Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-01-23
MEDICINE LODGE KANSAS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2s 1901
KANSAS LEGISLATURE.
Bills Presented Providing for q State OIL
Refinery and State Salt Plant-Other
Important Measures.

tiOhS were pTcStHttu III the senate
by Fitzpatrick, of Chautauqua. One
asked the legislature to authorize the
state to condemn site and estab-
lish a state oil refinery in southern
Kansas and the other urged the es-
tablishment of state salt plant at
the Hutchinson reformatory. In the
petitions it was set forth that the
production and sale of both oil and
salt were controlled by trusts, and
that the only way to successfully
fight the trusts and keep the prices of
these commodities down is for the
state to go into the oil and salt busi-
ness.
Senator Codding introduced a bill
amending the present tax law so
that the state board of telegraph
and telephone assessors will have
power to tax the, franchises as well
as the tangible property of those
companies.
John Martin, who was defeated for
Judge of the Shawnee county district
court by u. I. Hazen, filed a contest
in the senate, charging fraud and cor
ruption.
CubbisOn introduced several bills
in the senate. He wants mayors in
cities of the first class to have the
power to appoint a city engineer,
marshal, clerk, attorney, treasurer,
assessor, street commissioner, fire
marshal, license Inspector, market
master and weighmaster. He wants
the power of judges restricted in
h. 80,
trial by jury in such cases. He wants
a board of barber commissioners ap-
pointed by the governor to oversee
the practice of the barber profession.
The resolution condemning hazing
at West Point, introduced by Senator
Simons, was passed unanimously by
the senate. Senator Simons made a
speech about it saying it was mat
ter of patriotism to vote for the re-
solution.
Remington, of Miami, introduced a
bill in the house repeating the present
mortgage law. passed in 1898. The
present law gives mortgagor 1s
months in which to redeem property
sold at mortgage sale. The bill to
wipe 1T out provides for the law which
Kansas had from 1868 to 1898.
Mason, of Finney, offered bill in
the house to make it unlawful for the
state printer to sell, barter or give
away any copy or copies of any state
report or other state publication.
The object of the bill is to protect
the state monopoly of it's publications,
especially of the supreme court re-
ports.
Speaker Barker announced the MEM
bership of the committees on assess
ment and taxation" and ''state af-
fairs" Grosser, of Dickinson, is
chairman of the former and Reming-
ton. of Miami, of the latter.
Among other bills of Importance in
troduced in the house were: TO allow
courts to select jurors from bystand-
ers; to reduce the legal rate of in
terest from ten to eight per cent; to
compel butchers to keep record of
the brands of cattle they kill; to re-
quire courts to appoint attorneys to
make defense in all divorce cases.
This is intended to prevent the in
discriminate granting of divorces.
Probably rs per cent. of the divorces
now are taken by default If this
'aw is enacted all suits will be defend
ed; to exempt cattlemen from paying
taxes on cattle which they bring into
the state between March and Septem-
Der if they can produce a sworn state
ment showing that they paid tax on
the cattle in some other state that
same year.
The ways and means committee of
the house recommended the passage
of Caves prairie dog bill. 1t pro-
vides for an appropriation of $1,000
for experiments. to be conducted by
the agricultural college. After a
remedy that will exterminate prairie
dogs is discovered. then each town.
ship is authorized to levy tax to
work the remedy.
The committee on elections favor
ably reported the Pestana bill to pro-
hibit fusion. The bill providing for a
rebate of taxes on all lands planted
to shade and fruit trees was killed.
The bill permitting county commits
sioners to invest sinking funds !, in
interest-bearing securities was rec
commended for passage.
students Combine Against q Professor.
Lincoln. Neb., Jan 19.-At the law
school of the University of Nebraska
the students have combined against
one OF the teachers, Prof. Lobingier
He is new addition to the law school
faculty and. being populist, his
political views are directly opposed
to those of large majority of his
students.
Kansas Republicans Decide on Bills.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. 19.-The republi.
can Legislative caucus voted to give
the right of way to railroad. legisla-
tive apportionment, taxation and
election bills. 1t was ordered that all