Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1891-02-24
Legislative D0ings.


Legislative Doings.
Topeka. February 16.-The house
committee appointed to investigate the
action of the board of state house COM
missioners has been at work all day In
the state auditors Office, with force OF
clerks examining all the vouchers and
records pertaining to the state house
construction from the time of the COM
mencement of the building of the west
wing until the present, eleven years.
The committee is doing its work thor
oughly, and will not be able to report
for several days.
The committee on ways and means
has been considering the bill to appro-
pirate $3.50, 900 to furnish seed grain for
destitute farmers in western Kansas,
and find that the needs of the people are
overestimated. They recommend that
the appropriation be reduced to $50, OOO
Members from the west says that their
people will hold Mr.. Elder responsible
for the reduction, as it was on his mo-
ton that the bill was sent to the COM
mittee instead of being passed without
consideration.
The house has passed the bill pre-
pared by the judiciary committee APP
propriating 81, $50 to pay the claims OF
the heirs OF John Basserman to the
coal lands at the penitentiary mine at
Lansing.
The house spent most of the afternoon
on the seed and grain bill for western
sufferers, passing a substitute appro-
priation of 100000
In the senate the following preamble
and resolution were introduced by
Senator Norton, and went over under
the rules:
Whereas, The passage of the house
bill, commonly called the Elder tax bill,
and others of like character, by the
house OF representatives of this state,
has caused great apprehension and
distrust among the holders of Kan
sas securities, and is, as we
believe, doing the people of the state
great and irreparable injury by causing
the withdrawal of all foreign capital
from our state, thereby rendering it
impossible for the debtor class of our
people to renew their mortgages or even
to pay the interest accruing thereon;
therefore be it.
Resolved, That it is the sense of this
senate that no wild or visionary meas
ure calculated in its nature or by its
proposition to injuriously affect the peo-
Pile of this state or the credit of the
same, can or shall pass this body.
Senator Osborne asked unanimous
consent to reconsider the vote by which
the Lockard seed grain bill was lost.
1t was granted and the vote was recon-
sidered.
Senator Lockard moved that the bill
be referred to a committee of three,
with request that they report at the
earliest practicable moment. Adopted.
Topeka, KS, February 1.-THE joint
committee of investigation of the Cof-
feyville dynamite charges met and i'm
mediately' adjourned this afternoon,
pending the disagreement of the house
and senate upon the bill rendering any
witness before the committee exempt
from liability to criminal prosecution
by reason of his testimony. The house
this bill so as to make it apply
to all Investigations whether by joint
committee or by committees of single
house.
Topeka, February 17.-There were no
new bills introduced in the house to-
day. Mr.. Reeder was absent, and the |
members saw their chance 10 |
call up the bribery bill, with little dam