Washington telegraph., 1909-04-30
LEGISLATIVE NEWS


eminent domain to condemn land for
landing purposes, had a stormy time
for a few minutes. Senator Wingo
sent lid an amendment exempting
Bear creek. Sewer county, from the
provisions of the bill Senator Pat
terson wanted the White and Cache
rivers exempted. The bin provides
that transportation companies may
condemn land for landing purposes on
any navigable stream OF on any creek
or bayou emptying into nayigable
stream Senator Wingo explained
that there are lumber mills along Bear
| creek and that the stream is used in
a small way for transportation pur-
poses. He claimed that under the
bill one lumber corporation might
| form a packet company and take up
| the landings to the exclusion of other
companies and monopolize the navi-
CATION on Bear creek. The bill with
all amendments was referred to the
| judiciary committee.
| Governor Donaghey has attached
his signature to the Patterson state
capitol bill, discharging everybody
connected with the construction of the
state capitol and annulling the old
| Caldwell & Drake contract This
leaves the whole situation in a rather
unique status, as no one affected by
the provisions of the bill has ever
stated definitely what will be his
course in the event the operation of
the bill is begun. The members of
the proposed board of adjustment
have not given out whether they have
consented Or not to serve in arbitrat-
ing the differences between the state
and the contractors, nor have the con-
tractors given out any definite state
ment as to their intention to abide
by their discharge without legal pro-
ceedings of some sort. No action of
any sort is probable under the bill,
however, until the legislature acts
upon some follow-up bill for appro-
priations.
Many complaints are being made
on the bad condition of the present
state house and especially the cham
Der in which the House holds its ses-
sions. In the past few weeks so many
members have suffered with violent
headaches and a general all-around
sick feeling" that the matter has
caused comment. ItAis well known
that the House chamber is unsani-
tary because of thelId carpets and
fact that dirt andz 4li!r have been
almost imbedded in tthe woodwork
floors and walls of chamber. The
force of janitors devote much time
to cleaning the chamber and the
; work is done thoroughly, but no
amount of work could remove what
ages have created and accumulated.
The bill introduced in the House
by Mr.. Winn of Pulaski providing for
the levying of tax Of ! per cent on
the gross receipts of all railroads, ca
nal and transportation companies, is
almost identical with a law in effect
in Pennsylvania. 1t is estimated that
the bill, if made a law, would bring
100000 a year to the state. The bill
provides that the tax shall be paid
semi-annually and that the governor
; shall appoint a special tax commits
sioner to look after the tax. The bill
also provides that one-half the tax
shall go to the general revenue fund
and one-half to the common school
fund.
Senator Carlock has probably given
the tariff more study than any mem
Der of the Senate, if not of the entire
legislature. He has watched the prog
ress of the protective tariff bills since
the Civil war and studied the sched
ules prior to the war He finds a tar
iff of about 81 per cent is now impose j
and that the laborer only receives
about 20 per cent of the product of
his labor. The senator points Out
that the difference between the pei
cent of tariff and the per cent going
to labor goes into the pockets of the
manufacturers and amounts to the
same thing as a bonus from the Amer
lean people.
Senator Rowland is said to have
made the statement that he could not
support the deficiency bill for the
penitentiary unless the item for tie
services of a special physician was
stricken from the bill. On roll call
Senator Rowland supported the bill
He said that he had not changed his
mind relative to the item, but that
he did not on that account alone wisn
to stand in the way of paying claims
that he thought were Just due the
merchants who had supplied the pen