Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-01-28
KANSAS LEGISLATURE.


Condensed Proceedings of the States Law
makers In Biennial Session at Topeka.
BOTH houses OK the legislature met in joint
session the 18th to ballot for state printer for
the two years term beginning July l. 1897
Lieut--Gov. Harvey presided The senate bal
lot resulted: John Parks. %; j. h. Hudson, TO-
Senator Fulton (rep.) being absent The house
vote resulted: Parks, a. Hudson. As; Repre-
sentatives Cubbison and Hecman (rep) and
Maxwell and Rutledge (pop) being absent
Senator Young introduced joint resolution for
an amendment to the constitution providing for
the initiative and referendum; also to reduce
rates on Pullman sleeping Sen
rtor Cooke, an anti-usury bill; Crossen,
a resolution providing for the proper
observance Of Kansas In the house
resolution declaring for the free coinage Of
silver was passed by party vote, "A to AZ.
Among the bills introduced were: For a max
1mum freight rate on hay and grain; to appro-
pirate money for the maintenance OF the agri-
cultural college and state normal school; to
provide for public warehouses and public scales
and weighmaSterS; to compel trimming of
hedges along highways; for district ownership
western Kansas; to reduce all fees of state
printer ten per cent; to prohibit counties vot-
ing aid to railroads or other corporations.
IN the senate on the Goth Jumper presented
a bill to prohibit the contracting of convicts or
the products of convict labor; Titus to compel
express companies to make monthly reports of
earnings and profits: Young, to make SheriffS'
deeds void unless publication fee is paid in full
Bills for normal schools at Fort Scott, Con-
the house Trueblood presented a congressional
apportionment measure; Shouse, to compel all
children between eight and Is years to at
tend school; Taylor, to change the jury
law that the votes of nine of the IL
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 grand jury
once year if 100 voters of a county petition
therefor. The house adopted a concurrent
resolution asking Gov. Leedy not to appoint
election commissioners, irrigation commits
slonerS, SILK commissioner, forestry commits
sioner and coal oil inspector until the legisla-
ture decided whether or not it would abolish
these offices.
IN the senate on the 21st the bill making it a
penitentiary ofense to sell mortgaged property
was reported favorably The bill providing
that no city with 900 or more inhabitants shall
be included in the corporate limits of any town
ship was reported favorably, as was the meas
ure to place all state institutions under civil
service. Senator Youngs bill reducing print
ers' fees for county printing and legal notices
so per cent. was passed. 90 to 8. Bills were in
troduced follows: BY Lewelling, to exempt
homesteads having improvements of 81 500
from taxation; to appropriate S. 1881 for de-
fciency 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
HShed 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-
W instead OF puDl1Sh1ng IL 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 state
institution for the of drunkards: to require
banks to pay taxes the capital stock as shown
by the report Of the directors, also all de-
posits loaned out; to compel eastern corpora
tons owning Kansas lands to pay taxes on the
same when due; making diploma of the state
n 70 a rrix-f r7rr
all cities Of the first, second and third-claSs the
right to receive q certain per cent. rental from
all franchises. The following measures were
reported unfavorably: To abolish the state
for a lien on crops for labor machinery
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-
hibit the giving 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
of passengers free; by Rutledge, to pre-
vent the diverting Of the channel of
the Arkansas river for irrigation purposes;
by F'inney of Woodson, to abolish the Office OF
state grain inspector, board of irrigation, the
labor bureau, coal oil inspector, forestry and
silk stations and board of public works; and
that all penal institutions be managed by one
board, that all eleemoSyuary 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: To
protect tenant against landlord and to prevent
the pooling of rates on insurance. These bills
were reported favorably: BY Cooke, to create
ponds for the storing of water; by Harris, to do
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
cept the board Of railroad commissioners and
railway assessors; reducing the rates Pull
man sleepers; to exempt from garnishment the
wages of workmen to provide for loaning the
permanent school fund to citizens of the state.
In the house Botl1in of Reno, introduced
bill providing severe punishment for those gull
ty of rape or seduction
Additional House Committees.
TOPEKA, Kan, Jan. 24.-SpeakeI
Street yesterday appointed the follow
ing additional committees:
Horticulture Taylor. Malin, Lawson, Pat
ten, Stevens, Bacon and Brooke.
oi,1 Srdo I4Ia Dat