Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-23
Shallenberger
Is Contradicted
On Extra Session
From a staff correspondsnt.l


LINCOLN, June 22.-(Speoial.)-In flat
contradiction to the statement Of Governor
shallenberger that the effort to secure
three-fifths OF the members of the legis-
lature favorable to the submission OF the
initiative and referendum proposed con-
sttutional amendment had failed, G. w.
Bryan announced today that enough votes
had been secured TO insure favorable &C
ton on that measure. In expressing his
regret that the extra session was not
called and thus the Initiative and referen-
dunn is defeated, Mr. Bryan lays 1t all up
to the work done by the brewers and rail-
roads in opposition to his efforts to secure
the extra session. While ne does not criti-
else the governor by name, the inference
Is left that these same interests got in their
work on the chief executive Of the state.
Bryan statement.
Mr.. Bryan's statement is as follows.
THE failure Of the friends OF direct leg
islation to have a special session called is
a great disappointment. When the an
nouncement was made some sixty days ago
that a special session would be called, pro-
vided that three-fifths of each branch of
the legislature indicated in writing that
they would vote for the initiative and ref
erendum, providing a session was called,
the work of securing such pledges was
Immediately undertaken. While the work
progressed slowly on account of the strenu-
Gus effort which was made by the brewery
and railroad interests TO befog the issue,
the friends of this measure kept on with
their work until the necessary votes were
in sight to give to the people the necessary
machinery through which they could pro-
tect themselves against corporation con-
trolled legislature.
Interest at Work.
The efforts which have been ptu forth
by the special interests, which commenced
last fall and have continued since, to pack
the senate OF the next legislature so that
the initiative and referendum amendment
could not be submitted for ratification.
made 1t more important that no efforts
should be spared to secure direct legisla-
ton through the present legislature, more
than three-fifths of which--in either body
favor the initiative and referendum and
would vote for 1t IL no other legislation
was before them in which individual men,
bers might have a personal interest which
might induce them to trade off the initia-
tive and referendum for votes in favor of
their own pet bills
Feeling that the publis is entitled to
taken and the progress which has been
made, the following figures, which are
taken from the letters and kilograms, give
the exact status of the poll up to the
present time. '-
Record Of the Winter.
when the initiative and referendum bill
Yas before the legislature last winter, 1t
received seventy-four votes in the house,
only sixty being necessary. In the senate
It received sixteen votes, but as twenty
votes were necessary, 1t failed of passage.
Eleven of the sixteen votes cast for the
bill in the senate wer by dmocfats and five
by republicans
1.-THE poll taken for the purpose of Sc
curing the special session shows sixty
nine affirmative votes in the house. A
number of members Of the house who
voted for the bill last winter have not
been heard FROM but as nine more than
the necessary three-fffths were already Sc
cured, the effort to hear from them was
discontinued. The poh Of the senate shows
nineteen alternatives, democrats eleven
this represents a loss of one democras who
voted for 1t before and gain OF one re-
publican, eight-this represents a gain of
three. Two additional senators, one demo-
crat and one republican, claimed to favor