is to center all FIRE on the
! AAO1oc- AANAAHcfr " aANNAACh1 hiteAA EOcAlOu
there.
The plan Of operations is the same one
which the railroads have so often resorted
to, namely to call their strikers, local at
| torneys and former members OF the legis-
lature who have made good on previous
occasions to flock into Lincoln and deliver
the votes OF the members from their re-
spective districts. 1t is impossible, of
course, to Identify all Of these railroad en-
issaries, but any one familiar with the
| working crew OF the railroads and legis-
latures and conventions can easily pick out
score or more by strolling around the
| hotel lobbies
Strikers for the Corporations.
To cite only a few of them will give
some idea of the methods that are being
pursued. The redoubtable G. c. McNish Is
down from Fremont with his pal, United
States Deputy Internal Revenue Collector
John w. Kreader. McNish brought with
him a resolution against terminal taxation
which he inveigled the Dodge county Board
! of County Commissioners to adopt and
which he is brandishing over the heads of
the Dodge county members. From Rock
county have come two of the Northwest
/ ern old standbys, Local Attorney ]. A.
| Douglas OF Bassett and Banker e. L.
! Meyer OF Newport Another pair to keep
the Hall county men in line are Attor-
neys w. A. Prince and r. r. Horth of
| Grand Island. From Madison county
comes Postmaster John r. Hays and Edi-
tor w. N. Huse OF Norfolk; from Buffalo
has been camping on the tran OF his son,
Tom Hamer. The railroad men give It
out that through the agency of the Judge
they expect to get the son to go to the
front for them on the floor.
! From the far west comes another group
of patriots in the persons Of Alpha Morgan
of the Broken Bow land ONCE; ex-senator
| Grinin OF Gothenburg, ex-Representative
@. e. Bacon OF Overton. and from up IN
Boone county, Northwestern Local Attor-
ney F. e. Price-and this is only a few OF
them
A lot OF local railroad representatives
here in Lincoln are reporting for duty.
among them ex-Banker Tom Auld. Attor-
ney Frank Woods Pullman Lobbyist Tom
Benton. ex-Secretary Of State Galusha,
County Attorney Frank Tyrrell and others
of the old guard. If this array OF pro-
fesslonal talent does not kill the terminal
tax bill It will surely be only because the
legislature is made up of men who cannot
be tampered with and are bound TO redeem
Busy with the FusiOnists.
The railroads are working Just as hard
on the fusion end OF the legislature as on
any other. Edison Rich OF the Union Pa
cifie law department kept close to Senator
Ashton OF Hall last night. and Ashton was
one OF the few senators who voted mo- on
the terminal tax bill today. Democratic
State Chairman Tom Allen came down to-
night 70 reinforce what he did for the rail-
roads in the campaign and another demo
crat, Johnny Maher, was talking loud and
long in the lobby. It ia said Cone OF saun-
ders. characterized by the WOrld-Herald
as "the discredited minority leader" viii dc
some OF the talking for the railroad part
OF the performance and they expect to
get few more OF the minority to speak az
wen as TO vote.
As one OF the oniookers exclaimed: THE
railroads are playing no party favorites
Democrats, republicans and populists all
look alike to them when they are after
votes to keep on the taxes that they ought
to pay"