Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-03-09
KANSAS LEGISLATURE.
Condensed Report of the Weeks Proceed
at TODe,<,a-


1ags at Topeka
OK the 18th legislative proceedings were held
In allegiance pending the opinion OF the supreme
court The senate did nothing The popudst
house cid nothing and in the republican house
the Seaton resolution in regard to the whole
sale unseating Of popuiist members who failed
TO appear postponed until Monday.
THERE was a slim attendance the senate
on the 27th and it adjourned without doing any
business 80. In the house the Seaton resolution
{unseating the populists} was further post
poned Discussion was the order of the day.
the subject OF debate being the new order OF
affairs under the supreme court decision by
resolution L C. Gum, who had appeared before
the committee and testified, was discharged
and acquitted of contempt Mr.. Dougherty, of
Geary (member of the populist house,, adj
dressed the house saying that he would bow to
the supreme court decision, although under
protest The house soon adjourned The pop
ulists spent the day caucussing on future line
| Of action
THE senate had hot debate ON the 18th over
resolutions offered by Mr.. Lands which recited
| in pream bic that the senate believed the pop
uliSts elected a majority of the members OF the
house at the fall election; that the will Of the
people thus expressed should be respected
| and the populists entitled to organize
| that body and that they did by organ
| iZing the Dunsmore house; that the supreme
| court in partisan decision, upheld the Doug
1 lass house, and while recognizing the right of
| the supreme court to interpret laws passed, yet
| there is no appeal from such unwarranted decis-
/ ion except to the people, therefore the senate
will temporarily submit and send all messages
and bills to the Douglass house and do all in its
power to redeem pledges made to the people
and let the blame for such failure rest where it
| belongs The resolutions were finally adopted by
| 81 to 8, against which the republican members
| protested. 80 When the house met the populist
members appeared and took seats the north
| side of the hall Several members filed pro-
| tests against the action of the supreme court
| which went on the record MIR. Seaton offered
| resolution that half of the standing commit
tees resign and that populists be appointed in
| their places which was modified by giving the
! speaker power to increase the standing
| committees fifty per cent, although the
| populiStS declared against it, saying that they
| asked no favors, and wished to get through
without delay and adjourn Mr. Douglass
| offered a set of resolutions setting forth VIVA
! measures were necessary to be passed, which
| went over. Bills were then introduced AT
| the afternoon session the school text book bill
! was considered in committee of the whole
The bill creates a board Of commissioners,
| whose duty it viii be to secure a uniform series
| of text books The books to be owned by
the several school districts for the of pupils
/ in the schools. 1t was recommended for pas
sage.
WHEN the senate met March 1 many bills
| were received from the house and were imme-
diately taken up and passed A special COM
| mittee reported in favor of removing the capital
| to Kanapolis. The senate held an executive
session and confirmed number OF appoint
ments, When the doors were opened Senator
Danner introduced joint resolution amending
| the institution that members of the legiS-
lature shall receive &c per day for their services
| The railroad committee reported the maximum
rate railroad bill, which is the same as agreed
/ upon by the populist house In the house
| much time was consumed in talking. Many
bills and resolutions were introduced The
| resolution of Speaker Douglass which declared
| it necessary to pass certain measures, viz,
| a law providing for the election OF rail-
! road commissioners by the people and defn-
| ing their duties; Z mortgage law, providing for
| a O redemDtiOn
| bic, lessening the expense of foreclosure pro-
| ceedings: a law providing for the complete re-
| vision of the general statutes of the state;
law making needed amendments to the statutes
relating to assessment and taxation; a law for
| the preservation of the purity of the ballot:
| law regulating the weighing and screening of
coal at the mines law for the payment of
wages weekly; to provide for an appellate
court: to appOrtion the sta te int congressional
districts and submitting necessary conSttu-
| tiona1 amendments, then came up and was op-
| posed by Mr.. Dunsmore on The ground that 1t
| was political buncomb. It was adopted The
| woman suffrage resolution was adopted by
| large majority. All of the appropriation and
| other bills read and referred and the house
| adjourned
| THE senate on the I'd was occupied most
| of the day in considering the maximum freight
rate bill and finally passed it by vote of p
| TO- 1t provides that three commissioners shall
be elected by the people at the general election
] in 1893. For this purpose the state is divided
| into three districts and no person owning bonds
| or other railroad stock or property, or in any
| way pecuniarily interested in any railway,
shall be eligible to the office of commissioner.
| The senate passed the house worlds fair bill.
| making appropriation of SEQ, 003 for the Kan
| sas exhibit al Chicago by a vote of 30 to 8. The
| senate also adopted the concurrent resolution
to submit woman suffrage amendment to the
| constitution TO the people The final vote on
| this resolution was 2S to 3. The amendments
| added in the house were concurred in. AT the
afternoon session number of appropria' ion
| bills were passed In the house appropriation
| bills were considered in committee of the whole
! congressional apporuonment bill was report
| ed from the committee dividing the state into
! eight districts. AT 3 O'Clock in the afternoon
| the worlds fair bill received from the sen
! ate and Immediately taken up and passed
| amended by vote of I02 to z The uniform
! text book bill was debated for two hours and
| finally passed. Mr.. Dunsnlore offered 4 con
| current resolution for final adjournment Satur
| day at O'Clock, which was defeated by So to s.
| the pODul1StS voting SoIldlv for 1t AT the even
| ing session the appropriation bills for the deaf
! and dumb asylum and blind institution passed
Also the bill to regulate the weighing of coal at
| the mines. The bill to proaibit The corrupt use
! OF money at elections was considered in COM
! nittee of the whole with Mr. Dunsmore in the
| chair
| The senate on the Sd passed the senate free
| text book bill, which differs in some respects
| from the measure passed by the house BY il
+! the superintendent of public instruction is q
! member of the school book commission, and the
| governor is empowered to appoint the other
/ each Most of the daY taken up with bills
| on third reading, mostly Of a local character
! The weekly payment OF wages bill under
discussion in the afternoon. The committee
(. reported it back with railroad companies elm
mated from its provisions, and determined
| fight made to have the railroad exclusion
{! clause cut out The bill was passed as report
ed, which excludes railroads from its provisions
I. The feature of the session of the house was
| the debate the Greenlee railroad bill. which
! took up the greater part of the day The de.
~ recommended for passage by the committee
| of the whole. Several appropriation bills were
| passed without objection among them being
| the state reform school and The state normal
| school bills large number OF local bills were
| rushed through
| Infant Prodigies-
Toms Wife-My baby's only year
old, and it can say "a, b, CO
Jacks Wife-Why, my baby has got
much farther on in the alphabet than