Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-03-12
KANSAS LEGISLATURE.


Elders Legal Tender Bill Passed BY the
House - -Gerrymandering Congressional
Districts-County Seat OuarreIs-Etc.
TOPEKA, Kan, March 9.-The senate
has passed a bill constituting eight
hours a days labor. 1t is hard to tell
what the house will do with it.
The house has passed bill to compel
public, private and municipal corpora
tions to pay their employees weekly.
Exceptions are made in favor of farm
ers and building contractors.
The bill to authorize the organization
of superior court at Wyandotte was
signed by the governor Saturday.
If there is any thing thoroughly eX-
citing it is a county seat fight, whether
it be fought on the plains in frontier
county where the speeches are made in
the little country school house or in the
state legislature. County seat quarrels
have crept into the Kansas legislature
several times this session. 1t is fire.
quently asserted in debate and through
the press that the Botlin impeachment
trouble is the outgrowth of an old coun-
ty-seat fight in Stevens county, and
that Judge Botkin would never have
been brought up for trial had it not
been for the animosity of Sam Wood.
The Butler county seat fight has been
before the house several times, but the
bill to call new election was defeated
whenever discussed The Labette
county fight was more favored and on
its temperance in the house after
having been showed under few days
ago it was warmly discussed and re-
ferred to the Judiciary committee. Sam
Wood, the clerk and manager of that
committee, did not want to consider the
bill and it was returned without con-
sideration. 1t will come up again.
During the debate Mr.. Duncan made
some very serious charges against sew
roasted in return.
The house and senate have finally
agreed and set the time of final ad-
journment for Tuesday at 10 p. m.
The prosecution in the COffeyville
dynamite investigation has submitted
nearly all the evidence.
About o'clock Saturday afternoon
Elder called up his bill. to make gold
and silver legal tender in Kansas and
TO prohibit the making of gold con-
tracts. The bill simply places silver on
a par with gold.
The republicans opposed the bill, de-
claring that it would injure the credit
of the state. The alliance mem mbers
voted with their leader in body and
passed the bill by a vote of 7S to 13.
The house bill to abolish the Third
judicial district (Botkin's) did not meet
with favor in the senate, and on recon-
mendation of the judiciary committee
was indefinitely postponed.
Gerrymandering congressional dis
tricts has been the occupation of the
committees on congressional apportion-
ment in both houses for the past few
DAYS. A conference committee was ap-
pointed several days ago and their re-
port was submitted in the house. 1t
was promptly disagreed to. The main
fight is over the First district
BY the provisions of the senate bill
Brown, Doniphan, Nemaha, Marshall,
Pottawatomie, Jackson, jefferson,
AtchisOn and Leavenwonth counties
pose lIG uESl ulSGlCl. III NASb4 lNb
ROW contains the same counties with
the exception of Marshall, and is a re-
publican stronghold. The republicans
elected a congressman in that district
last fall, although his opponent, Tom
Moonlight, was considered to be one of
the strongest democrats in Kansas.
With the addition of Marshall the re-
publican strength would be materially
increased.
If this bill should pass Kansas would
have at least one democratic district,
the three large cities on the Missouri
river, Atchison, LeavenwOrth and Kan
sas City, Kan, being thrown together
in the same district. The senate will
not recede from their position and it
now seems probable that the redistrict-
ing of the state will be left for another
legislature to attend to.