8 THE OMAHA DAILY lfl3G : SATURDAY. MARCH k
FIGHTING OMAHA'S ' CHARTER
Btrong Lobby of ita Enemies Before the
Legislative Committee.
CORPORATIONS AND TAXSHIRKERS UNITE
An Unlioly Comldimtlnn tn I'rnlcct thn Hull-
roniU niul to Huvo Illcli I'ropcrty
Owner * I'rniii it . ( " t Slqtro
of Taxation.
The most Important features of the char
ter nmcmlinentB now before the Ictfislnturo
nro in ilniiKcrofdofc.it. A stronj , ' lobby of
Interested partlos Is nt Lincoln making
strenuous efforts to knock out provisions
most offensive to tlicm. Tlio opposition lias
centered on-and Is clilolly directed against
four propositions , to wit :
To extend the city limits.
To crcato the ofltco of city assessor.
I To let the power to change street grades
without consent of property owners bo vested
in the council.
To chnngo the manc-up of the Hoard of
Public Works. ( The opposition wants the
board as now constituted to stand. )
To provide for the assessment of railway
property along the right of way.
To require railroads to pay lor viaducts or
dered built over street gr.ido : rosjings , as
provided in present charter.
City Knginccr Kosowater , City Attorney
Council and the council committee appointed
to look after the charter amendments
have all been at Lincoln and nro
earnestly advocating the adoption of the
nbovo amendments. As far as can bo
learned , they arc all sincerely in favor of
proposed changes in the injcrcst of the city.
The subject was discussed Thursday evenIng -
Ing beforo" the legislative committee. One
of the representatives of the city govern
ment In speaking of the attack on the pro
posed charter says :
ItitllrtmilH mill OliitriirtlonlnN Cninlilnc.
"Thoclovon foot of the opposition to the
charter amondmi'iits has been discovered.
The tactics of former raids on Omaha's bill
of rights have been adopted. The light is
b 'lng made under cover , and , as formerly ,
the real opposition comes from railroad cor-
jKiratlons desirous of escaping municipal
taxation and a number of obstructionists de
sirous of preventing all public improvements.
"Tho claim that injury would lesult from
more clearly defining the power of the city
to extend its corporate limits , or that an ad
ditional burden would bo put upon the tax
payers by the appointment of a tax commis-
Blonor arc mere shams to cover the real pur
pose of the opposition. The principal objec
tions urged to the charter amendments as
proposed by the committee of fifteen , and as
approved liy the city council , related to the
extension of the corporate limits and the
appointment of n tax commissioner , and it
was not until an examination was made of
the bill presented by Mr. James Creighton
to the senate committee as a substitute for
the original bill that the true purpose of the
nssault was discovered.
' In the discussion which took place before
the senate committee no reference or objec
tion was made to the viaduct amendment , in
which the clti/.cns of Omaha arc so largely
interested , but the substituted bill leaves
out this important amendment. The bill of
fered by Mr. Creigbton also leaves out all
amendments to the tax section , thereby en
abling the railroad companies to absolutely
escape all municipal taxation on their entire
right of way , tracks , depot grounds , build
ings and personal property in the city of
Omaha.
lliillrond Attorneys 1IIII.
"These facts were probably unknown to the
taxpayers who signed the petition presented
by Mr. CreiL-hton to the senate committee
with his substituted olll , but they nro facts
demonstrated beyond controversy by the bill
now In the hands of the senate committee.
It is an open secret that this bill was prepared -
pared by certain railroad attorneys and by
J. J. O'Connor at the request of Mr. Crelgh-
tou and others. While under the provisions
of the substituted bill the interests repre
sented by Mr. Creichtou securesome desired
changes , the railroad companies obtain , as
usual , the chief benefits resulting from char
ter amendment opposition.
"It is claimed by the charter committee
preparing the original amendments that an
amendment to the existing section of the
charter relating to taxation Is absolutely
necessary under- recent decision of the
court , by which it has boon declared that
while under existing law the portion of rail
road property returned by the State Board
of Equalization can bo taxed for county pur
poses It cannot bo taxed for municipal pur
poses. One of the chief objects of the
amendment as proposed by the committed1 of
fifteen was to cover this serious defect in ex
isting law.
