The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-04
THIRTEEN % TWELVE
Anti-PubIic Buildings Combine
Bill Recommitted.
GOVERNOR MAY APPROVE
Statehood Bill - More Con-
tumaCiouS Witnesses.

| Guthrie o. T., March 3.-(special)-
The ghost of the defunct public building
bill stalked through the house today when
the opposition combine sought 10 push
through the appropriation measures that
! had been solemnly pledged for the pur-
pose of defeating the location Of public
institutions. To break up the combina-
ton for public buildings liberal appro-
priations were promised to the educational
institutions, which pledges took definite
shape in the introduction, Wednesday,
Of two bills, one providing for the distri-
button of funds arising from the leasing
Of lanu reserved for university, agricul-
tural college and normal school purposes;
the other bill appropriating $4,000 TO be
expended on the present educational insti-
buttons, $4,000 to go to the agricultural
college at Saltwater; $4,000 to the UNI
versfty at Norman; $4,000 to the terr1tor-
tal normal school at Edmond; 5000 to the
Alva normal school, and $4,000 to the col
ored university at LangSton. Both bills
came up for consideration in committee
of the whole today, precipitating flood
Of oratory that has not been eGualled
during the session. The first to come UP
was the bill to distribute the money de
rived from the rentals Of section Is.
Speaker Reid and Mr.. Merten made
hard fight to have the bill recommitted
to the committee on appropriations in
stead Of to the committee on ways and
means, to which it was originally refer
I'd hui 1,A WAS nv
10 TO H. Various attempts were made to
amend the bill so as to make its passage
impossible but these efforts were invari-
ably voted down, and just before noon
the committee arose and made a favorable
report on the bill and it was ordered en-
crossed.
The second fight came up over the bill
appropriating $4,000 for building purposes
in connection with the educational insti-
tutions. For the bill the principal cham
pions were Jones, oyle and Walls, and in
opposition were Reid Hadley, Merten and
Duffy. During the heat of debate several
of the speakers made some reckless as
sertions, and charges that improper mo-
tives actuated the votes of members were
hurled back and forth with a nonchalance
that would indicate that the members are
becoming calloused. Mr.. Jones incident
ally dragged the public building scheme
into the debate and charged that two
members ef-the-l lobby, whom he called
by name, had 81 900 to give for two votes
for the public building bill, which drew
from Mr.. 1Lerten "a retort in which the
names Of two prominent Oklahoma City
lobbyists were mentioned. Mr.. Jones |
frankly admitted that he was pushing the |
bill under discussion for the purpose of |
heading off the public building bill,
which he understood was about to be in |
troduced, and he warned the committee !
that no other business would be permitted |
to proceed if the building bill was intro
duced. In closing the debate Mr. Merten |
moved that the DILL be recommftted to |
the committee on appropriations, and APP |
pealed to the business judgment of the |
to support the motion. The mo- |
ton was declared lost by a vote of U to |
Is, and Mr. Merten questioned the cor |
rectness of the clerks count. A roll call |
was demanded, and the motion to refer |
was carried by the following vote: Ayes /
Ballard. Coombs, Duffy, Hadley Harris |
horn, Holiday, Koch, NIcElrath, Merten, |
Thomas, Wilkins, Wood, Mr.. Speaker-13:
nays-Clark, Doyle, Hay, Jones, Malley, |
Ohmstead, Sherer, Smith, Stevens, Van |
Kirk, Walls, Wllliamson-12