White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1872-02-22
WHITE CLOUD, KANSAS:
Thursday, ::::: February %, 1879.
Eaitorial Correspondence.
Topeka, FEBRUARY 10, 1877.

EdftOfial CorreSpoDdences
TOPEKA, FEBRUARY 10, 1e72
The mast week has been hot one in the Leg
is,ature. The apportionmeut for Congressmen
has been the principal excitement. Inc oens'e
.arlv in the week, passed very fair ana 1ns'
hill: but the House went to work on one Oh tnen
own. and after hard and bitter fight. passed II
ON Saturday. The House bill il most unjust and
unnatural. Counties are selected running in al
sorts Of zig-zag shapes, running from Leaven
worth to Davis, and down as far as Linn on the
south and Lyon on the south-west-thcse are
placed In one District, for the avowed purpose Q,
getting the leading cities into one District anu
throwing most of the principal aspirants i0r Con-
gress together, without any regard to communi-
ty of interests or the rights Of the people For
this purpose, q majority of the members OF tne
House entered into a league, at the beginning Of
The session, signing solemn pledge to stick to
~ether. before knowing what sort OF . scheme
would he presented, or what injustice might arise
from il. They have generally stuck to this
.oreement. and turned deaf ear to the protesta-
ton. and lust demands of large portion Of the
State. They found they had the power, and they
cared for nothing else. This is truly bright
record for impartial legislators!-to bindiy sign
q pledge to pursue certain course, and adnere
70 IL. regardless of right or fairness We are sor-
rv TO saw that the three members from D9niphan
have gone into this alliance, which Is headed ny
tbose who have always been the enemies OF Dom
;,b.n Comfy interests, and but for whom, our
Comfy would years ago have secured advanta-
ces that have been wrested from her. Inc NOISY
and ostensible leader of the brotherhood Is o mp
rosrious Democrat. One of the DoniPhan mem-
bers acknowledges that the thing looks suspi-
cious, and he will probably cut loose and be gov
erned by his own good sense, before the thing Ii
concluded. DAVE PAYNE, of Sedgwick, was one
who signed the agreement, on the spur Of the
moment; but when he found out what ne was
required to do, he washed his hands Of the whole
business, and voted his own sentiments, not those
Of the leaders of this swindle.
The prospect at present is, that the Senate VIII
not agree to the House abortion, which may re-
suit in there being no apportionment. In that
case. the three Congressmen would lie elected by
the State at large; in which case, the Holy Al
lance would gain what they are after, though IN
. way they do not desire-they would have all
the big towns and all the politicians, in one Dis
trict.
oS>-S -
ago, but in such shape that its friends seemed 10
care but little about it. 1t is now in the hands
of Senate Committee, with but little prospect
of its getting out before the close of the session.
1t is accompanied with about a dray load OF peti-
tions and remOnstrances.
The Herd Law bill is now on the Senate Cal
endar, and will be reached this week.
The bill known as the Usury law has passed
the House. If we understand it correctly, 1t per-
mits contracts for high interest as the parties
may agree upon, even if it does exceed the legal
rate; however, if the borrower refuses to pay
the rate, upon settlement, the lender does not
forfeit the whole interest, but can collect IL per
cent. by law.
The grabs that are attempted upon the Treasu-
ry fearful to contemplate. While some OF
them will fail, too many will succeed, that ought
not to. The State can hardly get through with
what have been allowed, and what undoubtedly
will be, without increasing the rate of taxation
over that of last year.
bill has passed, increasing the salaries of
State officers and Judges-or, rather, the House
passed the bill, the Senate reduced the votes con-
siderably, and the House refused to agree. A
committee of conference will have to decide it.
Low; but in view of hard times and heavy expen-
ses, they might afford to worry through OH pres
ent salaries few years longer.
The House, on Friday, passed over fifty bills at
a swoop, in one roli-call. They were all Of a To-
cal character, and there was no opposition to
any of them. The legality and propriety Of this
prodceding is extremely doubtful, however handy
it may be. Notwithstanding this wholesale pas
sage of bills the House Calendar continues stead
lily to swell its proportions.
The compulsory education bill, after vigorous
efforts to resurrect it, has been finally permitted
to remain dead. Kansas is not yet ready for
that; and School Boards already have too much
unrecompensed and thankless labor imposed up-
on them without being constituted special police
men, for the purpose of arresting and carrying to
school all the vagrant anc truant youth in their
Districts.
The bill authorizing the White Cloud City
Council to deed square for school purposes, has
passed both Houses, and will be in force - soon
as it is published.
1t is unnecessary to refer to the numerous bills
on the Calendar, until it is known whether there
is any likelihood of their becoming laws. Many
OF them are important, but at this stage of the
session. 1t impossible to calculate their chances
In looking over the Legislative proceedings,
not only this session, but heretofore, one notice
able feature is the small number of favors that
Doniphan County has to ask Of the State There
is scarcely County in the State, however young
or sparsely populated but has many more favors
to ask than Doniphan; and do not now recol-
lect single instance in which Doniphau County
has sought to get her fingers into the State Treas
ury.
There is some hope that the steal annually per-
petrated under the guise of appropriations to en-
courage immigration, will be cut of this year
We say hope, for it is by no means certain. The
State has spent many thousands of dollars to in
luce immigration, and is called upon every Win
ter to appropriate money to keep the people from
starving who have been prevailed upon to come.
The Senatorial Investigating Committees are
lbout closing their labors Indeed, the Commit |
ee to investigate the case of Senator WOOD, re- |
'orted last week, fully acquitting him Of all
harges, but reporting that they found that SID |
tEY CLARKE, through his friends, had attempted
% bribe him. The Joint Committee expect to
al.,.a. a.. ~ Az. T..