"In view of the fact that the railroads se
cure flro and police protection , it Is claimed
by the mombcis of the charter committee
that such companies should bear their pro
portion of necessary taxation for such pur
poses , the same as private citizens. It is
also claimed by the members of the charter
committee that the railroads should bo re
quired to construct viaducts in Omaha
where street crossings are dangerous , the
same as they are required to do in other
cities. The law as it now exists is found to
bo defective , and owing to such defects the
railroad companies absolutely refuse to con
struct either the Fifteenth or Sixteenth
street viaducts and entirely ignore the ordi
nances requiring them to do so.
Unholy Allliuiro Unmimkad.
"It is claimed by Mr. Creighton , as reported -
ported by some of the parties who appeared
before the senate committee , that It was
necessary , as a matter of expediency , to
unite forces with the railroad companies in
order to defeat the charter amendments and
prevent the present council and city onlclals
from carrying on works of public improve
ment. To carry out this scheme it Is fur
ther proposed by Mr. Kyner when the bill
readies the house to cut down the salary of
every city official and otherwise load down
the bill with amendments. The members of
the charter committee who appeared botoro
the senate cominltteo express themselves as
satisfied with the action taken yesterday
and believe as the result of the presentation
of the Crcighton bill the mask of the oppo
sition has been removed and that the people
of Omaha will stand as a unit in favor of the
passage of the original bill. "
CluuiKlnc tint llniimlrlr * .
City Kuglnoer Hosewater obtained the
floor to regret that no map of Omaha was
convenient , but the facts were that it is
not the Intention to extend as much
as it is to straighten out the
city limits. Certain favored parties along
the western boundary had been In the past
graciously exempted from city taxation ,
though their property was considerably
nearer the center of the city than that of
other land owners who had to contribute to
the municipal treasury. The people demanded
equality of taxation , and no man. no matter
how rich ho might be , should bo allowed
to escape honest and equitable taxation
merely because ho was rich or had evaded
doing HO in the past.
Another reason for straightening out the
city limits was to make them conform on the
cast to tlio decs of the United States
supreme court , under which part of the
jiropi-rty heretofore Included in the limits
had been declared to bo a part
of the fair sister state of Iowa ,
Again the growing intelligence of iho people
demanded Unit the city should have the
power and the right to own and operate Its
own water works , ind it would bo advisable ,
if this is over done , that the pump house
and main plant should be Inside the corpor
ate limits , whereas they are outside now.
As It is under the present dispensa
tion , the water works company
escapes taxation for this property , while
it exacts considerable tribute from the people
ple of Omaha.
HrvcdliiK Fraud mill I'erjiir.v.
City Engineer Koaewator mailo n vehement
attack upon the whole present system oi
taxation. Ho started out by saying that
the time had arrived when public ;
countenancing tof perjury and fraud
upon the utato shouldM \ stopped.
AsirMnr today , after oiUh'toro
* taking an -ro-
t'-rn nil property at Us tnio and full value
ft a matter of fart lint property nt ono-thln
and rinr fifth of It * iirtuul viiluo.
"You nro nil member * of some church , "
ftld Mr , ItQ evr kr , "which is based
fr
< .
upon certain lines of truth and
moral principles , yet everybody can
comfortably jwrjuro himself when the as
sessor comrs around. What n spectacle ,
when honest men assist and counte
nance public oftlclals In perjuring them
selves and violating their oaths ,
and all for the purpose of robbing the state ,
1C very town and county In this state thinks
that by this pernicious system of
undervaluation they thereby got the
best of the state and chuckle slyly
in so doing , as though the fraud wcro not
palpable and notoriously public.
"Tho theory by which the assessor cases
his conscience Is that ho bases the valu
ation uiwn property on what It would fetch
under the hammer. If this bo so , it only
applies to realty , yet it gives an excuse to
extend the principle to all forms of
taxable wealth , even to the absurdity of
undervaluing money itsolf. Who ever
heard of an auctioneer selling gold dollars
lars at one-fifth or one-third of their
actual value ? Yet the assessor practically
docs this same thing in his returns. Place
the entire system uiwn u true valuation and
a largo amount of capital now escaping Just
taxation will have to bar Its fair burden
with realty , which , being out of doors , can
not evade.
