The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-14
Mistakes Of the Legislature.

sas' first reform legislature has just finish
ed sixty days-6f doing nothing and it de-
yeloped here this morning that what they
did do wasn't done at ALL Out of the very
few laws they have made it occurs that
Two of the most important were never en-
acted. House bin No. ia. which provides
for the recording Of sll mortgage assign
ments, was passed one way by the house
and another by the senate and the only
claim 1t has for place in the statute books
is the attached signature of Gov. Leedy.
Section OF this bill reads:
No assignment of any mortgage here
after executed, affecting real estates, shall
be received for record, unless such assign
ment is duly acknowledged as herein pro-
vided, and no assignment of the mortgage
shall be received against the mortgagor,
his heirs, personal representatives or as
signs, in any court OF this state, unless the
same shall have been acknowledged and
recorded as herein provided; and no trans
fer OF any note bond or other evidence of
indebtedness, by endorsement of otherwise,
IN any case where such Indebtedness is Sc
cured by mortgage on real estate within
this state, shall be received in evidence
against the mortgagor. his heirs. personal
representatives or assigns, unless the mort
have been duly assigned TO the transferee
OF the evidence Of Indebtedness secured
thereby, and such assignment of mortgage
shall have been recorded under the pro-
visions Of this act"
The virtual effect of this section is to kill
mortgage in the hands of any purchaser
who neglects to have the assignment re-
corded within ninety days. The measure
Ylln rpI h3ri
amendments and when It was called UP for
passage Representative Williams of Nc
Pherson offered a substitute making it pos
siole to compel payment OF a mortgage
whether assignment Is recorded or not. The
substitute was adopted; the bill passed and
sent over TO the senate.
That very wise body passed the orgina,
BIN and sent II down to the governor who
signed it, I: was published IN the official
state paper and the question now arises
is Ii a law or Is it not. The bill the house
passed is radically different from the bill
the senate passed and II law Is law where
IS the law OF this biz, Some thirty or forty
Of the house members signed a protest to-
day saying the bill as signed by the gov
ernor and published in the state paper is
not the bin they voted FOR, tbs statemen:
Is spread upon the Journal but the journal
records in another place that house bill No.
ia received constitutional majority of
the house vote and fails TO state whether
or not 1t was amended. II the journal
shows that house bill No. i54 was passed
and contains the signed statement of forty
members that II d.d not pass and n house
bill No. 1I was passed by the senate sign
ed by the governor and published in the Of
fetal paper IS this law law?
The public utilities measure Is also found
10 be a harrow without teeth. This bill
was introduced by Senator Hanna and re-
quirss corporations operating gas, electric
Light or water plants to pay all over s
per cent of their net earnings to the cities
for the benefits enjoyed under the franchise
and also providing a method for municipal
requirements Of such plants. The bill at
tempts TO regulate corporations only, Usu-
ally bills of this kind read person, per-
sens or corporations" This bill leaves out
the words person or persons" In order
to evade the provisions of the law, all that
VII be necessary for a corporation to do
will be to transfer the title to its property
to an Individual The bill Is now in the
hands OF the governor, and will likely be
signed with the flaw In It. Even If the
governor discovers II, Il Is now too late for
the legislature to remedy the mistake,
IN the appropriation for the Hutchinson
reforfnatory two items Of $4,000 each were
made to read for the same purpose and the
error was not discovered till the bill had
gone through both houses and most OF the
members had gone home These mistakes
al came to light about the same time tbs
morning and had the effect of dashing the
whole Pop side into the redhot sputter
which will probably result IN botehing up
everything they have done today, After
tho session is over and all this cloud OF re-
form law brushes up against the courts
It IS doubtful whether there VIII be any ne
eessity for publishing the statutes of 81,
The whole history Of the Pop party In
Kansas, from the Abilene convention last
summer, to the ragged and unwilling close
Of this legislature could be written In seven
letters-Mistake. The rank and Ale Of the
party all over the state are saying now
that they made mistake In the men they
sent 10 the legislature; the legislature
thinks the party made a mistake In its
platform and got the wrong man for gov
ernor, Governor Leedy thinks. the supreme
court. the legislature and It's selection for
United States senator are the climax OF
cAumpery and that a reform party silly
enough to elevate such a collection Of brain
less flzzles into office doesn't deserve the
consideration OF brainy executive II Is
hard to determine which Is the nearest
right or has the the best cause to Kick.
the Pop party, the legislature. Governor
-usY sgl sy aTnoo suIsIdus sQl pue ApssI
lucky woman said 10 Methodist preacher
and the colored man she caught on the
hen rcost: Its dozen % one and half
- I'D sha-- 70
dues there would be some considerable leg
acton coming from the outside
The legislature has certainly demonstraf-
ed its own sssininity. and II now remains
far the other accused parties to shsolve
themselves from the charge.
AUSTIN E. NEAL