The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-25
DOGS IN THE MANGER.
IF One Town Couldn't Get Nor
NAL School
NONE SHOULD, SAID THE LOBBY
The Normal school Lobby More Near
" Approaches Being Disgraceful In
It's Actions Than some Others.

Its Actions Than some Others.
The house Saturday was like a man
in the woods 1t started out confidently
and boldly, travelled hard all day and ar
rived at o'clock at the same point it
started from, weary itself and every one
who had watched the performance,
weary with it. Mr.. Beekman in his
speech late in the afternoon said, "Gentle-
men, we have been making fools of our
selves today" and from the applause
which greeted the remark, it was plain
he had struck a popular chord among
the Legislators themselves.
The cause Of the frutless march up
the hill and down again was the state
normal school bills. They were a special
order for the morning hour. Four of
them, establishing schools at Fort Scott,
COncordia, Great Bend and Wichita, had
been reported favorably to the house.
The Great Bend bill was taken up first.
Mr.. Rothweiler moved as a substitute a
bill establishing a normal at La Crosse.
This was adopted Then the enacting
clause of the bill as amended was recon-
mended stricken out
The house was just then in killing
mood The Fort Scott bill was the next
to go to the slaughter. The enacting
clause of it was assaulted and went down
before the committee of the whole.
Then the house went to dinner.
When it reassembled the people who
were in charge of schools which they
wished to sell to the state and a half
dozen or SO more lobbyists were active
on the floor. They circulated around
among the seats of the members, lowered
over this one and buzzed that one like
bees in hive. They hurried hither and
thither among the members like pages,
and when not doing this beckoned
them to the back of the hall,
where they engaged them in earnest
conversation. At one time the confusion
caused by the outside workers was so
great that the house floor had the ap-
pearance of betting ring and Colonel
Warner gave notice that if it did not
cease he would move to have every one
of them put out of the hall.
When the Wichita bill came up Mr..
Eckstein made strong speech in sup
port of it. Mr.. Bender of Labette then
calmly moved to strike out the enacting
clause
Mr.. Winters of Kiowa, Populist, then
made a speech against the bill which
probably caused it to be recommended
for passage. He said the governor, the
state architect and attorney general were
the board to appraise the Garfield uni
versity property and If any one were the
least bit inclined to be dishonest the
state would be robbed. Only one of this
board he said, had any practical know
ledge of buildings and it would be easy
for the state to be swindled.
Mir. Eckstein turned this reference to
clever account,
He was sorry he said, that there was
anyone who would impeach the honor of
the governor of Kansas He was sorry
indeed, to know there was anyone who
would even insinuate that the governor
of this great commonwealth would be
dishonest.
Mr. Winters explained that he didn't
mean fSE1aapo9ent that the governor
would be- snahest, but simply that not
having practical knowledge of build
ing and architecture he would not be
able to judge properly what structure
was worth. 1t was we'll known that was
what he meant, but Mr.. Eckstein's inter
probation of the speech had the effect OF
bringing enough Republicans, who
wished to resent the insult, to his side
to favorably recommend the bill The
Concordia bill was then passed also by
. small majority.
1t was here that the lobby acted the
most disgracefully. Those whose bills
had been defeated in the morning felt
more keenly their defeat and redoubled
their efforts to get their measures recon
sidered- They had the support of those
who wanted to see all the bills killed
These latter knew If they got all the
bills back on the same plane again none
of them would go through. The sup
porters of the normal school scheme
were inspired with the hope that they
might finally succeed in getting theil
bills through.
So these opposite factions vxerkad tn
Rether toward the same end but viii
different purposes. Mr.. RothWeile
moved to have the La Crosse bill recon
sidered, which was done. The repor
by which the Lacrosse bill was substitu
ted for the Great Bend bill was then re
considered. The Fit. Scott bill was the
reconsidered, and the house after worxin,
all day, found itself Just where it ha
started from, with the exception that tn