"If this bill is adopted you will have an
intelligent ami central bureau , who will
lay out on a largo map the entire property of
the city with the amount of taxation for
each piece. The boards of trade of Omahn
anil Lincoln are all reputable men and lead
ing citizens , and in tlio published ofllcial reports -
ports of these boards it Is announced , as nil
explanation of the present high taxation
that the valuation of the city of
Omaha and Lincoln is one-tenth of the actual
value and therefore the taxes are In reality
one-tenth of what the rate would appear to
bo. If these reports bo true , then the sworn
returns of the assessors prove themselves to
bo forgeries , or they th-'msclvos are totall y
incompetent or dishonest.1
Alincil at OliHtritc'tlolilntn.
The next section of the bill to which objec
tion was raised was that'which authorizes
the change of grade upon any street or part
of street , without petition of the property
owners of the part affected , but conditioned
that such change Is sustained by the veto
of not less than two-thirds of the entlio
council and in addition bus secured the ap
proval of the mayor.
Mr. O'Connor pointed out the dangers to
, ho community from cthls provision iand
ndulged in frequent ' reflections
upon the integrity of city coun
cils and city oftlcials ' generally.
Ilo was Interrupted by a very pointed re-
nark of Mr. llechcl , president of the city
council , who stated that whatever short-
omlng ho might be charged with he. unlike
Mr. O'Connor , had never been guilty of rob-
ilng orphans as an administrator , while
TConnor cumo near being disbarred , as at
tested in Douglas county , on such a charge
Messrs. Koscwater. Council. IClsasscr and
others quickly responded to the citations of
Mr. O'Connor in reference to tlio bear-
ngs and effects of the prado pro
visions. They pointed to the fact
that if the slightest knoll or hollow existed
ipon any street and it was sought to cut it
lown or fill it up , if the entire city wanted
t , such change could not bo effected
vllhoul the written consent of the
owner of the property directly
iffected , notwithstanding that the people
were ready to pay reasonable damages.
3uch a man under the present law could
lold up tlin city for any reasonable sum he
hose to name or absolutely blooK the best of
tnprovcments. Under the proposed law
, he necessity of the change being recognized
> y at least twelve out of eighteen of the city
rouneil and sanctioned by the mayor , it can
> o effected by the appointment of appraisers
without petition , and after paying or tender-
tig the damages as appraised or ap-
irovcd the work can bo carried
out. If the party considers the
ippraisomcnt insifftlcient he still has the
' ight of appeal and a Jury or court wilt
lecido what is equitable. If this law
md prevailed before In place
of botching up grades by hacking
it them piecemeal , as the property owners
chose to change their minds , the best
grades could have been attained at the start
ind money and time saved.
Cri'lj htfin'ri Confession.
Creighton presented n substitute bill of
amendments similar to the council's bill ex
cept in sections referred to. A careful ox-
imimitionof the opposition bill revealed the
ilgger In the woodpile. It purposely left out
irovisions for viaducts which have been
igreed upon by committee and also those ro
uting to street railway paving and taxation.
In a conversation with the city engineer
Mr. Creighton reluctantly admitted that ho
lid not approve of omitting these sections ,
tut explained that in forming combinations
.md laying plans to defeat the charter it was
necessary to yield points exchange courte-
jjics , so to speak.
Piles of people have plies , but Do Witt's
Witch Hazel Salve will euro them.
STAIITI.INU I'lUCKS AT HAYDENS.
Hiittur , ClicpKo and Mcat Departments ,
Nebraska inudo fresh' country butter ,
2e , liie , J7o and Jic. ) Remember lard
would cost ybu more than tlio prices wo
quote you for nice country butter , every
pound guaranteed. Creamery , 21c , 2.'to
and 25o , all made from separator cream
which comes from Nebraska cows' milk.
Wo have any kind of cheese you may
wish for. American club house cheese ,
30o per jar ; neufehatol cheese , 7i per
package ; edam cheese , $1.00 each , sold all
over for $1.50 ; Swiss cheese , Kic , 18o and
20c ; Wisconsin full cream , 7jc , Oc and
12Jo ; brick cheese , lOc , 12Jc , 1-ie and'IGc ;
pineapple cheee , .r > 0o eacli ; limborgor
cheese , 12c } and luc ; hamborgor eels for
25e per can , sold everywhere for J5c ;
apple butter , 5o per pound ; mince meat ,
5c per pound.
