The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-09

Caesar the things which be Cesar's-
Monuments for Kansas Soldiers.
By an act of congress approved An
gust 49, 1890, provision was made for
the purchase of 1900 acres of land in
Tennessee and Georgia, to be known as
the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Ma
tional Military park for the purpose OF
preserving and suitably marking. for
historic and professional military
study, of the fields of some of the most
remarkable maneuvers and most bril-
liant fighting in the war of the rebel
lion, in which Kansas troops won dis
tinguished honors- The same act pro-
vides that the authorities Of any
state having troops engaged either at
Chattanooga or Chiekamauga may
mark the lines of battle of
troops engaged therein by monuments
or tablets, or any way the state may
desire.
By the provisions of house bill No.
2o1, the Kansas legislature appro-
priated SIS, 900 for the erection of monu-
ments in memory Of the Kansas sol
diers engaged in these two battles
The Eighth Kansas, especially, made
themselves famous at Chickamauga,
losing more than any other regiment
engaged in the fight. The bill appro-
priating the money for monuments,
also provides for a commission to SUI
perintend the erection of the same, and
provided that the commission should
consist of three Kansas soldiers who
took part in the battles. Gov. Morrill,
appointed as the commissioners, Col.
j. L. Alternately, Leavenworth; Maj
Sol r. Washer. Atchison; Hon G. w.
johnson, Seneca; Leonard AkeFs
Liberal; J. T. Starns, Sabetha.
Hon. G. w. Johnson, of Seneca, and
Leonard Aker, of Liberal, are members
of the house of representatives
Kansas Irrigation.
The matter of irrigation will not be
a mere theory in Kansas any longer.
It will be a matter of actual expert
ment, during the coming year, or so
much of an experiment as $50, 900 will
provide for This is the amount APP
propriated by the legislature for irriga-
ton purposes. The law making the
appropriation provides for a commits
sion of five Kansans. The governor
appoints three of this commission and
the law appoints the president of the
state agricultural college-Prof Fair
| child-and Prof. Haworth, the professor
| of geology at the Kansas state uni
| versity. The law also provides that
the commissioners shall receive from
| the state their actual expenses while
| engaged in the work of experimenting
| the irrigation experiments. The money
appropriated is to be expended by the
commissioners in obtaining geo.
| logical surveys of the western
part of the state, in making
maps of the same, and establishing ex-
| perimental stations and sinking not
| less than twenty wells at different
| points in the irrigation district. The
state senate at first appropriated S1O,-
900 for irrigation, and the lower house
appropriated $50, 900. The two houses
were not able to agree-through their
conference committees-untn near the
close of the session when the $40, 600
| compromise was agreed upon and
passed both branches without opposi-
| ton It is believed that the commits
sioners will sink the twenty wells, or
| the majority of them at least, in the
| twenty extreme western counties. The
| friends of the irrigation theory are
anxious that more than twenty wells
shall be sunk, and if the appropriation
warrants it, the commissioners will
| make the number fifty.
| Judicial Districts Abolished.
The judicial apportionment bill, in
troduced and championed by Hon. II.
]. Bone, of the lower house, became a
law after long discussion, passing the
senate by close vote in the closing
hours of the session. The bill does not
materially alter the judicial districts
in the eastern part of the state, as they
| he a11 II
the western part of the state, however
the boundary line of nearly every dis
trict was changed, and six judicial dis
tricts were abolished entirely. This
reduction is IN line of Gov. Nor
rilIs recommendation in his message
These districts were created at a time
when Kansas was in the midst of hel
-to-be-forgotten BOOM bur
since that time the population in the
western part of the state has greatly
decreased, so that it was not necessary
to maintain so many courts as in
former times. The abolishing of these
six districts will save the state, it il
estimated, at least SIS, 900 annually.
An Interesting Blu Killed.
There was one bill which created
much discussion at the state capita
|
lature. This was senate bill $40 intro
duced by Senator Sterne, and provided
that each county in Kansas should care
for its inebriates. The bill designed
a fund for sending habitual drunkard.
to some Kelley institute, at the ex
pense of the county. The bill was
warmly supported and it was believed
at one time that it would become
I a law Init IT did ra1ah -
the senate until an hour before tn,
close of business in that body and wa
defeated by close vote. There wa
strong lobby of temperance people a
work for the bill.
Cannot Vote Yet.
A bill passed the senate gra nting tn
right to ten women of the state K
cast their vote at the annual election
for county or state officers Thi
was done to place the law upol
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