The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1897-01-29
KANSAS LEGISLATURE.



Condensed Proceedings of the States Law.
makers in biennial Session at Topeka.
In the senate on the Goth Jumper presented
bill to prob hit the contracting OF convicts OF
the products Of convict labor; Titus. to compel
express companies to make monthly reports of
earnings and profits: Young to make sherifs
deeds void unless publication fee is paid in full.
Bills for normal schools at Fort Scott Con-
cordia and Wichita were also presented -. In
the house Trueblood presented q congressional
apportionInent measure; ShouSe. to compel all
children between eight and 16 years to at
tend school, Taylor. to change the jury
law so that the votes of nine of the l.
jurors may fix the verdict: also one pro-
viding that the bodies of convicts who may die
in prison unclaimed, shall be given to medical
schools; also one providing for a grand jury
once a year if 100 voters of county petition
therefor. The house adopted concurrent
resolution asking Gov. Leedy not to appoint
election commissioners, irrigation commits
sioners. silk commissioner, forestry commits
sioner and coal oil inspector until the legisla-
ture decided whether not it would abolish
these offices.
In the senate on the 21st the bill making it o
penitentiary offense to sell mortgaged property
was reported favorably. The bill providing
that city with :, 600 or more inhabitants shall
be included in the corporate limits of any town
ship was reported favorably. was the meas
ure to place all state institutions under civil
service. Senator Young'S bill reducing print
ers' fees for county printing and legal notices
so per cent. was passed. % to 8. Bills were in
troduced follows: BY Lewelling, to exempt
homeSteadS having improvements of $3.50
from taxation: to appropriate S6413.91 for de-
ficiency to pay salaries Of district judges;
by MoSher. for state control Of inspection.
weighing and handling of grain; to reduce the
price of sleeping car berths: providing that
legal notices may be posted instead of pub
liShed in counties containing less than 5000
people and that copy of the ballot be mailed
by the county clerk to every voter in the coun-
ty instead of publishing it in newspaper. 1t
also provides that county officers may contract
with outsiders to print the official ballot, thus
making the weekly papers compete with the
big houses OF the city.
AMONG the bills introduced in the senate on
the 22d were: For the maintenance of a state
institution for the cure of drunkards: to require
banks to pay taxes on the capital stock as shown
by the report Of the directors, also on all de-
posits loaned out; to compel eastern corpora
lions owning Kansas lands to pay taxes the
same when due; making diploma of the state
normal school valid as life certifate; giving
all cities Of the first, second and third-cI9sS the
right to receive "a certain per cent. rental from
all franchises. The following measures were
reported unfavorably: To abolish the state
poll tax; to provide for county assessor:
for a lien on crops for labor or machinery en-
ployed; for the branding of all penitentiary
made goods: to abolish the office of coal oil in
Spector and commissioners of forestry and fish
cries -. In the house Speaker Street announced
additional standing committees. Among the
bills introduced Were: BY Rothweiler, to pro-
hihit the giving or accepting Of railroad passes;
by Walters. that banks be taxed on full capital
stock and all deposits; by Ingle, compelling
trains to stop at every station: by Brown. OF
Cowley, excluding voters in cities of the first
and SecOnd-clasS from participating in election
of county school superintendent; by McKeever,
compelling railroads to carry bicycles
1oI, TO
vent the diverting of the channel OF
the Arkansas river for irrigation purposes;
by Finney, of WoodSon to abolish the office OF
state grain inspector board Of irrigation, tne
labor bureau, coal oil inspector. forestry anC
silk stations and board of public works; anG
that all penal institutions be managed by one
board. that all eleemoSynary institutions be
managed by one board of charities and all edu-
cational institutions be managed by one board
of regents.
On the 23d these bills were presented: TIC
protect tenant against landlord and to prevent
the pooling of rates insurance. These bills
were reported favorablN: By Cooke, to create
ponds for the storing of water; by Harris to dc
away with tax titles to land and provide for
judicial title, to be incontestable; to reduce the
rate of interest from ten to eight per cent: to
prohibit the issuance of passes to any person ex-
cept the board of railroad commissioners and
railway assessors; reducing the rates on Pull
man sleepers: to exempt from garniShment the
wages OF WOrkmen: to provide Tor lOanlng the
permanent school fund to citizens of the state
-. In the house Botkin. of Reno, introduced u
bill providing severe punishment for those gull
ty of rape seduction.
BY vote of "A to II the senate on the 25th
voted to exclude D. o. McCray, 4 newspaper
man, from the floor Of the senate. Among the
bills introduced was one to list all property at
actual cash value to permit women to vote Tor
president: % absolutely prohibit the sale of
cigarettes; to compel railroads to furnish free
transportation to stock shippers; to appropri-
ate $40 900 for a formal at Stockton and to sup
press Quack doctors. Among the bills recon-
mended for passage were: Allowing Jefferson
and Douglas ities to bridge the Kaw at Lee
compton; to prevent blacklisting: to prevent
discrimination against union labor; to make
all securities u;rollectable unless stamped by
the county assessor as listed for taxation: to
place all penal institutions of the state under
control Of three men .--- In the house Barkley,
of Elk. introduced a resolution to exempt corn
from taxation for one year from March
1; by DinguS, for the treatment Of drunkards at
a Kelley institute at the expense of the coun-
ty where the drunkard lives: by JaquinS, re-
quiring foreign life insurance companies to in
vest 50 per cent of their funds or denominations
receievd annually from Kansas policy holders
in bonds and mortgages on unincumbered KAN
SaS real estate worth 30 per cent. more than the
sum loaned thereon. These bills were reported
favorably: Making the terms of state officers
four years and barring second term, and max
ing all county officers elected every two years,
thus doing away with annual elections: to re-
store tuition fee atthe state university
THE LIST COMPLETED.