The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-11-27

session. The Walnut valley ysae.s &c
mands that the senator from this Ills
trict shall favor such an effort. ",
will say to the Times that we are in ia
vor Of ~ early an adjournment as On,
be had commensurate with the best il,
tercsts Of the state; but to set iim'
certain, and then attempt to ru>l
through, under suspension OF rules
everything that may be offered in TN
shape of . bill, be its provisions Wis
or fraudulent from beginning: to end
ing, We shall never consent TO. FIT,
days 10 Q much shorter time than il
consumed by most state legislatures
and the amount Of legislation expected
at the hands Of the incoming body il
immense. The constitution provide.
that the appropriation bills shall BE-
introduced ten days before the fina
adjournment. Twenty days session
would give the committee ON Ways aud
Means only ten days in which to pre-
pare and submit the twenty-odd al.
preparation bills, which bills include
every possible expenditure made fol
the state, for its officers, its institu.
tions, courts, etc. Having held the
Craftsmanship of that committee for
two years, we can safely say that should
said committee be forced to make up
said bills during the specified time, and
during the heat Of senatorial contest,
the state will be out thousands-may
be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Take one institution, the penitentiary,
the amount of appropriations for which
were t76, 900 in 1872, and sc, 900 in 1873.
This vast amount of money is made
up of scores of items, every one of
which should be scrutinized by the
Ways and Means committee; their me-
cessity inquired into; compared with
the same items of years previous OFF,
GERS and their books questioned and
examined, etc., ETC., for each succeed
ing year there is a systamized effort
made to increase appropriations for
the different institutions, officers, etc.
It is very easy matter for some Of
these editors who have never been q
legislator to sit down and dictate, but
let them for So per diem in scrip, with
board at 50, set all day in the halls,
and then spend till midnight on such
committee figuring upon these items
and trying to get rid of the various
begging delegations that, swarm the
committee room By the dozen. and
knowing that all their work will be
overhaulcd. and we guess they would
change their mode of attack.
We are well aware that there is
large amount Of injurious laws enacted
by Kansas legislatures, which laws are
of special nature, designated to ben
eft localities, and that the general leg
islstion, outside of appropriation, is
really put through during the last four
weeks of the session, but we do know,
also. that it is impossible to get through
steals except when cvrything is in a
rush and rules suspended.
For years the people have been de-
handing new tax-law, to meet which
the old law has been amended again
and again to little purpose. II seemed
impossible to compile such an act as
would he entirely uniform in allits OPP
era,ions, and unobjectionable in every
feature. Seeing this, we introduced
joint resolution two years ago creating
commission for the compiling of
new tax law for the state. The COM
mission was made up by the appoint
ment Of one ex-treasurer, one ex-coun-
ty clerk, and one lawyer, all men of
talent and experience. That work was
reported last winter, and to our certain
knowledge committee worked faith
full upon it nearly the entire session /;
yet there was not time enough left to
pass it.
We said the people were demanding
vast amount Of legislation at the
hands of the legislature this winter,
one-half of which cannot possibly be
successfully disposed ofin twenty days,
il, indeed, in fifty. In the first place
comes new tax law. which shall work
less burdensome and more uniformly;
a revision of the statutes and fees of all
public officers, county, town and state,
making the pay more in accordance
with the work actually performed;
the enactment of new railroad assess
ment law, or the amendment or repeal
OF the Objectionable features in the old
law; the repeal of the law exempting
mortgages from taxation; the repeal
OF the so-callcd debenturc law a d.
vision of the state into congressional
districts; repeal of the present pub
lie printing law, and constituting the
etatc printer experimenting officer
only, as was contemplated by the
amendment to the constitution. And
SO We might go on enumcrating meas
ures and actions that are demanded by
the people.
There will be new element in the
legislature halls of Kansas this winter,
made up of men determined upon re-
form in many directions and retrench-
ment in others. These men, being new,
il will take them at least twenty days
to become convcrsant with the routine
Of legislation and that element, being
large, il will not adjourn before they
have at least made an effort to carry
out their instructions and desires.
The legislature can only draw pay
for fifty days, and as for ourself indi-
vidually, we are in favor of adjourning
just as soon as all necessary work has
been fully accomplished, but not until
then, even if it takes one hundred days
or half of next summer.
A War With Spain.