The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-04
House Finally Passas a Primary
Election Bill.
Morgan's Measure Adopted by a
Vote of so to %.
ALL On THE SAME DAY.
Primaries for State Conventions
Must Be simultaneous.
In Cities Voters Must Be Regis
tered for Primaries.


deem party pledge, the house on
Friday afternoon passed a brand new
primary election bill BY a vote of so to
w Y. Morgan deserves the credit for
getting the bill through. He drafted the
bill and stood by it through a hard bat
tie in the house. It is mere shadow
OF the original bill presented by the
committee on elections: the original bill
contained IS sections on fifty closely
printed pages; the Morgan bill contains
seven sections and five pages.
Morgan had a hard time in getting
the house to hear his bill at ALL in
spite Of the fact that it was set for a
special order at 2 p. m. The house was
IN the midst of the consideration of the
senate appropriations, and an effort
was made to put MOrgan's bill in the
same hole with Pringle's anti-pass bill,
but the house finally decided to take up
the Morgan bill together with the bill
introduced by J. W. Adams of Sedg-
wick Adams had the best of Morgan
by about a page and half in brevity,
and the house seemed to think that this
was a pretty strong argument for the
Adams bill.
After # was all over, Mr. Morgan
gave the following summary of the
changes made by his bill in the pres
ent law:
It is made compulsory for all prim-
aries TO be held under the provisions of
the law. It provides that the super
visor at each precinct must be appoint
ed by the central committee, and gives
20 the primary election board the same
right to administer oaths as is enjoyed
by regular election boards. To vote at
a primary, the voter must be legal
resident. must not have voted at any
other party'S primary during the cal
endar year, and must conform to all
other provisions laid down in the call.
In cities where registration is required,
voters must be registered to vote at the
primaries Penalties are provided for
Illegal voting, and for offering or ac-
F,a
same as in regular elections. For the
election of delegates to the state con-
vention each state central committee
must fix the day for the primary for
the whole state.
When the house finally took up the
consideration of the bills, W. P. Hack
ney said: There is not a man here
who does not want to redeem the party
pledges. / am in favor of passing this
Adams bill because it is short and does
no harm. 1t will redeem our pledge"
Hackney moved to strike out everything
in Morgan'S bill except the enactinS
clause and substitute the Adams bill.
Mr.. GlasscOck of WyandOtte said:
These two bills are both worthless.
They do not help the dense1y populated
counties or the cities. They put the
ringsters and the gTafters in power"
Mr.. ALBANIAN, Democrat, of AtchiSon,
said: I am in favor of this bill. I am
in favor of anything that will redeem
the party pledges and say nothing"
Mr.. Bird said: Are we going to pass
this substitute as an excuse for the full
dlment of a party pledge? 1t does not
mean anything. The Morgan bill has
few good points and is better than
nothing"
Hackney's amendment was decisive
1y defeated and then the Morgan bill
was taken UP section by section and
everybody took a shot at it as it went
past.
Shawnee moved to strike out the
Morgan bill and substitute therefor
the Beardsley bill which was turned
down Wednesday by the house, with
the provisO that 1t shall not apply to
counties of less than II. 900.
THE greatest compliment to the
Beardsley bill" said Mr.. Stone, sis the
fact that all the Democrats voted
against it; the worst thing about the
Morgan bill is that all the Democrats
are in favor of it"
Speaker Stubs thought the Morgan
blu should have q section added re-
curing that all the primaries be held
on the same day.
IT hope we can pass a bill that has
some substance to it," said Speaker
Stubs.
stones motion was decisively de-
feated.
Morgan, Stubs and several others
held a hasty conference at the speak
er's desk with the result that Mr.. Nor
gan presented the following amend
ment as a. new section for the bill:
In calling state conventions for the
fee or for the election of delegates.
the state central committee shall fix
the day for the primaries and conven-
lions in all the counties of the state
which days shall be the same through
out the state"
Clark of Rice jumped onto this
amendment with both feet He said
that 1t made the bill worthless.
Creech said the bill had been shot
to pieces so much. he didn't know
how to vote.
-
Morgan bill with the present law, and
could not see the advantage in the
new law
The house, however, was of the
opinion that a half baked loaf was
better than none. and passed the bill.
Tiff Between House and Senate.
Before anybody knew exactly what was
going on, Seaver of Ellsworth had
moved that three of the senate appro-
priation bills be sent to the house ways
and means committee for further con-
sheraton and the motion had carried
me three DlllS were the ones for the
Pittsburg training school, the TT. Hays
experiment station and the soldiers
home at FIT Dodge with the Mother
Bickerdyke home at Ellsworth.
The senate had given the Pittsburg
school what it wanted, but had cut
down the others. The bills were held
UP for the purpose of making the SEN
ate come to time on the FIT Hays,
Dodge and Ellsworth appropria tons
Bill Hackney discovered what had
happened a few minutes later and tried
to have the action reconsidered so far
as it affected the Pittsburg school But
the house refused to reconsider.
Railroad Bill Passed.
The report of the conference commit
tee on the railroad bill was read at the
Friday evening session and the report
was promptly adopted by a vote of 100
to 0.
J. L. Brady who was in the chair,
limited the speeches in explaining votes
to 20 words. and in that way the busi-
ness was very quickly disposed of.