Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-01
Only a Start is Made Toward Revenue
Legislation.
MIxUP OVER BANK MEASURE
Committees Are Divided, but Both
Will Obey Orders.
DEMANDS FOR APPROPRIATIONS
Democratic Heads of state ln-
shtutIOns Are More InsIstent
Than Their Prcde-
ceHsors.
rErom a staff CorrespondentS


LINCOLN, Jan. 31.-(Special) with the
legislature beginning its fifth calendar
week. the democratic majority has to its
credit the agreement on one Of its pledges.
that OF physical valuation OF corporation
property start on the change in road
laws and the beginning of big miXup
over the bank guaranty bill-all matters
embodied in the state platform. only "A
start has been made toward revenue lesis-
lation which, as the majority committees
in both house and senate take II up, looms
like specter before them with their
membership divided what is best to ac-
complish. Demands for appropriations come
from the democratic heads OF state insti-
tutons with just as much inslstence and
more than they ever came under past adj
ministrations.
The democrats are by no means agreed
upon the changes to be effected in the
primary law to which both branches of the
demopop regime are committed and TO
secure which bills covering a wide range
have been introduced. The populist
declaration in favor of county option at
the present writing looks like bushel
of potatoes hidden under a twenty-ton hay
stack and as for the initiative and
referendum proposed by the populst party
while bills said to be i'm preparation
none has yet been introduced. The home
rule slogan proposed by Douglas county is
likely to be embodied in the Omaha and
South Omaha charter bills that are in
process of incubation, but there Is great
likelihood that the people OF these two
cities when they secure this prize will find
1t resembling one of the packages they
pull out of grab bag, numerous are
the interests pulling and hauling to pound
II into shape other than that desired by
the proletariat.
House Desires to work.
In the house there has been desire
far to do actual work on legislation. There
always is in this body composed as 1t is.
30 largely of new members who think they
have been sent TO Lincoln 10 make laws
and lots of them. In the senate, however,
the disposition is to sit In judgment. Here
are the men who have had past legislative
experience. the politicians of the majority
party, and the men with axes to grind. IL
anything gets by them the members OF the
house may offer up thanksgiving. They
are bound to recognize the house as a CO.
ordinate branch of the government and AS
body that will pass on senate measures
to whom apparent consideration is due.
In the wndup, it will be strange II tile
senators do not get the better OF the mem
bers Of the lower body.
The Oils ply slcal valuation bill agreed
upon during the last week by the joint
railroad committee as the expression of the
majority of the physical valuation question
confers upon the Railroad commission the
duty of securing the value of the property
of all railroads, telegraph. telephone and
express companies as II exists July !, 1909,
the work to be finished and reported to the
governor in the annual report of 1870 Mr..
Oils made a study of the Wisconsin plan
in particular, and has embodied the prac-
tce in that state in his bill. His measure
was changed scarcely a particle as first in
troduced i
Employment of Experts.
In the Oils bill the provision is made
| thai the Railway commission shall secure
the valuation desired through experts, who
| shall be secured with the consent OF the
governor. This will impose upon the board
| the necessity of deferring to the governor
! in the selection of experts, and is In line
| with the policy already indicated, that the
democrats will endeavor to bring politics
| into every possible department of the state
and secure whatever patronage and ma
terial advantage is possible. even at the ex-
pense of rendering the work ineffective.
They first made their attack upon the SUI
preme court and are now about to begin
| suit in the hope of obtaining one additional
| judge for themselves. They next pushed
| Ghe Tanner bill TO have the democratic gov
| ernor instead of the secretary OF state, a
! republican, designate the newspapers which
| shall publish the constitutional amendments
before election They have now introduced
a brl TO give the one democratic railway
Commissioner the power TO block any OF the
acts of the republican Railway commission.
and specifying that the vote thereon and
tho selection OF all assistants shall be unan-
imous thereby comforting upon the minor
ity of a popularity elected board the right TO
rule It.
option Bill Killed by order.
The question is not yet far enough along
TO reveal to what extent the corporation
managers OF the legislature will be able to
carry their dictaton into the more diverse
legislation in which they are especially in
Iterested, but the manner In which the Doug
las county contingent was able to line up
senators last week against a bill which op-
ton interests, really desirous OF obtaining
whatever saloon regulation was possible,
believing option itself can not carry. was
an eyeopener along this line Everything
is apparently fixed to carry through In the
guise OF party adherence what the corpor-
alton interests may dictate.
with the departure OF Mr. Bryan for the
south at the time the members were Tesolv-
ing that he come before them and make
address, and following his meeting at the
executive mansion with a few OF the leaders
interested in the new bank guaranty law.
renewed interest has been taken In the big
question the democrats have before them.
They were so badly divided before MIR.
Bryan led them up TO the trough TO drink
that no progress whatever was being made
toward agreement on bill. Consequently
MIR Bryan ordered them 10 confer with
him and while en- route TO a late train.
which he was taking TO escape the con
slant pounding given him for views on this
and that question, he dropped in at The
meeting at the executive mansion and