Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-31

sion, if they secured the legislature. Now,
with everything. their own way, they re-
fuse to keep their promise-a promise that
was made in deceit and never intended to
be fulfilled.
In every county in the territory. the free
silver candidates declared that, If elected,
they would want their salaries reduced.
| Now, however, they have changed their
minds and have some OF the most active
| lobbyists in the territory here to defeat
any bill for a reduction of salaries. The
| first bill of that kind, an act to reduce the
salaries of county superintendents. of
| schools, was mercilessly slaughtered by
the committee.
In line with the policy outlined in last
Sundays Journal, to try and get all of the
of the incoming Republican governor, are
number of bills introduced Thursday to
take the appointing of the territorial au-
ditor, treasurer, attorney general, school
land commissioner and regents OF the ed
ucational institutions out of the hands of
the governor and have these officers all
ic act creating the territory. which is the
constitution, gives the governor the au-
thority to fill all offices created by the ter
| ritory by appointment doesn't seem to be
comprehended by these gentlemen, but no
matter If 1t is, they would not let little
thing like n United States law OF a terri
torial constitution interfere with their acts.
In their own minds, they are omnipotent
when they want to do a thing; and when
they do not want to, their authority is in
finiteSimdl.
After a debate taking up the greatest
portion of three days, the senate has at
last recommended the passage of Mr.. Gar
risons contract measure which nullifies Cor
attempts to nullify) all gold contracts in
this territory by providing that all money
obligations shall be payable in gold or sill
yer coin or legal tender notes of the United
States, any contract to the contrary not
withstanding. Any high school pupil in the
territory knows this is unconstitutional,
and it was clearly shown to be SO in the
Il uyp ar
pass anyhow, The people want to give
gold a good, hard blow. We will pass it
and then let the supreme court shoulder
the blame when they declare it unconsti-
tutional." And, knowing and admitting
that the measure was unconstitutional a
| majority of the senators voted to recon-
mend its passage, simply because ''the peo-
pie" wanted it.
Gradually however. the more conserva-
tive men in both branches are beginning to
stand together. and within the next few
days there will be some vigorous wedding
out of the more obnoxious of the radical
bills introduced. Among the first bills to
be slaughtered will be several school land
measures providing for lot of private
snaps at public expense; Mr.. Graves bill.
to stay the collection of all debts; Senator
Browns bill, prohibiting mixed schools.
whether the people of the locality want
them or not, and several election bills,
among them the one limiting suffrage to
those who can read and write.
Rev. Bro. Cheeseborough. the colored gen.
tleman from Perry. who had the petition
from Grover Cleveland. Queen Victoria and
the Duke of Wellington et al, has returned
and wants his friend and conspirator,
Representative Doyle TO Introduce a bill
giving him n special order to take the COM
mittee in a hole some night next week and
address them on the Final Destiny of the
Soul. - The matter has been referred to
the fish and game committee.
The members are not having half rs
much fun out of the woman suffrage bill
as they thought they would. 1t was easy
TO run q bluff on the local suffrage sisters,
who were inexperienced and verdant in tae
whole matter. and everybody thought it
was good joke to report adversely on the
bill before the ladies were ready to open
their campaign. Mrs. Laura Johns arrived
n few hours later, and before she had been
here six hours things began to change. She
a suffrage bill was stilI in the hands of n
committee. and by n vigorous course of
buttonholng secured the promise of almost
every senator TO give the matter full con-
sideration. The next day she marshaled ah
the local forces and. under their leader
they captured the senate the next day and
got an hours time granted TO address the
body. Then she went TO the house, secured
n reconsideration of the original suffrage
bill. and had two new bills on the subject
introduced. Yesterday number OF the Ia
dies addressed the house and now they are
at work enlisting the sympathies OF the
wives, daughters and sweethearts or the
members of both houses, and nave started
petitions in every county in the territory,
and their chances Of success ere brighten
ing every hour.
But four members of the present as
sembly have had previous legislative ex-
perience in the territory. but number
have been legislators in the states of Kan
sas and Missouri-Populists in Kansas and
Democrats in Missouri All the members
have had more or less knowledge Of certain
laws in twenty different states in the
Union, however, and as each man thinks