Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28
Taylor Of Custer Leads in Onslaught
Against Ransom.
SENATE FOR CHILD HOSPITAL
House Refuses to Take Up the Pro.
hibitory Amendment.
GOOD ROADS BILL SLAUGHTERED
One Of the Democratic Platform
Pledges which the LeEisIature
Does Not Propose 10
Redeem.
cFrom a staff correspcndentO

CFrom a staff Correspondent
LINCOLN. March H.-Cspecial.)- )-Agsin
in the house has w. j. Taylor of Custer
got the better OF Frank Ransom OF Douglas
county. the boss of the senate The fight
this time as It has been all the time, was
over the physical valuation bill. which the
house amended to apply to the stock yards
at South Omaha and all other public SER
vice corporations.
The senate refused to accept the house
amendments to tho bill and a conference
committee was appointed by both houses.
This committee reported back the bill as
IL left the senate, the committee being
unanimous. The senate yesterday unani-
mously accepted the report, but this morn
ing the house turned It down by a vote
of 65 to % A second committee was APP
pointed by the speaker. consisting of Kuhl
OF Cedar, Taylor of Custor and Brown OF
Sherman to meet with the senate commit
tee and agree upon some compromise.
In his fight against the adoption OF the
committee report Taylor showed that the
bill provided for the finding of the phys
ical valuation of every railroad in the stae
save one. zone little thirty-six miles Of
mad in South Omaha" he said.
IAN the work of the legislature hinges
on the next rev uaySt dul
fighting against the adoption OF this
port. do not dispute that the members
of the conference committee are honest,
but they are no more honest and have no
more ability than other members of this
house.
II wish that my definition of the two
bodies, the senate and the house, could go
out all over the state The senate says we
want all railroads i'm the state of Ne
brasla valued. save and except one. The
house wants all railroads In the state of
Nebraska valued.
| 1.-THE argument advanced against the
position taken by the house is that It costs
| too much money. The bill went through
the senate with one little thirty-six mile
railroad left out.
should we agree to that just because g
democratic senator happens to be the at
tcrney for that road?"
At this juncture. when Mr.. Taylor had
also made some reference to the Douglas
county members who were for the com
mittee report. Speaker Pool insisted that
! Taylor should not get personal and repeat
! the performance of several days ago.
Wants to he UnderHtOOd.
"I do not desire to get PERSONAL said
| Taylor, but / hope ] will be permitted tn
speak plain enough so my meaning will
not be misunderstood"
| Mr. Taylor then went into details on the
earnings of the South Omaha Stock Yards
company and said that company charged
exorbitant rates and paid dividends upon
a fictitious value. The packing houses
owned stock in the company for which they
paid nothing, but 1t has been given TO
them for locating near the yards. He told
the stock yards company had asked per-
mission of the railway commission 10 in
crease its rates and when the commission
asked for a report of its physical valua-
ton and its earnings the company refused
to present the statement The railway COM
mission then secured a mandamus from the
supreme court TO compel the company to
file the statement and at the same time
the court held the stock yards a common
carrier.
| Instead of making the statement de-
manded by the commission he said the
stock yards company has simply made
report of its earnings and charges in the
switching department
Mr. Taylor explained the difference be-
tween the feeding yards at Valley and
Grand Island and there he said the charge
was made for feed only, but in the South
Omaha yards the switching and ysrdage
charge is made. In shipping stock from his
home in Merna he said the Burlington took
the stock to within few rods OF the stock
yards and then an extra charge had TO be
made to get the stock over the stock yards
lines into the yards. The stock yards. lie
said, made from 100000 to $4,000 a year
above their feeding charges.
Bowman of Nuckolls and Kelley Of Fur
mas spoke against the report while Shoe
maker and Stoecker OF Omaha spoke fer
THE report Kelley argued that the vaiuataon
Of all public service corporations had been
promised in the platform, while Shoemaker
argued that the platform meant only rail-
roads which carried freight and passen-
gers.
Taylor in his closing talk showed that the
/ senate had attempted to deceive the mem
bers by cutting dut the word "or" and in
serting "and" between the words freight
and passenger. Railroads carrying freight
and passengers exempts the stock yards.
The original bill related to railroads carry
ing freight or passengersN Taylors motion
carried by vote OF IS to 22 and the house
applauded.
The senate refused to yield a point when
the action of the house on the physical
valuation bill was reported and imniedi-
ately reappOinted the conference comInit-
tee which acted with the first house com
mittee, No meeting Of the joint commit
tee was held today.
senate FavOrs Omaha site.
The senate today favorably recommen nd ed
an amendment 10 the general appropria-
tlon bill providing S20,OOO TO be expended by
the regents OF the state university for a
site for hospital in Omaha 10 be a branch
OF the state university medical school.
which already Is located In the metropolis
The plans, Senator Ransom stated. are
not yet completed, and he was not at lib
erty to give the names OF the physicians
backing the project, but he said he knew
OF one man at least who would donate
5000 for the erection OF the hospital. ana