Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-22
KANSAS SENATE DID NOT BEGIN
BUSINESS YESTERDAY.
ONLY 10 SENATORS ON HAND
ADJOURNMENT TAKEN UNTIL d
O'CLOCK THIS MORNING.
Three More n Reached Topeka
Last Night and n Quorum Is
Hoped For To-duy-Repub-
ltcnns Did Not Attend
and Will Not.

TOPEKA. March 2I.-,Special) The sem
ate did not meet in extra session to-day
to take up the Fal~ioon-Stuar judicial con-
test. At 4 o'clock. the hour set Tor con-
Venln2. only nineteen senators Were pres
ent-two short OF a quorum. After waiting
for an hour without any more showing up.
an adjournment was taken until . O'Clock
in the morning. The failure OF the Pops
10 secure a quorum the first day somewhat
disconnected them. Tonight they all APP
pear somewhat downhearted. Before leav-
Ing fer home at tine close OF the regular
session all Of the Pops made an ironcIad
agreement that they would come back here
to-day to try the judicial contest. The
failure OF a number OF them to stand by
the agreement cast a gloom over those
| here.
Three more senators, Jumper. Lupfer and
Caldwell. arrived tosnight. This makes
twenty-five now here. or one more than a
quorum. The Populist leaders are afraid
that some now present vii! skip tonight
by the dark of the moon, and that they
will still lack a quorum in the morning.
The radical Populists held a caucus to-
night and discussed the situation. The
liberal Populists and Democrats We're
barred.
The Republican senators here declare to-
night that under no circumstances will they
attend the session unless the supreme
court renders a decision that will force
them to do so.
Several Republican senators are in the
city. but they are not participating in the
session. They are staying away on the
theory that the senate has no right to
cit in vacation without the consent of the
house, which was never secured. With Il
view of making the records appear that
the Republicans admitted the legality of
the session. the Pop senator's to-day de-
liberately instructed the secretary of the
senate to mark as present Senator Ward.
Republican, Of Republic county. Senator
Ward was somewhere in the state house.
but when the roll was called he was not
present and, of course, did not rswer, but
the records show that he was present.
Those senators who answered to roll call
were: Armstrong. Braddock. Cooke. Cros-
sen, Farrelly, Field. Forney. Hart. House.
holder, King, Lewelling. Pritchard. Reser,
Ryan. Shafer. Sheldon. Stone, Titus and
Youns-l9. Counting Senator Ward. who
was not there. the secretary announced
that twenty were present.
The Pops are In Il great quandary. They
don't know what they can do. even if they
get a quorum. All Of the important wit
nesses have demanded fees in advance
There is no money available in the treas
ury, and the Pop senators will not put it
up out Of their own pockets.
An effort is being made tonight to have
the Populist state committee raise enough
money to pay the fees and mileage Of the
witnesses. Secretary Upton, of the COM
mittee, is against this proposition. He Is
laboring under the impression that in this
contest the Pops are up against a tough
proposition and does not feel like throwing
away a lot OF money on it. He says the
Pops will have use for all the money they
can rake and scrape up next year in the
campaign.
ly assisted in the management of the Re-
publican campaign last fall, came In to-day
to testify in obedience to Il subpoena serv-
ed on him by the sergeant at arms. The
Pops claim that he did a lot Of fixing"
up In the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES judi
cial district during the campaign and they
want him to tell all about 1t. He stands
ready to tell just what he did up there.
Since the Pops learned that ne would be
a willing witness. they don't know whether
to use him or not.
In case an attachment is issued for the
arrest of a Republican senator for being
absent without leave, the case will get into
the supreme court Immediately. The sem
ator. whoever he may be. will simply APP
ply for his release on Il writ Of habeas
corpus. Then the question. as to the right
of the senate to sit at this time would be
tested. If the question does not come up in
this way. 1t will no doubt come later
through the refusal Of Witnesses to appear
on attachments.