Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-24
Corporation Efforts Beng teadily Directed
Against Much Neece Law.
FRIENDS KtENLY ON ALERT JUST NOW
Probability of It's Passage by Present Ieg-
islature Seems Coed
SENATE KILLS PATRcwS ANTLLoBBY BILL
Stringent Law Proposed by senator
from sarpy Gets Its Quietus in
Committee of the whole
After sharp Debate.
CFrom a Stan Correspondent.)


LINCOLN. Jan. 29.-(speclal.)- Gradually
the forces in the legislature are lining up
for battle over the taxation of railroad
terminals for municipal purposes. The re-
cent statement by Representative Clarke
In which he showed the absurdity OF the
railroad contention that to tax railroad
terminals locally would be to take money
from the school funds OF the various dis
tricts OF the state, has had good effect
but inasmuch as, the railroad forces are
more determined to kill this measure than
any other, Representative Clarke and those
other republicans who desire to keep the
pledges made to the people, realize II will
not do TO relax their vgor at any stage
of the game.
County Commissioner w q. Ure OF Doug
las county came down this afternoon TO
look over the situation and to put in a
good word for terminal taxation should Il
be necessary. 1t has been found the bill
which Mr.. Clarke introduced is not ex-
actly right in all its details in that It ls
now believed the title of the bill does
not exactly At its contents For that
reason the bill will again be carefully gone
over and no ioophole left by which the
railroads could escape paying these mu-
nicipal taxes when 1t becomes a law
Pollard an Interested Spectator.
r. d. Pollard, tax commissioner of the
Burlington, also visited the corridors OF the
state house this afternoon, but Mr.. Pollard
said he did not know whether he would
be called upon to appear before the COM
mittee on the terminal taxation bill. Mr.
Pollard has been looking after the taxes
OF the Burlington for the last seventeen
years or more during which time he has
appeared annually before the State Board
OF Assessment and spoken for his road.
incidentally, the joint committees of the
senate and house selected TO draft pri-
mary election bill and bill for the taxa
tion of railroad terminals for city pur-
poses have not yet met and organized.
The delay was explained this afternoon,
however, by a statement that some of the
men on these two committees are on the
railroad committee and they have been
too busy to organize, as the latter COM
mittee has been having nightly meetings
The house spent nearly all OF its time
today fighting over printing the daily
Journal and making accusations against
the State Journal and the other printing
firms in the Printing trust. while the SEN
ate killed the Patrick anti-lobby bill
This latter action had been anticipated
inasmuch as Patrick Is a fusionist and
hts employment as local attorney for the
Burlington did not help his measure.
Two Douglas County bills.
OF importance to the people OF Douglas
county and to Omaha are two bills which
were introduced IN the house this after
noon by Mike Lee OF Douglas. One Gre
ates the office of county comptroller, al
lowing the man elected to the place a
salary of $500 a year and deputy
whose salary shall be $4,000 a year. The
duties prescribed are the duties usually
attaching to such a position. The other
bill amends the Omaha charter relating
particularly to the ONCE of city engineer,
and designates the sum to be set aside
for the maintenance of the various de
partments of the city government for thu
fiji tmen.
il is provided no employe of the city
engineers office or under his direction
shall be permitted to solicit a vote for
any candidate for Office, and after serv-
ing the city for six months he shall not
be discharged except for cause or by rea
son OF a lack OF work
The municipal tax levy is increased from
S75O,OOO to 100000 and $4,000 is set
aside as. a sinking fund though the coun-
ell may increase the total to s1.5OO.OOl.
The council may, by Unanimous vote. with
the mayor concurring, issue bonds to pay
current expenses in the sum aggregat-
ing the difference between the gross sum
levied and the maximum amount which
may Oe levied.
The bill provides the following sums
for the special departments as COMPARED
with the last biennium: