The Red Cloud chief., 1915-02-04
The Legislative Grind


w. A. Smith Of Beemer is making good
As chairman on the committee OF
Privileges and Elections the heav.
part of the contest OF Kelley vs. Fults
for the Furnas county honors, fell up
on his shoulders. With a dsmocra
ma jority on his committee and demo
cract II q. or,ty n the house, he had /
W thin his power to unseat Mr.. Fult
and put in Platform" Kelley. Mr.
Smith is very modest country bank
er but he has II future in politics il h,
chc o,es to follow the pastime.
Norton's bill for constitutions
convention passed the lower branch ot
the Legislature without serious opposi
ton. Two years ago similar resolu
tion met an untimely death. Oppon
cuts argued that the cousti ution was
rs unalterable as the laws of the Medes
and Persians and man was branded
n revolutiOnist who suggested anything
OF the sort. But this session the meas.
Instead Of tearing Ncbrask1's Magn
Charta to tatters and erecting new
foundation for our statutes the bill
proposes to submit each proposed new
section Of the constitution separately
to the electors. In that way the desir.
able changes can be acted upon favor
ably at the polls while unpopular sect.
ions may be discarded. House Roll No
|, the Norton bill, is we'll on its way in
the senate. 1t is whispered that it
will have harder shedding there than
in the house, which is recognized rs
being more favorable to progressive
legislation.
Barker Of Franklin, Cronin of O'Neill
and Tibbets OF Hastings are members
Of the house who are active newspaper
men. Henry Richmond of Omaha and
Broome of Alliance have been mem.
bers of the fraternity recently and
may be depended upon to defend the
dignity of the press upon every occa-
sion. There is no active publisher in
the senate, aside from Secretary Wal
rath, but Senators Beal and Quinby
have won their spurs as editors and
they have retained all of their sympa.
thies fer the country publishers.
Ifthe governor had called out the
militia Thursday, South Omaha and
Benson and the other suburban towns
around Omaha might have been an.
neXed to Lincoln. A tremendous
crowd of suburbanites came down to
present petition in boots TO the leg.
islature against a bill that seeks to
add all of the little towns to the city
Of Omaha The committee having the
bill in charge gave the guests public
hearing end strong arguments were
made for and against annexation. 1t
is generally thought that If the bill
passes the senate it will be given clear
sailing in the house and Greater
Omaha" will he an actually rather
than dream.
Representative Lanigan of Greeley
county has introduced bill in con.
formity with the suggestion in Gover>
nor Morehead's message providing for
a constitutional amendment that, IL
passed, will elect future members of
the state supreme court by congress
sional districts. There is also a bill
pendine to provide for the election of
supreme court commission. Those
who have investigated the condition
of the docket claim that there are nc
prospects for t re present court tC
clean it up inside of three years IL nc
new cases are filed. In the appoint
ment of Andrew Morrissey for chiei
justice the theory Of young men fol
hard work has been practiced.
government irrigation attorney ha.
cited an instance 10 longer ago thar
last summer of IA judge who was dis
inclined to work because of his ag,
and i'll health and while he waited Il
render decision in Il controvers,
| llOll tuc "tStclh puib VI tic Stdit III,
farmers along certain ditch lost thei
crops from dry weather. A salary o
nearly four hundred dollars per montl
ought to secure to the state men o
vigor and judicial ability.
DR. Hoffmeister, the Chase count.
statesman, pulled off successful
stunt Friday afternoon just before ad
journment. lie wants railroad com
pany to either fish or cut bait, i. g, t,
use right of way or to forfeit it afte
a certain time. He got word that tb
companies interested were preparing
circular letter directed against Hous
Roll No. 7 and he managed to put OF
enough steam to get the bill passed il
the lower house twenty minutes befor
the railroad letters we're distributed t,
the members.
The two bill providing for appropri
| a. - Ia a.