The Topeka state journal., 1903-03-12
BAILEY TO SENATE
Makes Manly Reply to Charge of
Interference.
Has Done What He Considers
Best for the State.

In the closing hours of the senate last
night Governor Bailey made a short
speech which most of the members will
carry away with them and viii remem-
representatives of their senatorial dis
tricts or if they slip back into the ranks
of private citizenship again.
There has been a lot of talk about
the interference of the administration in
the affairs of this legislature" said Mr..
Bailey. But really, boys, 1 haven't in
terfered one-twenty- fifth as much as
have been accused of doing. and what
ever interference may have made has
been for what 1 considered the best in
terests of Kansas. All I want to do is
to be the very best governor 1 can be.
There have been differences but they
have been friendly differences. We must
remember that it is not SO much which
faction gets or stays on top but what
action or measure is to be for the good
of the state. The cause and Importance
of our petty differences viii soon be for
gotten by the people of the state and It
is our duty to think of the things which
viii be for the real benefit TO the peo-
pie whom we represent or serve.
Mr.. Bailey had casually wandered into
the senate chamber to watch the prog
ress of things during the idle hours
while the important committee work
was being done and when called forward
assured his audience that he was not
prepared to talk. He was heartily ap-
plauded at the close and in the midst OF
the hand clapping slipped out of the
senate chamber by the back way.
The business of closing up the work
of a legislative session invariably calls
IL
members in the tedious work of killing
time. It is the duty of the Sergeant-at-
arms to turn back the clock and the
duty of the legislators to have fun. APP
parently the horse play is meaningless
but all the time there are several im-
pOrtant committees out in committee
rooms toiling amid tobacco smoke over
some refractory provision in an i'm
portant bill slowly hammering it into a
shape which viii be approved by the two
houses. It is on these committeeman
that the arduous work falls. The ad-
journment finds them worn out and
nervous, ready to drop. and thankful
that their work is done. Usually the
committee work of the closing hours
IS done by the big men of the two
houses.
While the rest of the senate sang
songs, made speeches and ate apples
Wednesday night with the clock pushed
back to nine thirty when the watches
of the members showed eleven, Senat tors
Smith. CLANCY Fitzpatrick, Noftzger
and White were in conferences with
members from the house of representa-
tives When their work was done the
legislature passed three or four of the
most important measures of the session.
A person who watches out the last Ses-
sion of a legislative body wonders why
ali this work could not have been done
before; but it never has been so and
probably never will be. There is some
thing about the good fellowship of q
closing session that the members would
not miss and they are satisfied with IL.
When the senate gathered for the ev-
enlng session someone Introduced a resO+
luton thanking some Of the employees
for their efficient services This started
the fun. In the course of the next half
hour everything about the state house
except the masonry had been formally
presented to the officers and servants OF
the senate or to the newspaper men.
Having cleaned UP this branch of the
evenings work a message from the gov
ernor was listened to and some appoint
ments confirmed Then the members
called for speeches. Governor Bailey
Henry Allen, Senators Tapp, Mcmillan
White and Allen We're led out A quare
tet Of Topeka cOlOred boys sang three
songs and did it very we'll. Senator
MOrehouse read a poem entitled THE
Last Roll" It was written ten years ago
/ by Senator Moody Of Linn and has been
read at the close of every session since
then.
One of the funny things of the evening
was Representative O'DonnelIs poem.
O'Donneu read it in the house and made
hit with it there so some one brought
him over to the senate and he delivered
it again from the presidents stand. He
said he read it in a Police Gazette in a
barber shop but that wasn't so. This is
the poem
Far across the rolling prairie where the
red-skinned Indian roams,
Tommy Noftzger and r Dumont
Founded for themselves new homes
Soon the country grew and dourished,
| Then the people wished to send
OFT to congress some good true man
Upon whom they could depend.
So they started Smith and Noftzger
On a race to see who'd win
But the wind blew thro' their Whiskers
Now our Tommys hair is thin.
Neck and neck they raced together
FeveriSh-eXp pectation rose.
But al the finish Smith was beaten
BY the length of Noftzger's nose
During the uproar he escaped.
Tt was half past two when the last
conference committee report was con
firmed and the last roll called. The
r-ts1