Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-02
KANSAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION OF
NEGATIVE VIRTUE.
THIRTY-TWo HOUSE OPINIONS
PRAISE DESERVED FOR WHAT HAS
NOT BEEN DONE.
NJ DcmnEORical or Visionary Laws
Enacted. No JObbcry DisciOscd
and No Bitterness Enxen-
drred-SOmc of the
Good Things Done.

TOPEKA. March l.-tSpecial.) Thirty
two members of the house to-day gave The
Journal their opinions of the present ses-
sion of the legislature. They follow:
W. G.. Millar. Barber-This legislature is
full Of good. able men. They have done
as much work as the average legislature.
There is nothing the matter with the SEES
sion. up to date.
James Lawrence. Sumner-It is the
strongest body Of men | have ever seen
in the legislature. They are the most in
dependent: men who will not submit to
Il leader.
+. d. McKeever. Shawree-While this
has tot been a great reform legislature. it
has been a useful one. and has not loaded
the statute books with a lot of useless.
GemagOSical and visionary laws. as re-
form legislatures do. No radical legisla
ton of Il general nature was demanded.
and the session has distinguished itself
by enac,ing none. The judiciary commit
tee. of which i am chairman, has cons:d-
cred 600 bills. Few of them were of gen.
eral Importance. but all of those recon-
mended were useful and many of them
highly necessary.
John Adams. Sedgwick-The present ses-
sion has been very harmonious in the
house. and this body Is composed of able
NfN JAN "'i - 500
not interfered with the dispatch of bus
mess and the work will rebound to the
grandeur of the state.
H.. A. Nichols. Woodson-I think the
most sensible thing this Legislature could
do would be TO adjourn. / think the long
or We stay here the more foolishness We
will have to account for to our constit-
uents.
]. S. Edwards. Wyandotte-The legisla-
ture has been fairly successful; especially
in defeating vicious legislation like the
anti-oleo bill.
D. D.. Hoag. Wyandotte-Much good
work has been done by the legislature.
particularly in the matter of local lesisla-
ton. Among the bills that came before
the local judiciary committee there We're
a number of considerable Importance to
individual counties and in this way the
people will be benefited. We have not
passed as many bills Of a general char
acter as We had hoped to do. but perhaps
it is better that We pass 100 few rather
than too many.
w. f. Ward. WalIace-The work Of the
legislature of 1899 will rebound TO the good
of the state for the things that it did not
do. rather than for the good actually done.
This has been II session of local measures,
of little things. The two redeeming fea-
lures are The establishment of "A binding
Irvine factory at the penitentiary and the
restriction of the sale OF prison coal.
amendment TO the constitution provinins
every two years. Then the two branches
are likely to be of the SANE political com
plexion. We may yet get some general leg.
islation this session. There has been but
little accomplished.
d.. Q: Tenny. Ness-We have passed some
lays j. e. ihaf Rs Ss'i 1 a,e IsRenc'a' ."f has as"' been
the usual fault of trying TO do too much
within d short time. ON the whole. there
will bear criticism by friends and foes;
n. =. Willis. Wilaon-This session has
accomplished all hat was demanded by
takes. In the matter of appropriations, we
have tried 10 be fair yet economical.
=. G. Gregory. Osage-The legislature has
been a success. No charge of dishonesty
Able men have made an honest tight for
honest legislation. This session has
SmOothed down more rough places than
amy session in the past ten years.
A. J. Godshalk. Norton-The legislature
h has d naaeed fu ISus as v %s!l s as siI|s fed mt 1t
people Of Kansas and i don't believe we
will need any special session.
i. X. TuIloss. C~hautauaua-If there has
necessity of making the appropriations for
the state institutions the good has all gone
10 the west or to the large cities;
w. S. Finley. Franklin-The Republican
members. aware of an antagonistic senate.
should have passed the necessary appro-
priations and adjourned. More harm than
good has resulted.
Glen Fairchild. Kingman-There Is more
ability in this legislature than in any other
that has assembled in Kansas for ten
years. but the special session left nothing
10 do.
Speaker Pro TEN Benefiel. Montgomery
This house is above the average as a
as any could do in fifty days. The people
are coming, 10 recognize that the work
cannot be done in fifty days.
J.; 5. Starr, SSottIThis Legislature has en-.
will make a record second to none in the
interests of the people.
able men in the house is higher than us
ual. The work accomplished IS not below
that OF any session in the last fifteen
H.. w. Conrad. Montgomery-The talk of
this being a do nothing legislature is all
nosh: There has been a great deal more
of as much work as such a body of men
conld do in nifty days.
+. Grosser, pickinson-The present leg
%islature has been hampered by too many
demands for local legislation. Some gen
eral bills. however. that have been passed
will prove beneficial 10 the state.
islature in its personality and work com
pares favorabiy with the average orsani-
cation OF the sort. Some defects in our
present laws. notably in the matter of
assessment and Taxation. have probably
not been remedied. To devise p law 10 cor
rect these defects Is a work worthy of an
expert commission. The read difficulty lies
in The shortcomings OF human nature. and
IL is doubtful If any legislature can ever
correct X.
q. W. Wheatley. rherokse-ThiS lesiS-
lature should he commended for what il
has moi done, morr t;lin for what il has
done. There have been no sensations. no
scandals. no houdl!rG charges. Kansas is
not suffering for want of laws. II has too
many now.
n. Swinehart. Ford-Thi< is a body OF
noble. large hearted and conscientious men.
4 large per cent of them mean 10 do
something 10 benefit the state. If we had
remained in session about ten days. made
the appropriations and adjourned. the state
would be better of.
Ed JIqUin. cowley-lt is a mean bird
that fouls its own nest. ! am a memb",
Anderson. Sedgw!ck This legislature
has accomplished Very satisfactory re-
W. 7. Coulson. Harper-We would have
done better 10 have passed appropriation
bills and have gone homr.
Iorsley. Wa shinston-l think We nave
houses had been Republican. Some things
could be better. bur this session has not
been bad.
Is a success. also. in that II has been the
cleaneSt legislature il the state. There has
been scarcely a cain. Of corruption. TIE
house has passed several good bills OF Il
general character. hut II made 4 mistake
in defeating TIE bank bill OF the house
committee. The great trouble with this.
a. with all other legislatures: is The prs-
pon6erance Of local and special bills and
'hs!r precedence over general bills"
J. 4. DeBarG EI R~eno-"Th!> legislature
conservative Vet il is my opinion that too
llacN local bills have been paSS-t and NOT