Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-08
Effort to Be Made to Decide What
Bills Are to Be Pushed Through.
FIGHT ON SITTING COMMITTEE
Indications Are that Speaker Can
Name it if He Desires.
CASE OF TOO MUCH POLITICS
Four-Fifths of session Has Expired
and Practically Nothing Else
Has Received Serious
Considerat tIOn.
From Staff corrospondontJ

|
ened at the rapldlty OF the approach OF the
day for final adjournment. and the pound
ing OF the party leaders for legislation
which will tend to the making of a gigantic
political machine, the democratic majority
In the house will caucus Monday night to
agree upon program to be carried out
during the next twelve days for which
the members draw pay,
| The house has spent torty-eight DAYS and
! the senate forty-five days of the session
doing practically nothing. A few bills haye
peen pushed through both houses and
signed by the governor, but of what interest
TO the state at large has not yet been dis
covered. The laws enacted have been. as
| a general proposition for the benefit of
some locality for some person, as in
the case of II. II. /, through which the
democrats hope to be able to elect a United
states senator, probably Mr.. Bryan.
While everyone comedies It would be
commendable in the Legislature to pass
rev bills ana leave the state laws as they
are now yet this will not be done. From
now on bills viii be rushed through both
houses In stream and unless all signs
fail the governor will be swamped with a
hundred or more the last day OF the
session.
|
the members before adjournment means
that bills will be passed without considera-
ton and that Nebraska stands in line for,
big lot of halfbaked and ill-advised laws
Sitting Committee Fight. e.
SO the caucus was imperative. There will
be passed upon at the caucus the matter of
sitting committee and over that will come
scrap which may not end until It reaches
| tho floor of the house
Under the rules the speaker names the
slftng committee. but up to date Speaker
| Fooi mas seen no necessity for such a com
mlttee Others are working to have the
committee named by the committee ON
committees. The republicans have been
! appealed to by friends OF both sides. ana
they no doubt will be divided should tho
! democrats be unable to settle the matter
In caucus.
| 1t is very evident now that the speaker
could win the fight and can name the com
mittee II he so desires. AS the standing
committee on committees has lost cast as
the session has progressed. Speaker Pool
mas grown stronger with the democrats
/ This was evidenced last Friday when
Humphrey of Lancaster moved to have a
bill referred to some committee other than
the one to which it had been referred by
| the speaker.
"lf there is no objection" said the
speaker, this will be done"
| But there was objection W. ]. Taylor Of
! Custer, Kelley OF Furnas and four or five
more objected and they gave their reasons.
| They said the speaker had been eminently
fair and considerate in referring bills and
they believed In this instance he had Sc
! lected the right committee. The speaker
explained that he had studied every bill
before 1t had been referred and had sent
each to the committee TO which he believed
1t belonged. He again said, however, he
had no objection to making the change.
But when the vote was taken the speaker
was upheld almost unanimously.
In view of the growing strength of the
speaker with the members, II is doubtful
II the standing committee will be able To
select the sitting committee unless Mr. Pool
concludes not to fight.
Cure-AI Fails to work.
A great number Of the members have
been deeply disappointed in the Bryan nan.
acea for all ills, by having the standing
| committee selected by a committee in
stead OF the speaker. As a result of this
plan some OF the best men in the house
have no chairmanship and thus the state
Is denied their services and the benefit of
standing committee on committees had Sc
cured the good jobs its members wanted
there was little left TO pass around Some
OF the best men In the house who cham
pioned that plan of the Organization OF
the house are now opposed TO It.
with only twelve days In which nay can
be collected, over 200 bills ON the general
file the appropriation bills still not dis
cussed. save the salary bill. the Democratic
majority is up in the air, 1t is now be-
lieved final adjournment will be set for
April l. but some think IT will be April
before the members get away That will
mean from ten to fifteen days the mem
bers of the house will have to serve with
out pay and their expenses go on Just the
same How to keep a quorum is going to
be hard question for the leaders 10 solve.
Many Of the members are here at a pers-
ona loss and they cannot afford TO stav
on expenses without salary very long
Politics 10 Blame.
The delay I'm the consideration of imnort
ant bills Is traced directly to Mr.. Bryan
and his lieutenants, who have taken I'M the
time OF the legislators with purely political
measures.
So far the house has been able TO side
step county option. but that is a question
which no doubt will be settled in the Mon
DAY night caucus. The members will be
unable TO avoid vote on the question.
though they Will put 1t off as long as they
possibly can
Another measure the house will have to
come TO a show down on this week is the
bill providing the teachers OF the State
university may accept a Carnegie pension
upon retirement Thls measure mas been
in the hands Of the committee for long
time, while the enemies OF the measure
are working against il. The vote is going
10 be close, but the indications are that n
will Daaz though ynticb dananA. 49,. -