Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-03-08
Thursday
SENATE

TOPEKA, February 21.-The reading of the
journal was dispensed with this morning,
as 1t has been for the past two weeks.
Petitions continue to come in, many of
them about matters that have been already
passed upon, aud either adopted or defeated.
The bill providing for grand juries came
back from the house as amended, as noted
IN last nights proceedings. The senate re-
fused to concur in the amendment, so It
goes back to the house, which, if it does not
recede from the amendment, will ask for a
conference committee.
The rest of the forenoon, or most of it,
was spent in reading the judicial apportion-
ment bill for final passage. 1t received the
necessary tWO-thirds vote and now goes to
the house. 1t VIII be remembered that the
house passed a bill providing for thirty
seven districts. That bill was defeated in
in the senate, which passed its own bill pro
Viding for thirty-siX districts.
After the third reading and passage of a
few bills, questions of privilege come up.
The readers of this report remember that
early in the session the senate passed bill,
reducing the age of consent from 18 to Is
years, and further, that charge of raps of
of any woman. between the age of u and 16,
the defendant could prove the reputation of
the woman, and If bad the charge of rape
cOuld not be sustained. The passage of
this bill has caused a great commOtiOn all
over the state. Petitions by the l, 600 have
been poured into the house to kill the bill.
The conclusion has gone out that the bill
reduced the age of consent to u years with
out any qualifications whatever. So much
has been said in the papers about
TINS, ana so many denunc1at1ons
| of senators have been made, that
senators thought they should clear them
selves of these unjust charges agrinst them.
These explanations lasted much of the after
noon. The real points made IN favor of the
| age were bad and had used this law to black
mail great many men, Numerous circum-
| stances of this were related. The speeches
drove the ladies out of the senate chamber.
EVENING SESSION.
A committee was sent to Hutchinson
sometime ago to examine into charges
| against the board of directors of the reform
atOry in course of erectiOn there, of not
! using convict labor when they ought to.
They We also directed to report If the in
sttution could not be changed into some
other one.
! They have reported that the commission
| ers were acting in good faith in not en-
| ploying convict labor, bat the committee
| think it would have been better if they had
| done So Inc committee recommends an
| appropriation of 100000 for the year 1890;
and 100000 for the year 1891; $50, 600 of
| which last 100000 is to be used in estab-
/ fishing salt plant to be operated by the in
mates. The state has 64O acres of fine land
! for the reformatory grounds, aud it is all
fine salt land, with deposit of 300 feet of
/ salt underlying the whole area at less than
! 800 feet under the surface. The land has
neither coal or mineral to be developed, and
the salt plant was hit upon as a last resort
| by the committee. The committee says that
there is no doubt that the lands are capable
OF furnishing salt enough, the revenue upon
winch would pay the entire expenses OF the
| state, but they do not favor policy of put
ting private enterprises IN competition with
convict labor to that extent. The land Is
estimated to be worth at least 100000 to-
| day. The state has thus far expended but
| S16O,O0O on 1t. After the 100000 COntem-
! plated by the appropriations recommended
have been expended, the state viii till be
$4,000 head.
Considerable time was spent on insurance
/ bills, bat nothing definite was arrived at.
Then whole batch of appropriation bills
/ were passed. among them one TO send a
| commissioner to the Paris exposition. 1t
was 1870 when an adjournment was had,
HOUSE.
At the forenoon session there were few
/ petitions presented and bills int-5duced and
/ then the house went into committee OF the
! whole to consider q number OF insurance
| bills.
/ These bills will call forth, if possible, a
more lengthy debate than the senate had.
| Mr.. Burton occupied all of the time to the
adjournment IN arra1gulng State Super1n-
/ tendent of Insurance Wilder for derelictiOn
/ in duty. What called forth this speech just
now is the fact that Wilder had but two days
! ago revoked the license of two mutual com
/ panies in Topeka to do busine 5.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
After the third reading and passage Of two
/ Dliis the house went INTO cOmnltte5 o. Lne
| whole on the special order, the insurance
! business. Under the present law the Insur-
ance department can. yithOut appeal refuse
any company the right to do business in the
| state; or to cancel any permit heretofore
/ given to do so, from which decision there IS
no appeal. The bill under consideration Is
| to change this rule aud allow courts TO de-
eide the question. A complaint to the su-
perintendent shall be heard, the attorney
general representing the state. If the super
lnteGdent decides against the company It
can take an appeal TO the district court.
This bill was amended and discussed for a
long time and finally recommended Tor
passage.
EVENING SESSION.
4 long time was spent on bill providing
an oversight on banks and changing the
banking law materially
Quite number of bills were passed, IN
a-nnlrc- tn $500 L,5ll raat-.lnt .ha nzznar-