The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-31

that could not be cared for at the state
institutions has rolled in a bill this year
for $4,000 and the ways and means
committees of both houses are trying 10
get out OF it same way. AT iDvestiga-
ton of the reports will be had before
any bills are allowed and an appropria-
ton will probably be recommended to
put up additional buildings for the care
of the great number of patients OF the
kind that cannot be cared for with the
present buildings.
MAXIMUM RATE BILL.
The railroad committees will probably
get together and appoint sub-commit-
tee to draft a new maximum rate bill
incorporating the meritorious features
of all bills submitted so far. There
seems to be no well defined idea among
the members as to just what IS needed
in the way of railroad legislation, any
more than a kind Of an impression that
rates ought to be showed down. These
committees after struggling for the past
ten days with the various bills and try
ing to evolve some arrangement in a re-
port that will harmonic the views OF
the different house and senate members,
have done nothing more than to find out
how hard it will be to do anything at
all. and do il right.
An effort is now on foot and will be
organized within the next week to abol-
ish the board of railroad commissioners
unless they can be given more power.
This grows out of two or three different
matters. There are scores of men who
whooped up the reform racket last fall
on goods boxes in day time and under
the yellow simmer of the campaign
torch at night that have been anXiousiy
avoided in dishing up the spoils since
November. In a great many cases they
have become enmies to the fellows that
got in on the ground floor and the rest
is an old story. They are taking ad-
vantage Of the sentiment in the house
and senate that this board might as well
be abolished along with some others and
are developing it,.
Senator Forney. who is mad because
the house committee sat down on his
bill to fence right-of-ways, declares that
he won't waste his time fooling around
with reformerS who are neither them
selves reformed nor informed and that
he will now so to work 10 have the pow
er Of the commissioners increased or
the board abolished entirely. In short,
the Pops have got on a game of tit-for-
tet that is growing in interest.
AN IRRIGATION DECISION.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. 30.-(Special.) Judge
Foster of the federal court handed down an
important decision in western Kansas
irrigation suit today. Several years ago
Senator Plumb. Buffalo Jones, Ed Russell
OF Lawrence and others organized a COM
pany to irrigate the western part of the
state and put In a ditch tapping the Ar
kansas river al Garden City and extending
nearly seventy-five miles to the southeast
Buffalo Jones flew the track made de-
mands and threatened to put in a parallel
ditch tapping the river above, which he
did by interesting British capital and or
Ssnizing a company of British investors.
The new ditch, the Amazon" drained the
bed of the river completely and made the
property of the Great Eastern and adj
jacent lands worthless. Suit was brought
by the Great Eastern people TO prohibit the
Amazon company from taking the water
from the river til the Great Eastern ditch
was supplied. Judge Foster today de-
cides that the Amazon is not entitled to
any water till the Great Eastern has a
supply Of one inch for each acre of the 2e2,-
900 covered by the company charter.
COUNTY OFFICERS SALARIES.
II is altogether probable that the house
and senate committees will not be able 10
get together on any bin for cutting down
the salaries of county Offices That has
been yet presented, and that they Will in
joint conference prepare a substitute and
report favorably to both houses. The Com
" treasurers have been here and had their
round in the lobby and it might be men
toned that they have left evidences that
they were here. II Will be a harder mat
ter TO cut down salaries and abolish Of
fees than the reformers have heretofore
anticipated. Every measure up and pass
cd or not passed has its influence on every
other measure that comes up and 1t is not
altogether improbable that there may be
a great fall-down in Pop plans within the