The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-19


it is, but it is understood that preacher
over there by the name of Underwood,
who used to live at Tonganoxie. does a
good deal of that kind of writing. He
is credited with running the A P A. in
oar town, but the other preachers don't
have anything to do with him. There is
no such man in Leavenworth as Tim
Burke"
THIS BILL Is FOR THE PEOPLE.
Consequently 1t Has Hard Struggle to
Pass the House.
When Mr.. Cox's bill, which prohibits
the submission of more than twenty five
questions to juries, came. up for passage
III the house today, members who hadn't
got in their debate in the committee
slipped it in now under cover of explain
ing their vote. Mr.. Cole was the first
speech telling how juries did in Eng
land and defending the submission of
special questions.
The railroads are bitterly opposed to
this bill because it is a favorite method
of railroad attorneys to submit interim
nable lists of intricate and confusing
questions to the jury SO that in answer
ing them it stultities itself and the YER
dict is set aside. 1t is not particularly
railroads which do this, but it is favor
ite method with them and all other cor
porations which have a great deal of
litigation.
Mr.. Funk of Marion said that as
clerk of the court he had seen some
evils of special questions In one case
he cited three trials were had, the gen
eral verdict being the same in
each case, but every time the
verdict was set aside because of the
contradictions in the answers to the
answers to the questions
81 see why the lawyers are in favor of
it." said he, sit makes business" Mr.
Funk voted for the bill
OF those opposed to the bill, Mr.. Lam
bert of Lyon explained his vote in his
usual entertaining sarcastic vein. 1t was
only a few days ago that Mr.. Lam bert
eloquentiy pleaded the cause of ''the
great struggling masses of the people,"
and talked about the "bloodthirsty"
banks and corporations so as to gain the
plaudits of the entire I'opulist side. but
today there was nothing in his talk to
Indicate the permanence of his mood of
the other day.
Mr. Lambert said: 81 understand how
lawyers who try cases with no facts or
merits in them but appeal only to SYM
pathy are in favor of this bill. / under
stand why they want the old law
changed-it takes away their avocation.
There are cases which require study and
questions to bring out tbs merits &c the
case, but of course lawyers who try little
cases don't want them. l am opposed to
striking at the rights of property aRd 1
vote no.
Mr.. Robinson is one the members
who has been in favor of the bill from
the start He explained his vote. He said
the section of the statutes allowing
long list of cunnin0ly devised questions,
which would take jury of lawyers
week to decide on, was grossly abused.
There had been lobby from the rail-
roads here for weeks, he continued, work
ing against the bill 81 am no dema-
gogue; | don't want to hurt the railroads
in particular, or single them out, but |
am in favor of right and decency, and
believe it is only right these questions
should be limited"
The bill failed to receive a majority
and was not passed. The vote was re-
considered and will be taken tomorrow
at 10 o'clock, when enough may be got
to support the bill to carry it.
The vote stood: Yeas 53; nays 56;
absent or not voting, Is.
Gentlemen voting in the affirmative
were:
Messrs Andrews, Axelton, Barkley,
Barnett, Bone of Clark, Brown of
Pratt, Bucklin, Butler, Campbell Of
Stafford. Claycomh, Conger, Cox, Deni-
son, Dickson, Forsythe, Foster, Funk,
Halliday, Hart, Hilton, Ingle, Johnson of
Nemaha, Lamb of Lincoln, Lewis,
Lupfer, Mccarthy, Marshall, Mathews,
Meridith. Meizler, Moore, Mott, Newman,
Nighswonger, Painter, Pancake, Price,
Robinson, Rothweiler, Satterthwaite,
Sherman, Shouse, Simons, Sprague,
Stockebrand, Street. Sutton, Trueblood,
Tucker, Van Gaasbeck, Warner, Winters,
thinner man.
Gentlemen voting in the negative
were:
Messrs. Allen, Baker, Beekman Ben
der, Blair, Bone of Clark, Bone of Craw-
ford, Brown of Crawford, Byers, Cald-
we'll, Campbell of Doniphan, Clark of
Linn. Clark of Wallace, Cole, Cornell,
Dewitt, Duffy, Eckstein. Frazer, Garden
hire, Glenn, Grimes, Goodno, Hackbusch,
Haines, Hanna, Heminger, Hunt, John
son of Anderson, Kelley. Knipe, Lambert
of Lyon. Lough, Miller of Geary, Miller
of Morris. Morrow, Moss, Murphy, Pow
ers, Pratt. Remington, Rohrbaugh, Sea
ton, Smith of Ottawa, Smith of Sherman,
| Sp:cknall, Stromquist, Thisler, Veale,
Wilson of Barber, Wilson of Stanton
| Wright Cubbison.
Absent or not voting: Aker, Balliuger
Benedict, Benefel, Bradley, Can
non, Chandler, Dix, Fitzgerald
Hill. Hollenbeak, Hopkins, McKinnie,
Raemer, Schlyer, Sheafor, Stromquist,
Vilott, White.
Mr. Robinson changed his vote from
aye to no for the purpose of moving re-
consideration.
TO vACATE TOWNsITEs.
|
It Seems People Don't Want to Be Made
Country Folks ''by Law"
The house this morning took up bills
on third reading. The committee bill tt
vacate certain townsites met with oppo
sition, an unusual thing for local bills