The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-21
HAMMERS RAISED
Organized Move to Defeat the
Tax Bill.
They Are Waiting Their
Chance in Senate.
T. D. SMITH WATTS.
Still Hopes to Shove 1t Through
Blockade.
Balie Waggener Tells Why a
Law Should Be Adopted.


state tax commission at an expense TO
the state of $4,000. will never become a
law by any action of the present legis-
lature seems no longer in dount. An
organized assassinating party is out af-
ter it in the senate The judgment of
political policy may stay its hands to let
some other circumstance cause the
death Of the bill or the whole measure
may die on the calendar while the fac
tions watch each other With his hand
on the lever Fred Dumont Smith is
watching his best opportunity 10 turn
on the steam and shove the bill through
the blockade In the meanwhile his
principal business is to keep the meas
ure from being pushed to vote at an
inopportune time. If it should be there
will be something doing in the SEN
ate.
Smith has not studied the tax laws OF
the country for two years, spent hours
and days in planning and putting the
new bill in form, nor expended his gen
ius and oratory in committee meetings
to make or amend its provisions only to
let the bill die on the floor of the senate
without a struggle. He is carrying his
fighting clothes over his arm and can
get them on at a moments notice, but
he refuses to discuss the matter. The
IleInOQS ne VIII use on the flOOT OF the
senate viii not be the same that he OBJ
served when he poured out his studied
i arguments against the alleged SOphistry
of Bale Waggener. If the fight is OPP
ened upon the bill it will be largely
forced through political motives Smiths
political motives are his own and do not
correspond with many of the others
which propel the machinery Of the SEN
ate His conduct has been such as to
give as little OnenSe as possible through
out the session. Now be hos come to
the point where he needs all his power.
He has used his Establishments. When
it comes to the fight he wiz use his
whip. At least that appears to be
Smiths situation with reference to his
pet measure He believes IL it and is
ready to stake much on it.
The house Of representatives is dom
mated by the Leland element while the
senate lis in the control Of the Curtis Bur
ton contingent. To throw Odium on
the other faction either might place the
bill in a situation where the opposition
would have to kill it There seems to
be some doubt about whether Mr.. Lee
lands faction wants the bill although
1 Governor Bailey wants tax law
+ passed. If the Curtis Burton majority
in the senate thought the Leland peO-
pie would kill the bill it would shove
the measure through the senate in a
hurry and then use the death of the
bill as political capital against the Le-
land men.
This is only one of the alleged causes
/ of the uncertainty of present action.
There are many other influences in the
senate which may bring down the bill
/ there during the early sessions of the
/ have bills they want to get through.
1 The tax bill threatens to crowd out
/ two-t thirds of the remainder of the cal
I endar There are also outside in
/ fuences which have representation,
that are opposed to the provisions of
the new bill There are a number of
senators who think the passage of the
bill viii act seriously against future
successes of the Republican party
while there are more who base their
opposition upon a conscientious belief
that the bill If made a law. would wti K
a hardship upon the honest taxpayers
senator Kennedy of Coffey is one of
these. In discussing the situation he
said this morning:
IF that tax bill passes it will keep
half the people of Kansas in jail and
the other half in the peniteniary all
the time It's penalties are tyrannical.
They are hitched on to every section
If the bill passes it will be a menace to
the safety of every tax payer. am
in favor of taking some of the sections
of the new law that provide for pun
ishing tax lodging and with them
amending the existing laws am de-
cidedIy against any radical revision of
the system of taxation
The proposition of amending tie
rresent laws as a middle course be
tween passing the new tax bill and do
ing nothing at all. finds favor with
many Of the opposition. AS a matter OF
fact the opposition to the tax bill IL
the senate is not entirely backed by ser
afOrs of cfara ct cteristically C,urtiS-BurtOn
tendencies This faction dominates the
anti-tax bill feeling as it does the whole
senate. The fusion minority VIII con-
tribute part if not all its membership
/ to the assassinating party. Two Of the
xrrI7rl a
nent part in the plans to down the tax
measure are Allen and Kennedy, the
former from lScniphan county, Leland s
own and the latter who was with tho
I,eIand-S Stanley people during the senl-
torial contest They. claim a backing Of
seventeen members solid. and say they
can get three more at call. Owing to
the absence of Senators Cubbison. Full
lngton and Henley. they can thus con-
troll the vote.
Bale Waggener knows about the
movement to kill the tax bill and depre-
Gates It. To State Journal reporter he
said this morning.
L have Just discovered this morning
that such a move is on foot 1 want
a tax law and I am sorry to see it. The
present law is rotten. It doesn't amount
to anything, and the amendment of it
by putting in the punishment clauses
would be better than nothing I think
the house of representatives viii insiss
upon the adoption Of an amendment to
the new bill either to exempt mortgages
or to have them listed for taxation be-
fore they can be collected.
Those are the two extremes There
is no middle ground. That's why the
present law is a failure. 7 have made
a pretty careful canvass Of the house
on the matter. I think I've talked to d
hundred members and they agree that
one or the other amendment ought to
be inserted in the law 7 have no means
of knowing how the senate would stana
on the matter. OF course, If the senate
kills the bill. it's dead, and there s
nothing more to do about it.