In our meat department wo handle
only the celebrated poods of thoCndahy ,
Swift and Hammond Packing com
panies , buying from them with a guar
antee and selling our customers the
name way. . Pigs feet , 3je per pound ;
bologna , head cliceso and liver sausage ,
all at 5o per pound ; breakfast bacon ,
Hie ; boneless rump and plate corned
beef , 7Jc per pound ; wo will sell you the
lincst sugar cured Xo. 1 hams , 15c ; pic
nic hams , Jlc ; California hams , 12o ;
blood sausage , 5c ; ham sausage , 7c ; Hn-
est piokeled pork , lle ! ; salt pork , 12c ;
dried beef , lOc. Oun't forgot our fish
department , whore you can got any
thing you want.
Our motto : Every article guaranteed
in quality and prlco or money refunded.
IIAYDEN BROS.
Promoters of homo industry.
0.1.00 fur S'.riO.
Saturday , March 4th , wo will soil our
best $5.00 plain too hand turned button ,
in opera and common sense toed , A to E
widths.
Kor Saturday only $2.50.
Wo also olTor a ladles' bright dongola
common ooiiho too button for $2.00. regu
lar price $2.50.
Tlicso prices are for Saturday only.
THE MORSE DRV GOODS CO.
See the celebrated Stihinor piano nt
Ford & Charltou Music Co. , 1503 IJodge.
Diiinly County.
Lewis E. Walker of Bonkclman is in
the city enroute to Missouri for the pur
pose of showing the advantages of his
county to emigration coming west.
Mr. Walker lias sumo wonderful stories
to toll of the productiveness of the soil
in that part of Nebraska.
VICE WAS SEEN TOO OFTEN
Deputy Sheriff's Brother Joined a Gang
of Counterfeiters.
HE TRAPPED THE CHIEF OF THE GANG
Hmurt Atnntour Dntrctlvn Now Arrested on
the Charge of Having Turned Count or.
Tetter In Kurnrnt Caught liy
Undo Siim'x .Men.
The doors of the Douglas county Jail hnvo
closed behind Tom McCarthy and Harry
IAIIII , leaving both of the men Inside the
building , wliero they will remain until the'
United States court disposes of tiolr } case.
Deputy United States Marshal Harris
brought the men from Nebraska City and
booked them on the charge of having manu
factured and p.issod counterfeit money , con
sisting of bills and coins.
The arrest grows out of the conviction of
Dave lOnslo , who w.is sent over the road nt
the last term of court.
A long time ago the authorities concluded
that there was n place at Nebraska City
where the spurious money w.is being manufactured
'
factured , so they employed Dfiputy' Sheriff
Vie McCarty of Rarpy county to do a little
shadowing. Vic struck a hot trail but could
notland his men.they belngsuspieiousof him.
Ho did not propose to bo balked , so ho
worked his brother Tom In on the gang. The
men took kindly to Tom and soon lot him on
the ground floor of the business , teaching
him the art of making money that looked as-
good as the genuine. Enslo showed him the
tools and how to use them. He taught him
how to get rid of the stuff after It was manu
factured and In fact made film an expert in
the business.
One dark night last summer , when thcro
was a largo stock of the bad money on hand
waiting the arrival of the agents who wore
to take It to tho-countr.v. Tom gave the snap
away to nis brother Vie , and Enslo was
arrested.
Tom's experience and his education with
Enslo as a tutor had made him anxious to
turn a iicnny without any great amount of
manual labor , and It Is alleged that bo
turned his attention to making bad money of
'
his own , taking in Lynn for a'pirtner. The
two men did a flourishing business until
their arrest.
Deputv Harris claims that he has a good
case against the men , and that ho can send
tljem both over the road.
Mtritnnii UK SUICIDI : ?
IiiHunuiri' Company liivcHtlgatlii ) ; I.nut Win *
tor'H Trii uilvut Mmc. King's.
On the morning of March 127 , IS'.U , there
was a tragedy in the house of Mine. King ,
at Ninth street and Capitol avenue , and
Mabel Mooncyjind Howard Gafford were the
principals. The pair wore found dead in
bed , each with a bullet in the head. Every
thing pointed toward murder and suicide ,
and tlio coroner's Jury , after spending a
couple of days investigating the affair ,
agreed that young Gafford had first killed
his mistress and then shot himself.
