The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-04-03
Went to the house Febru-

An act 10 provide for the health and
safety OF persons in and about the coal
mines of Kansas, and providing for the
inspection of the same. Passed the
senate February 25th-yeas 81. nays
none; to the house February Goth.
An act to provide county uniformity
of text books in the several counties of
the state, and free text books to the
common schools. This bill received on
its final passage, % yeas and / nay. 1t
reache the house March ID, where no
attempt was made to raise it. as that
body had passed bill providing for an
expensive and cumbersome committee,
at a cost of 81, 0c0. to prepare series
of school books, for the printing of
which an appropriation of 100000 was
provided for.
An act providing for the appointment
OF special agent of the state of Kansas
to aid soldiers, sailors or mariners, and
the parents, widow or child of any SOL
der sailor or mariner of the late war,
residing in the state, in the prosecution
of any claim in any of the departments
of the governments of the United States,
free of charge to the claimant. This
bill on the 23d of February received
tweEty-seven votes in the senate. with
none against, and went to the house the
same day. When under consideration
in that body Mr.. Elder, announcing that
he was tired of the soldier racket,
moved its indefinite postponement,
which motion prevailed.
An act providing for the organiza-
ton and control of mutual isurance as
sociations in this state.
An act to enable the county commits
siOners of Wallace county TO settle debts
incurred while under what was be-
lieved to be valid organization. As
this bill looked to the paying of Just
claims, it was never considered by the
house, although it reached that body
February 22d.
An act to establish a court of sppeals.
The house amended this act by naming
three farmers as judges, who were to
sit as supreme court. This action de-
stroyed the usefulness of the bill. and, of
cOuI sc, killed it.
The list might be extended and some
fifty bills of a general nature added, but
enough have been given at random to
show the tUrl of senate legislation, as
directed by republicans.
| The manifesto directs attention to
the senate revision committee. and de-
clares that but one bill presented by
this committee became a law. The
records show that four of its bills be-
came laws, as follows:
An act to establish the salaries of
state officers.
An act providing for board of public.
works.
An act in relation to the state peni-
Tertiary.
An act providing for the organization
and regulation of banks. AS has been
shown, the bill prepared by this COM
mittee, with three amendments, which
only weakened it, became law.
IN addition to this work, six bills
prepared by the committee, passed the
senate and died in the house. Any one
of the four bills that became laws would
make good the state three times the
amount paid out. That money was well
invested, even if nothing but its bank
bill had been adopted. The childish
ness of the attack upon this committee
is at once apparent to all.
As to the matter of appropriations,
the Journal has already shown that the
appropriations, as well as the tax levies,
have been largely increased, altogether
through the work done in the house.
The increase of the levy is 10th of a
mill, while the deficiencies will be great
er than ever before known in Kansas.
The appropriation for the worlds fair
failed because the democratic members
of the house had, by vote, decided upon
Governor Click for democratic manager
instend Of DR.. S. F. Nicely, the demo-
cratic member from Leavenworth. Had
it not been that DR.. Nicely had been
placed upon that committee by the
speaker pro TEN, while Speaker Elder
I,,c in, h o tho,.a yrO,,I1 have
been an appropriation, as there would
have been no difficulty in the members.
of the two houses agreeing.
The manifesto" is in error when it.
states that the senate did not recede
from it's position until IL o'clock the
night before adjournment regarding
the board of agriculture and that no
quorum was present. The reports of
the committee show that the senate had
receded, but that DR.. Nicely, in the
committee, according to a stenographic'
report, said: Il will remain here until
hi freezes over before | yield a.
pointm When the senate finally sent
to the house new appropriation bill
for the worlds fair exhibit, there was
eighty-four members present by count.
Then it was that Mr.. Elder presented a
restitution, which was adopted, notify
ing the senate that the house would
pass the senate worlds fair appropria-
ton bill if the senate would pass the
Elder mortgage bill. The official jour-
nails of the two houses have been
printed and will show this fact to those
curious enough to examine them. He
could not have passed the bill without
a quorum.
From the daily reports of the railroad
commissioners, the wisdom of the sem
ate in insisting that the $4,000 appro-
priated for seed grain for destitute west
ern farmers be loaned and not donated
is at once apparent. 1t requires the
closest scrutiny to determine where the
seed shall go, as the fraudulent de-
mands, in the belief that the seed is a
gift, amount to at least 300 per cent.
The most deserving are the most mod
est in their claims. The present law
will protect the state and protect the
benefciaries at the same time. The.
western members did not ask for gift,
but the eastern members tried to force.
it upon them.
Some of the house measures that
failed to pass the senate were good
ones, and would have been enacted into.
laws that had there been more time and
had there been fewer wild idead re-
formers in the house. If that body had
taken up less time in furthering foolish
and extravagant investigations for par
ty purposes and given more time to le-
ultimate legislation, the alliance mem
bers could have made better record,
and have saved themselves the humil
iation of reading condemnatory resolu
tions passed by their constituents.
With few exceptions, the alliance
members of the house were honest in