Omaha daily bee., 1915-02-17
ANNEXATION BILL
BEFORE COMMITTEE
Omaha and Suburbs Send Represen-
tatives to Talk Before the
House Members.
ANOTHER HEARING IN WEEK

(F'rom a staff Correspondent)
LINCOLN, Feb. 16.--( Especial Tel
egram. IA delegation af about 100
citizens from Omaha, South Omaha.
| Dundee and Benson arrived in the
city this afternoon to boost and fight
the consolidation bill affecting these
towns.
Among the number were Arthur g.
Smith Randall Brown, ]. A. Sunderland,
Judge Slabaugh, o. T. Eastman, Gould
Dietz, F. ]. Taggart, George u. Haver-
stick, Henry F. Wyman, j. p. Breen
and /. j, Dunn of Omaha; Mayor Hoctor,
City Attorney Henry Murphy, John
Flynn, Sam Winters and w. w. Fisk Of
South Omaha; James Walsh Of Benson,
and s. Arion Lewis of Dundee.
The hearing before the committee on
cities and towns began at 3 o'clock, the
legislature adjourning for that purpose.
After a long discussion, in which the
Omaha interests were put to the front,
the committee decided to hold another
hearing in one week.
Big Crowd to Hear.
When the committee was called to order
hall was well filled. Some time was spent
in discussion of how much time could
be used by each side, City Attorney
Murphy of South Omaha objecting to the
time given South Omaha. saying that in
the senate hearing he was crowded Off
the map 1t was finally agreed that the
friends of the bill should open the srgu-
ment. the enemies of the bill TO follow
and the friends to close. the time to be
equally divided in a two and one-half
hour session.
John Panl Breen OF Omaha. speaking
for the bill. showed the need OF consoli-
dation of Dundee. Florence and South
Omaha because the people OF those towns
did their business in Omaha and should
assist In its upkeep,
j. s. Sunderland said Omaha stood
sixteenth in commercial Importance
while It stood fortieth in population.
The communities are one and should
| be consolidated said he.
Compared with Kansas CITY.
! Arthur C. Smith said that consolidation
OF cities had been going on rapidly. He
compared Omaha with $4,000 population
with Kansas city with 2Ss,0O0 and showed
how much population had done for the
latter He said that Omaha had lost
many business enterprises because it
could not show the increase in popula-
ton that other cities did because the
people who legitimately belonged to its
population could not be vounted.
j. J. Dodds OF Dundee. speaking against
the bill said that he did not deny the
sovereignty Of state and It's right 10 force
annexation II IL is so desired. Dundee,
he said, was a beauty spot, made so by
the people who desired clean commune
lity, but annexation would spoil all plans.
Work for Dundee.
ID. l.. johnson OF Dundee declared he
was the father OF the town and the third
loldest OF its inhabitants He gave his
tory OF it's development. and caused much
lmerriment by saying that Dundee had
so much better streets tLan Omaha that
during 1914 Omaha citizens paid into the
treasury OF Omaha $500 for speeding.
Judge Slabaugh against the bill Insisted
that the gentleman claiming 10 represent
the Omaha Commercial club did not rep
resent a majority OF the organization.
John Flynn OF Bellevue, owning a store
in south Omaha, in a short speech op-
posed the bill.
Henry Murphy, city attorney OF South
Omaha. closed the argument against the
bil asssiling the motives OF me friends
OF the bii. He said the members OF the
legislature living in the one extreme OF
the state ought not 10 be compelled TO
settle question affecting the other end