The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-02-05
FROM TOPEKA.
Topeka, February 2, 1869.

| AOEEAA1 OOA uoA 4COOs
| The Legislature is grinding away
/ Some twenty bills were disposed of in
the House to-day, large proportion Of
which ''went the way of all the earth
/ AS / remarked in one of my-former let,
ters. there is disposition to defeat Al
bills amending the general statutes
adopted last winter unless there are ex-
cellent reasons for their passage.
| A day and several evenings of the
past week were spent In discussing the
bill to sabOlisls capital pnBishaaent- 81
oquent speeches were made in favor OF
the bill by Judge Bailey. Col. j. D.
Snoddy, H. c. Hawkins and Messrs
Cook and Uhler. It was opposed with
equal ability by Speaker Adams, Major
T. G.. BowIes; Messrs. Guthrie, TayIol
and others. 1t seems this measure gains
ground at each session of the legisIa.
ture, and the Indications are that hang.
ing will be abolished at no distant day
in Kansas. That our readers may know
how their representatives voted on the
question we append the 9ayes" and
mays" The vote was taken on striking
ont the enacting clause to the bill, which
had the effect to kill it.
AYEs-Allen, Blood, BOw1es, Butter.
baugh, Croker, Crosby, Dalrymple
Davis, Evans, Gregg, Guthrie, Howell
Hymer, Irwin, Jones, Kellogg, Lappin
Larimer, Maitby, Mowry, McClenahan
Mcdowell, McGinnis, McNay, Palmer,
Rankin, l.. Roberts, Seaman, Simpson
w. III. Smith, r.. Smith, Stotler, Taylor
Tice, Thompson, Travis, West, WIitta.
ker, Williams, Wood, Flora Mr.. Speak
er-42.
NAYs-Bailey, Baker, Brundage, But.
Ter, Case, Coffin, Cook, Darby, Drake
GilluIy, Grover, Hawkins, Helprey
Hungerford, Hunter, Hupp, Inge, Jack
son, ID. ID. Johnson, B. f. johnson
Lambert, Madden, Moore, Osborne
Pierce, Ristine, d. ID. Roberts, Secrest,
Snoddy, Uhler, Wamslcy, Walton.
Weed-33
Some fifteen members were absent,
most of whom were on committees
sent to the various institutions, etc,
Had there been full vote it might have
been closer. AS ID was the bill was on
~ defeated by a majority of nine. Last
year, if remember rightly, the prop
osition had about y votes.
The Border Tier men have brought
forward bill to provide for auditing
all unaudited Price raid claims, and al
so providing for the assumption by the
State of all those heretofore audited
and those to be audited under the pres
emt bill. This proposition has a great
deal of strength, and is likely to pass
The bill has occupied more than day
in Committee of the Whole, and sew
eral sections of it have passed the com
mittee. The bill is ably urged by Col
Snoddy, of Linn, Major Bowes. oil
Franklin, Col. Blood, of Lawrence
Cook, of Wyandotte, and others, aud
has been fought at every step, with great
ability, by III. G. Hawkins. of Doniphan
who is one Of the best debaters as well
as one of the ablest men on the floor
The opponents succeeded in ENGRAVING q
provision in the bill limiting the amount
to S5O0,000 1t is claimed by the friends
of the measure that the GoYernm emf
will never pay these claims until the
State assumes them. That all the Other
States have assumed similar claims by
the million, and have received theil
pay from the General Government. The
/ bolder advocates of the measure go 81
far as to say that the State ought to pa!
! them anyhow, whether the Government
/ reimburses or not that these claims arr
due men who defended the State and
that it will be bad policy for the STATE
not to pay her defenders.
| No one objects to the auditing of al
1 just claims, and all are willing to do ev
erything in their power to get them paiC
by the General Government, but I thinl
it the worst policy in the worIC
\ for the State to assume them
there is any prospect of her having t.
raise the money for their liquidation
No sooner will these be provided 70
than an effort will be made TO have tn
Quantrelle raid claims, and all the Indi
an raid claims saddied upon the State
and then her credit will be entirely gone
We have now a bonded Indebtedness o
! 81 100000, and a scrip indebtedness of 80
100000. This Legislature will add to tn
latter item couple of hundred thousan,
more. And then there is the militar,
bonds, which, with the bill passed al
this session to issue bonds to pay for tn
battalion OF last summer 10 operat
against the Indians, will amount t,
S245,0Oo. If the bill under considera
ton becomes law ii will add nearl,
another million to the debt of the State
because if the friends of the measur
have the strength to pass the bill, the,
will knock out the provision limitin,
the amount to S5OOO,0O0. Thus you sc
our State debt is getting to be quite
legacy. If the present Price raid CLAIM
bill passes it will run our indebtedness
up to 50, $4,000. 80. $3.50.
REcAPITULATION..
Bonded indebtedness, $925, 0O
State house bonds proposed to be issu-
ed this session, 15,0C
War bonds outstanding, 1000
Bonds for battalion OF 1853 now before
the Legislature, 1890
Outstanding script. 20o,O6
Appropriations of 1853. F.t f 2O0.O
Proposed assumption Of Price raid
claims, 10000
Total, So, 145 &C
Repeated efforts have been made here
tofore TO submit an amendment 10 tn
Constitution so as to provide for bicni
al sessions Of the Legislature. Thes
have all failed because the Constitutio
itself prohibits the submission of NOR
than three amendments Mt one time
while it will take five distinct change
I IL .