The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-03-19

- 1D8 R0oasa
L.Avuwoaaz, KS, Mnsh, 10. 1874
DxAs 61s:-I 81 your isdulgsnes for .
~ vosds Of explanatios N sslaaios t. tvo
bilk vhieA paesd tie Hoass. but failed 10
p.s ths 6snaae; and Do shi bsc.use . nun
bes Of cisiseas have told Ne thsy were inform
ID b some oss that I bad opposed those
bilh. That did ny besP to secure tie
paaage Of the hills every member Of the
delegstioa sho ok any isteret in then,
knows fall veil; and yes .sooebody Is insidi-
oualy circulating report that OPPOSED
them, This i unfair, ucjush and unnanly,
and after naking plain stassment Of the
fscs, I will leave il to the judgment Of my
fellow men.
The fnt bill is that known - -shs ''Road
Bill" The 6rs9 section empowered the
Board Of Direcios Of the Peniisntiasy to lay
out. opsa, grade and nscadam:ss . road
ixty issG vide from Leaveswosth city to The
Penisentiary. On the mort practicable route.
Another section authorised The dirsc4ors to
ne the prison labor in opening, grading.
and mscadamising. And another &C.
tios provided for paying damages TO prop
city holders On account Of the running Of
ths road through their property.
The bill came TO the Senate from the
Rouas as day near the close Of the sesion,
and took it, place On the calendsr behind
s,ue t~o hundred and City bills. Over
two hundred of those bills never came to .
vose, because Of . refusal to suspend the
rulss for their consideration; and yet this
SINE ':road bilp' by ny motion vas placed Ut
Tie bead of the calendar over all those two
hundred bills, and brought 10 . direct voc.
II bad been an enemy to the bill, would il
BY my motion have taken precedence over
all the other bills on the calendar, and thus
secure vote upon it under . Suspension Of
The rulsa, and without bsing delayed in pass-
ing through the ordinary channel! thirk
not.
There were objectioost to the bill. however,
and - soon . itcame int, the Senate (which
vas the frst knovledee I had Of the exist
soee Of such . bll,) stated my intentions
70 amend % - to make. il. more. .palatabls 70
the Senate and to meet our views Of right and
jussiee. In the 6rrt plscs amended the
6rst ssction BY stating that the road should
start from the foot Of Fourth street, where
the same interests the south line Of the city,
running thence in direct line little east Of
south across the bridge over Five mile creek;
thence in . southsast.rly direction along What
. known - the Warren road, and thence
along the present laid out and Travelled road
- near - practicable on the Township line
to the psniientiary. This i the mos direct
route, with the easiest grade, and costing the
State much len than any other, with bridge
already boilt and in use. This amendment
the senats sdopted BY unanimous con-
sent. The next change vas to cut down
The width of the road to forty feet
instead Of sixty. This mt with unani-
mous consent. The other important
change was striking out the entire section
providing for damages - there was no Ne
csssity for damages on the route - fixed in
section one; and chs met with unanimous
consent. The,e amendments occurred for the
bill Q much larger vote than il would other
wise have received, and still il lacked four
votes of constitutional majority, because il
vas claimed the convicts could be better and
more probably employed u labor which
brought direct Remuneration or return 70
the Ssate. voted for The bill, worked for
the bill. and now afk any unparalleled
mind whesher vas friend or enemy to
the bill, and whether my amendments were
not reasonable and just? msy here state
that shers were tWo points expecting the To-
cation Of the road, and each point was for
he bill on that account. SOMEBODY mutt
have been deceived under tha original bill.
The amendments met with the consent Of my
colleague in the Senate. ! was not alone in
those amendments stand BY them still.
The other bill was that sPpropriating IS.
600 to the Sistsn' orphan asylum. Tia
bill came into the Senate within three hOup
of the time ixed BY concurrent resolutioL
for suspending al business except the coosid-
Grafton OF "Msasags from either House,"
and when il came in there were some twenty
bills ND for 6nal action under Suspension Of
the rules mo other bills being admitted) and
among them, Houss bill 169, author sing
and empowerine the council Of our city to
raRrade under CERTAIN conditions and restric.
lions. and which passed within ten minutes
of The time fixed for suspending bosines.
Several Of the twenty bills failed to pass for
want Of time, and yes am blamed for not
Getting through bill which W. not known
70 the Senate, when the rules were suspended
for . specific purpose. II was beyond the
power Of any man to call upthe bill, because
il did not get TO the Senate in time. still
hoped, however, to reach the bill under the
hesding of "messages from either house,
afisr the Other business had ceased. - that |
bill came into the Senate after the paseage Of
the concurrent resolution defining our duties,
aid - soon .. IN opportunity occurred, about |
tsa o'clock that night, called for the taking
up Of the bill, to Ghich objections were made |
and which compelled vote On the point OF |
order raissd, that the bill did not come usder |
the meaning Of "messag0 from either |
housa." . Il w. . new subject matter to the |
Senate never having before been under con-
sides.tioo. A etaDding vote ~ taken, and |
my vote was the only one Tor taking up the |
biz. While The balaucs Of the Senate voted |
soy. What more could any man have donef /
II thoss directly interested in the Sisters As |
vlum had come before the Legislature - did
be ladies' nsnaglng the Protestant Asylum,
I an confident the appropriation would have
been secured. At the request Of the lAdies
coodu. ting the s6sis Of the Protestant Or
phan Asvlum introduced the bill which g.