Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-02-26
KANSAS LEGISLATURE.

Tho Dynamite Investigation Well Under
Way-The House and Senate Stin at Outs
Free Text Book BIZ Passes the House.
TOPEKA, Kan, Feb. 25.-The Cofey-
vile investigation is at last in progress.
Yesterday afternoon the first session Of
the committee was held, at which wit
| nesses were examined. h NJ. Upham,
the express agent at Coffeyville at the
time of the explosion, his wife and
daughter, Mabel, were examined Up
ham was the principal witness He
carefully detailed the circumstances of
the receipt of the mysterious box and
| his taking it to his home for safe keep
ing. When asked II he knew the cause
of the explosion he answered "No. 4"
| Considerable attention was given
to the fact that Upham was an anna
teur photographer and had recently
built small dark room for the devel-
oping Of pictures. He told of the chem
icals he had there, but claimed that
none of them were explosives. 1t was
in this room that he placed the box, and
it was there that his wife and daughter
had gone to watch him developing a
picture of his daughter when the ex-
plosion occurred.
When this point was reached in his
testimony, the committee adjourned to
give Upham an opportunity to make
diagrams of his house so that the com
mittee cen better understand the sur
rounding of the explosion
The sessions of the committee are held
in the supreme court room. T. B. Dawes,
of Clay Center, and J. K. Codding, of
Westnoreland, are the attorneys for
the republican state committee and
Benjamin Henderson, of Winfield, and
II. G. Webb, of Columbus, for Vincent
and the alliance.
The senate gave the house a sly cut
yesterday afternoon. Some ten days
ago the house voted that the use of leg
islative hall be given Samuel Gompers,
president of the Federation of Labor,
for an address. Yesterday morning
the house reseinded their action,
because, it is generally believed,
the federation is non-par-
tisan organization. The senate on
motion of Governor Osborn, and with
out any request from Mr.. Gompers who
was in the city, rendered the senate
chamber for his address. Thus the
interesting and kindly exchange of
cOurtesies between the two houses con-
tinues and will continue until the
session closes. 1t were needless to add
that the public business in the mean
time is being greatly expedited.
In the house the printing bill intro
duced by Rice and Willard was accepted
as a substitute for the Howard bill, pre-
sented by a majority of the printing
committee. The bill was made a special
order for Thursday. It makes re-
auctions of about 30 per cent. from ex-
listing rates, and provides for the con-
tract system after the constitution can
be amended.
The Commercial association of Kan |
sas City, Kan, sent some resolutions to |
the senate yesterday morning. They |
protest strongly against the radical |
financial legislation that has passed the |
house and earnestly request that the
senate and governor see to it that these |
radical bills be not allowed to pass.
In the alliance caucus the resubmis-
sion question was considered. The ex-
act action taken is not known, but it is
generally believed to be adverse to
Douglass resolution providing for re-
That resolution has been
made a special order for Thursday.
The free text book bill passed the
house yesterday afternoon by vote of
II to 40. Some of the peoples party
members joined the democrats and re-
publicans in opposing it. The bill of
the senate codifying committee will
soon come over to the house, and the
between the two bills will
be so great that conference committee
will be necessity. In all probability
this will result in killing both bills.