The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-22
MANY BILLS
ARE BEING
INTRODUCED
Lower House Has Been
Swamped With Measures
MUST SIFT THE BILLS
Committee be Appointed to
Gull important Measures
MUST SIFT THE BILLS

Guthrie, o. T., Feb. 21.-An aggregation
of bills, about everything that can be
legislated on, or is a possible subject for
Hesitation, continues to arrive IN the
lower house daily. The end is not yet IN
sight and the introduction of measures
promises to continue until the last week
OF the session The house calendar has
somethine ike go bills on il. Even when
1he members get down to business dispos-
ing of a bunch OF bills, another collection
of measures takes the place of them on
The calendar. There are bills enough in
the house now 10 keep that body work
ing until the middle of the summer, II
every bill is carefully considered So
strenuous is the situation becoming that
Speaker Bowles has practically decided 10
appoint a sitting committee The duty
Of this committee win be 30 take the bills
introduced go through them carefully,
and select the important measures to be
considered by the house. By such
method the many measures OF minor i'm
portance would be thrown out and the
balance Of the time of the session deVot-
cd TO important measures. OF course
every member whose bill had been stran-
gIed by the Sitting committee would
send up roar. The members would de-
Inand that they be heard and their wrongs
Tighted. However, the speaker wants
something more done than the introduc-
tion of bills and in his estimation a ''sift-
ing" committee is necessary TO pull the
lower branch of the legislature out of
what might be an unpleasant situation
when the end Of the session arrives.
The Joint resolution and memorial on
the statehood question met an untimely
death at the hands of Democratic mem
bers of the council. After having tramp
led on the memorial for a time, during
the absence of the Republican members
Thursday, the motion. to postpone indef-
niteIy carried. Not satisfied with killing
the memorial once, the Democrats resur-
rected il by a motion to reconsider at
the short session Friday morning and then
voted the motion 10 reconsider down.
mus the statehood memorial had two
deaths and the Democratic members Of
the council believe that the second death
is final. The Democratic majority in the
house is pleased with the turn in affairs,
yet there is evidence Of chagrin that the
Republican members of the lower body
succeeded in sending the memorial to the
council.
Deckers anti-cigarette law has been
recommended for passage by the commit
tee having it under consideration. The
bill is drastic and a decided improvement
over the Nisbett law now on the statute
books. The Nisbett law is something OF
q farce and the Decker bill is intended
TO correct defects in ii and make an anti
cigarette law that VIII be effective in
every respect.
Speaker Bowles of the house is conf
dent that the Mathews quarantine bill
will pass in the council as sent to it by
the lower house. MIR. Bowles is the author
of the original Mathews measure, it being
introduced by Mr. Mathews. Consequent
" the speaker is carefully watching the
course of the bill the upper body. You
can put me down on record as believing
that the council will pass the Mathews
bill as it is now" said the speaker. 4
know there have been reports that the
bill will not pass in the council. How
ever. 1 believe L know what l am talking
about when 1 say that the bill will go
through all right"
Regardless of the speakers ideas on the
matter men who are watching the bill in
the council state that n substitute for the
Mathews bin is likely 20 be adopted and
mat if this is not done radical changes
in the Mathews bill viii be made. 1t is
known that a number Of changes in the !
bill have considered. hut no definite de- /,
cision in any Of them resulted.