The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-06
City Attorney Birds PROPOSE
ton Causes CONSERVATION.
CITY MAY IMPRISON.
The Innocent Provision Which
Caused the Trouble.
Cities of Second Glass Admitted
Into Fellowship.

it. More than that, they propose to fight
any measure that Will work a hardship
on that great source of revenue, the
joints.
This was made very evident at the
meeting of the Municipal league
Wednesday afternoon when City Attor-
ney Bird read one of the bills he had
prepared. The bill was instigated by
the Topeka city officers and did not
meet with the approval Of the attorneys
who met at Wichita, but Mr.. Bird was
determined to introduce it at the
league meeting. 1t was as follows:
Cities of the first class are hereby
authorized to punish by fine, by i'm
prisonment, or both, all persons found
guilty by the police judge of violations
of any ordinance of such city; said pun
1shment shall be such fine or imprison-
rnent, or both. as may be prescribed by
ordinance"
The bill had no sooner been read than
Mr.. Bird said. Il have framed this
bill because since the ruling of the
appellate court the police court can not
impose a jail sentence except for the
non-payment of poll tax. If man
steals $3.50 all the police judge can do
is fine him, and if he does not choose to
pay ne can stay in jail and board off
the city"
rs that the only object you have in
preparing and presenting that BILL
asked c. H Luling. of Wichita
Yes, that is ALL II works hard
ship on the city" replied Mr.. Bird.
That bill. if passed, would interfere
with the prohibition law in Wichita
said Mr.. Van Dyne. of that city, land
ne do not want anything to conflict with
that"
THE bill provides that the city must
pass an ordinance to make it effective
said Mr.. Bird, and if your present city
authorities do not want it they do not
n Ia
That's all right" answered Mr.. Luz
ling, but we don't want to disturb the
present conditions in Wichita, and We
may not always have the same mayor
and council In that case this law. if
adopted, would fix it so the succeeding
mayor and council could pass the ordi-
nance. and that is just what we do not
want done"
We'll. this is not a pet measure of
mine" said Mr.. Bird, land if you don
want it, vote it down" And they voted
1t down. only three men voting for it.
That was the only bill which the city
attorneys read which did not receive the
sanction of the league, the rest Of the
bills were all passed without change,
except that they were made to read
cities of the first second and third
class" In one case-the bill providing
for the payment of the expense incurred
by ep1dem1cs by county commissioner
the bill was made for first and second
class emitting the third.
There was an object in making the
DIS dDDIlCaDlc 10 CUES OF the second
and third class as we'll as the first and
that was that by so doing the assist
ance of the officers of cities of all
classes would be secured in urging the
legislature to pass the bills. All of the
bills Will be beneficial to cities Of the
three classes, and it will be to their
interests to help secure their enact
ment-
SCOPE IS WIDENED
The presence of Mayor Mcclure. Of
lola, and Mayor Letson. of Holton,
both cities of the second class, had a
good deal to do with the introduction of
the cities of the lower classes in the
bill They both took great interest in
the meeting. and it was upon Mayor
McClure's request that the name of the
Municipal league was changed to
League of the Cities of the First and
Second Class, which means that in the
future the city officers of cities of the
second class will be members of the
league and will take part in its work
The move Is a good one, and met with
unanimous vote, for the interests of
cities of the first and second class are
identical.
There were no representatives present
from Fort Scott or LeavenwOrth, but
the other cities were we'll represented
The bills which were given to City At
gorney Hudson, of Fort Scott, were not
presented, but they were referred to a
committee of the city attorneys present
who viii draw up the bills and present
them to the legislative committee with
the bills that were passed.
HEEClOE<NI-
Mayor Finlay Ross of Wichita was
chosen president of the league, and the
next meeting place will be Wichita, the
time one year from today.
After the bills had passed the league
City Attorney Helm of Wichita said:
Unless we have a committee appointed
to push these bills in the legislature our
work here will be of no use 1t will re-
quire hard work to get the measures
through and we must have good men to
be on hand and see that it is done" He
.off
league decided that it would require
more men. so a motion appointing the
mayors and city attorneys of the cities
of the first and second class a legisla
tive committee was passed
It developed in the discussion of the
bills passed that all the cities needed
about the same legislation. and while
some of them needed certain bills more
than others the bills, in the main, will
be beneficial to all the cities.
Just before the league adjourned
Mayer Mcclure. of lola. suggested that
the legislative committee draw up a bill
which viii provide for the fixing of the
salaries OF The mayors and councilmen
BY ordinances The suggestion was after
a great deal OF discussion put in the
form Of a motion and carried
The league began to do business at
O'Clock and had completed their work
before six. It was expected that the ses-
sion would last two days and the local
members were somewhat disappointed
as they had no opportunity to show the
visitors a good time
The following bills were passed and
will be pushed in the legislature this
fall by the legislative committee:
An act authorizing the mayor and
council of cities of the first and second
class to suppress and to prevent the
spread of smallpox and other contagious
diseases. and to provide for the payment
Of expenses thereof
Be it enacted by the legislature Of the
state Of Kansas
Section 1, That whenever smallpox or
other contagious diseases exist in any
city OF the first class the mayor and