The Topeka state journal., 1899-02-01
SOAKED IN OIL.
We're the Records of Sheridan
County, Kansas,
Before They MystierOusly
Burned and Now
A BILL TO FIX PRICES
Of Abstracts From Mr.. Quisen-
berry's Books
Is FaVOrably Recommended by
the House.
A BILL TO FIX PRICES

The present house of representatives,
although Overwhelmingly Republican, is
also overwhelmingly a maximum rate
mousse This statement may seem pecu-
lar' but it was fully demonstrated last
evening just before adjournment
Ihe question came up over local bill
introduced by Mr.. Shoemaker, of Sher-
loan, to limit the price to be charged by
apstracters for abstracting titles to real
eState IN sheridan county. 1t seems that
SHe records OF the register of deeds of
sheridan county were DESTROYED by fire
on June 21, 1885, and there is now but
one set OF abstract books in existence
hnr,-,t hnu they are owned by w. S. Quisen-
perry, an abstracter of Hoxie. AS people
must nave abstracts when they pur-
chase real estate, he practically has the
Iand owners Of Sheridan county at his
mercy and can charge them any fee he
pleaSeS for abstracts
Mr- Shoemaker's bill fixed a maxi
mum rate of 81 for each certificate. 81
Tor the first transfer and 25 cents for
each subsequent transfer 1t further
PROVIDED that any person, firm or cor
poratlon owning abstract books must
make abstracts for that amount or nav
tile OF S1OO Tor each refusal to do so.
AS soon as the bill was read Seaver
OF Ellsworth jumped up and said if the
IeglsIature intended to pass a bill of
that Kind 1T might as well pass one
pIac1ng limit on attorneys fees
I'VE may have a rieht to reerIa te
railroad companies in this 7ay,'he said,
but 1 do not think we ou sht to try to
Individual"
Grattan of Mcpherson seconded Mr..
SeaVer's speech. "Such bill as this is
vicious" he said. You are trying to
say that man shall work for a certain
price or be punished for not doing So"
Mr.. WheatIey, who is recognized as
one OF the radical Republicans of the
mouse said: Il believe this business
ought to be regulated. A citizen of
sheridan county appeared before the
judiciary local committee when this bill
was under consideration and told us
that within three days after this man. S
ABSTRACT books were completed the rec
ordS of the register of deeds were burn
ed. There was no evidence to incrimi-
nate any one but the circumstances
looked suspicious. And this abstracter
has been known to charge as much sas
$25 for making a single certificate He
is given access to the county records in
order to make up his abstract books
and he is given special privileges as an
abstracter, and he ought not to be al
lowed to hold up that entire county"
Mr.. -Ravenscraft added a little light
to the subject of the destroying of the
county records by saying that it had
been ascertained that they were soaked
in oil before they were burned
MIR. Grattan then took another shot
at the bill by saying: Gentlemen, when
I first entered this hall 1 stood up with
the rest of you and swore to support the
constitution. 1 intend to do that and
not override it by trying to take away
the constitutional rights Of any individ-
ual. You can not take away any mans
property without first condemning it
and giving him full reparation. This
bill destroys the value of that mans
private property, and that is clearly un-
constitutional"
Z This brought Glen Fairchild to his
feet. This abstracter seems to have
the people of that county bv the throat
ic c6o
them relief? The people of the state
passed a prohibitory amendment and
destroyed the value of a large amount
of brewing property in the state and
that was all right, and do not see but
that we have the same right to protect
the people of Sheridan county from this
mans charges"
Mr.. Wheeler a Populist lawyer from
Crawford county, made a long speech
in opposition to the measure from a
lawyers point of view. In his speech
he said: Because this mans property
is made valuable by the misfortune Of
others is no reason why we should take
away it's value. If we fix price at
which he is compelled to do work we
can also say that a day 1aborer must
work for a dollar a day."
Harris OF Lyon said: ''If this man had
all the bread in Sheridan county and
was charging 400 per cent more for 1t
than he ought to charge, how long
would 1t take US to stop him? Those
people would not wait for us to act but
would take him out and hang him to
the nearest tree, and 1 am not sure
but they ought to do that now, If the
reports we hear of him are true"
Stanley of Lincoln, who was urging
the passage of the bill in the absence of
Mr.. Shoemaker, said: '"The people of
Sheridan county were so solicitous for
this measure that after their county
attorney had drawn it up they submit
ted it to Judge Garvey and Judge Bar
ton who passed upon its constitutional
ity and who said it was all right"
Mr.. Seaver then read a letter he had
received from Mr.. Quisenberry, the alb
stracter, stating that there was trouble
between himself and the county over
the value of his books. He wanted to
sell them to the county for $4,000, and
the county commissioners would not
pay that and were trying to get this
bill through the legislature in order
to make his books practically va1ueless
to him.
When the question of recommending
the bill for passage was brought up it
was carried by an overwhelming vote.
FOURTEEN NEW BILLS.