Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-03-13
TOPEKA CORRESPONDENCE.
From our Topeka Correspondent.


consider it but just to say that ths mi
nority in the senate have been as fair
and considerable body as represented
the majority of any legislative body in
the history of the state or nation.
Could the same be said of the majority
in the House. much needed and benifi-
cial legislation might have been accom-
plished. But TO the disgrace of the
House be it said, that of the many i'm
portant measures which passed tho
senate, many of them without n dis
senting vote, not single one of them
received decent consideration by the
House. There is not a republican on
the floor of the senate that upholds the
House in its treatment of the senate.
Among the many important measures
that passed the senate and were killed
IN the House we name the following:
The maximum freight rate bill. In
this connection it is not out of place to
state that the Greenlee Bill, which was
the boast of the republicans, did not
that body during the present session.
The bill regulating the stock yards at
Kansas City, Kansas, passed the SEN
ate by large vote; but in the house a
committee was appointed to investi-
gate the stock yards and their manage
ment, and after two weeks junketing
QXDpditiOp ond hoipU IgyuiDad oOI A.
ed''by the managers of said stock yards
they concluded that legislation along
this line was unnecessary. 1t is need
less to say that the state paid the bills
The bill prohibiting dockage of hogs
was passed by the senate and never
heard of since.
The bill fixing a maximum passenger
rate at two cents per mile and prohibit
ing the giving and use of passes passed
the senate by strict party vote, and
has never been seen or heard of since
A bill regulating telegraphic charges,
which has been published in this paper
heretofore, introduced by Senator Lam
dis and passed the senate without a
dissenting vote, is quietly awaiting the
resurrection along with the freight and
passenger rate bills.
A bill introduced by the same party,
regulating express companies and
compelling them to make certain re-
ports, post schedules of rates, and plac-
ing them under the supervision of the
board of railroad commissioners, was
fated to the same destiny.
Two bills, introduced by Senator
Lands, and published in the INDEX in
a previous issue, passed the senate af-
ter hard struggle, but the enacting
clause was promptly stricken out by
the House. These bills tended toward
the equalization of taxation for school
purposes.
a bill fixing the fees and salaries of
county officers, purpOrting to be a
great reform measure, but was in fact
mere preteHse. was passed by the
House; the senate passed a measure
that it is estimated would have saved
fifty thousand dollars to the taxpayers
of the state, but it was killed in confer
ence by the House refusing to accept
anything which made any radical
changes in the old law. In short, any
thing that made any radical changes re-
ceived no consideration by the House
unless it was IN the interest of corpora
tons. They were there for the purpose
of manufacturing political buncombe
and their purpose was accomplished,
and when the votes are counted two
years hence they will realize this fact
to their sorrow. It is fact undisput-
ed. that, taken as whole, the present
House in point Of ability. is very much
below the average and it is doubtful
whether the history of Kansas has re-
corded as weak body as the present
one, and it is to be hoped that years
will pass before the people of this state
will inflict upon themselves another
body who are so narrow and who have
the interests OF the people so little at
heart as to put in their entire time IN
their own political advance
ment, and each trying to make the
longest and windiest and loudest speech
for the purpose of gaining prestige. 1t
is to be deplored that IN times as des-
perate as the present, when thousands
of people in the state are suffering for
the necessaries of life, one hundred
thousand dollars Of the states money
should be paid out for this purpose.
What the writer has said in this con.
nection has not been prompted by any
partisan motives but from actual facts
as they exist.
AS this is the last communication we
shall furnish the INDEX we want to
ers more particularly to our own SEN
ator. 1t is unfortunate that our SEN
ator was compelled to spend SO much
of his time on the road between his
home and Topeka, On account of the
sad event that needs not be mentioned
here as sympathizing pubic are
thoroughly conversant with the case.
But this is one Of the innumerab!e over
which man has no control and must
accept the situation as coming from
Him who doeth all things we'll. Never
theiess, in spite of all these difficulties,
disturbances and annOyances, II is
a matter of congratulation both to Sen
ator Lands and the people of the 37th
Senatorial to know that the work ac-
complished by our senator was far
above the average. Not once did he
fail in fight upon the floor of the SEN
ate. Every measure that ne made
fight for was passed by the senate
Gould every voter of the eight counties
see whatwe have and know what we do,
they might begin TO comprehend the
true worth of the man who has SO ably
represented them in the last two SEES