Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-17
SENATOR'S VIOLATING THE LAW
May Have Trouble Getting Claims by
the Auditor.
From a Staff Correspondent

the Auditor.
Trom a Staff Correspondent)
LINCOLN. jan .-(Special. )-Nebraska's
Economical. business = like, democratic"
legislature in session under the shadow OF
Falrview. regardless of law and order, has
completed the first leg of its journey.
The first two weeks Of its existence will
be remembered for the laws 1t has broken
the employees II has employed and the little
1t has accomplished.
In the house ninety-one bills have been
introduced and In the senate ninety. Not
a bill has yet been returned from the
printer, no standing committee has reported
and neither house has resolved itself into
a committee of the whole for the discussion
OF any measures. Yet junketing commit
tees have been sent out at the expense of
the state to take a look at state institu-
lions and two and three-day adjournments
have been taken each week.
Not only has the senate violated the plain
law in regard to the number OF employees
allotted to the upper house. but It's printing
committee has also violated the law In Sc
curing supplies. The law specifically re-
quires hat the letting Of contracts for
printing shall beS under the supervision of
the Board of Public Lands and Buildings.
But that is a dead letter so far as the
senate is concerned. The printing COM
mittee Of the senate let the contract for
printing blank committee reports and was
Just in the act of letting the contract for
letter-heads when someone called the com
mlttee's attention to the law. Then the
bids were brought to the office of the secre-
tary of state and here is what was dis
covered:
The committee rolled out three bids for
this work and each bid was from a dem
ocratic print shop.
"If the bids are all right" said Secretary
of State Junkin. mo doubt the board will
let the contract under your bids"
But when the secretary saw the three
democratic bids and learned that only these
firms had been asked to bid, he stopped
proceedings and other firms were notified
to get in their bids.
But on the printing Of blanks for com
mittee reports the senate printing COM
mittee Just went ahead and let the contract
and that ended the matter-for the present.
In the house the printing committee
, learned of the existence of the law before
it got busy taking care of friends, so there
Is no trouble from hat end OF the legisla-
ture about printing-yet.
ouN ZIG pCOPA0 nave " SSN OSSh SAANSN
out of their hard earned money to pay
political obligations of the leaders Of the
democratic legislature. The wise men who
framed the constitution probably had in
mind that some day Nebraska would have
a Bryan democratic Legislature. So the
| office of state auditor was established and
this official was given authority and dt-
rected to investigate all claims against the
| state Eyan q claim allowed nv the laRiS-
lature is subject to review by the state
auditor He has the final say SO.
When the illegally employed help of the
senate comes before the state auditor with
their vouchers, Nebraska will know whether
the people are compelled to pay the ex-
penses of candidates for office. The show
down will be on the question Of whether the
Douglas county senators can with impunity
set aside existing laws to care for political
hangers-on. There will also be a show
down when the illegally let contracts for
legislative printing are presented for settle
ment