The young man's folks are fairly well off
and live at Carroll. la. They scouted the
Idea of their son having committed n crime ,
and at the instance of the father detectives
were employed to go over the ground again ,
but nothing new was discovered that would
throw any light on tlio affair.
Young Uafford carried a $ o,000 life insurance
anco policy In favor of his parents , and in
the course of time the claim against the
company was made , but payment of the pol
icy was refused on the ground that Gafford
had committed suicide. The case went to
the courts and has dragged along ever since
A few days ago a couple of attorneys ein-
plosed by the Insurance company came to
Omaha. Since then they have been busy
going over the testimony again and taking
the depositions of these who saw the bodies
before they were removed from the house
and also the statements of several of the
women who were Inmates of the resort at
that time. So far the testimony has been
about the same as was brought forth at thn
coroner1- inquest and points toward the
original theory.
The deceased was a young man and was
traveling for a commission house at DCS
Moinc.s , Ho had known the girl , Mabel
Mooney , for a long time , she formerly hav
ing been n resident of Carroll. According to
reports ho was madly in love with her and
was constantly urging her to give up tlio
life she was leading , run away with him and
get married.
During his last visit hero Gafford had
about $800 , and spent nearly a week at the
house of Mine. King , being in the girl's
company day and night. A day or two
previous to the shooting Gafford became
Jealous and watched the girl closely. On
the night of the shooting he had ordered
a supper sent to the room , and the couple
partook of it and then retired.
The strangest thing about the whole affair
was that two shots were fired , but no one in
the house beard either of them , and it was
only by accident that Cecil Gray , the girl
who occupied an adjoining room , went into
the apartment occupied by Gafford and
Miss Mooney and discovered that they wcro
both dead.
One of the principal points taken by
Gafford's relations to support their theory
of murder was that after Gafford reached
Omaha ho drew on his house for $ r > 00 , and
was known to have about $ iK ( ) when ho
reached hero. They claim that n double
murder was committed for the purpose of
robbery. Something like $250 was found in
Gafford's effects , and the testimony given
at the coroner's Jury and before tlio at
torneys yesterday showed that the young
man , during his stay , spent money like
water. He was so liberal as to pay a hack-
man $20 for hauling him n mile at one time
and $00 at another time for tho- services of
the carriage for a day and night.
Several whlsicy bottles wcro found In the
room , all empty except one , and the relatives
also claim that the couple were first
drugged and then killed. This is hardly
possible , as the coroner's assistants sampled
the liquor to see if it had been urugged , and
they are all still alive. That Is pretty fair
evidence that the contents of the bottle were
nothing but what the label Indicated , and
that was "old rye. "
According to the statements of the life in
surance lawyers , they will continue to inves
tigate the case , and they say now that they
have enough proof of suicide to hold in any
court.
Tlinught HIiiiHcll n Mimli'rrr.
A man giving the name of Neil came to Uio
police station yesterday and gave him
self up , stating that ho had shot a man in
Fremont and was a fugitive * from Justice.
Chief Seavoy telephoned to Fremont and
learned that Nell tiavl cngagrtd in a drunken
row there with a man named Nittlo , but no
pnyslcal damage had been done to cither
one of the bcligcrcnts.
Winter C'liolcra.
A mild form of bowel complaint , popularly
known as winter cholera , mauo its appear
ance recently at Faribault , Minn. , and sev
eral other places. No apprehension need bo
felt from It , as a few doses of Chamberlain's
Colic , Cholera and Dlarrhtiia Komedy will
effect a cure hi every case. For sale by all
ii'-ugglsts
See Dentist Koim10 & 41 Barker blk
o
JW.VKJMfOT1CK. .
ft'nttccit of flee Itna or lets * niulcr thta I'caJ.nttu
cent : tticli mMftlonal ( die ( en cents.
S. J. I loss , died March 1st , at Kansas City ,
Mo. Kunernl Piimlny , March 6 , ut-p. in. , to
Prospect 11111 comutury.
Hie only Pure Cream of Tartar Powder. < No Ammonia ; No Alum
iu Millbns of. Homes 40Years the Standard.
A A A.
THREE
have smoked and en eyed
iLACKWELL'S
For 2 $ years it has been first in quality ,
first in purity , first in fragrance and first
in the good will of tobacco smokers every
where. The most fastidious smokers praise
its peculiar excellence. Try it. Sold every
where. Made only by
'S
DURHAM , N. C
"Give them bargains , now , such as you never
did before. " This is the order of the insurance
companies to the clerks at the
The real wet clothing has been disposed of and the companies have got nearly allj
their money out of it , and the balance of the stock will go without regard
to damage or value.
These Prices Will Convince You.
OVERCOATS.
$25.00 OVERCOATS now $12.00
$20.00 OVERCOATS now $ 9.75
$16.00 OVERCOATS now $ 7.50
$14.00 OVERCOATS now $ 6.00
$12.00 OVERCOATS now $ 4.50
. CALL EARLY AM ) GUI' KlliiP SKUjriT
.
KEME.MDElt NUMIiEK AND PLACE.
nn
MAIL ORDERS RECEIVE
MAIL ORDERS RECEIVE i
151 PROMPT ATTENTION.
PROMPT ATTENTION.
Open from 8 A. M- Until 1O PM. .
IIAYMONI ) ,
TUB JEWELEIU
"A pearl may in a toad's head dwell ,
And may be found , too , in an oyster shell , "
B uny an.
Pearls are also found in pendants ,
Inrlace pins , scarf pins , rings and drops.
RAYMOND ,
FIFTEKNTII AND DOUdt.AS , OUA.1IA.
Agents Wanted Everywhere.
THE RENOWNED COAL SAVER
Bftfoi one quarter of your onnl bill , prevents oot
and cinder * , ileitror * , < | < l . . produce , perfect
combuitlon. keeps boiler Iluui clean , innke. liot
ro In aVa minute * . c oquallr well on hard i on
oil co Oue p ck no cuitlnii tt cent. I. iufflrlont
ut " ' * " further Information
call ou or nddron w'lh ' itnmp ,
L. S. ELLSWORTH & CO , ,
400 8. 13.thS.
v. s. DUi'oarfouv , OMAHA , xan.
Capita ! . $ .100,000
Surplus . $05,000
Cfficcn and niroctorn-IIenrr JV.Vatei , nroi
II. C. CuihlMK. Ylca pr8 ldam. C. \Uurloj , W. V
llorte.JohntJ. Colllui J. .N. 1L I'Mrlo * ; U.MU
lived , caibler.
caibler.THE
THE IRON
LISTEN TO THE REPORT OP
OPR ,
\Vo clitlin CAMOLE JtJNIl'KH U tlio monk
woii'lorfiil fcmtilo compound over discovered.
Ami wo Kimr.iiitco It to aura fom.-iles who have
utTcrcd ( ur years with
rAMOLE JUNIl'EUIs a tiiccosi wli'on all
olliora full.
If you lire Irroniler you c.-ui rely on 0AM-
IK JUNll'iil. : THKH nn other.
S' . ( ) ( > llcittlr. Hold liy till i
181G Douglas Street , Omaha , Nob.
The eminent iporlallit In norro.n. o'ironK ) , prlrnlp. blool. kln"n'1ul1'n'1 ' ' ' ' ! { '
rriiliteroil uraduaiu 11 uiaaic.no. atillplouvii and ourlinwtut iliuw. I. J"11' " ' ' " ' ' j.'iV.'t ' * tin ' ? ' ' ° *
nl Ml " > " ' " " * * ' . * . ' ' ' . ,
ecu ciunrrh , lo.t mnnhnud it.nliul wwiknon , nUbt loiiai f"f" ! , ' . , ! , , ' . " " " '
rj u.od , New treatment for l < j 'if ' IUI pa-rar. I'arllo ) un blo to rl.lt raj m r b > troUaJ at 1'oinj i ' br
. . - mill' " " I"1 " " ' " * ' ' " "
corro.ponderi ( ! Moiilclne or liulriliuaali lo-it br . { ? Il > l5n'.V'i5tVi ? ril. I
, . , , . . .
sontonuornumlBr. onapeMiiaillnluririJ * prcMrr * ! . OjniulliUuiifr * > . < Jorroipn4 jontrlutlr prlrat e.
UooMM/iterUxofLlfe inalfroo. Offlgi liourjJ . ; u. W P.B - 3unUU , .u .MUi . b a4it ujp far oU
