The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-10
RUN OVER STUBS
House Gets Away From Its Gar
Today.
Refuses to Side Track Oil Re-
flnery Measure.
HE MAKES A SPEECH.
Speaker Says That Some One Is
Liar.
Begs the Members Not to Rush
Things.
Mr.. Beekman Makes His Change
Publicly.
Refuses to Side Track Oil Re-
flnery Measure.
HE MAKES A SPEECH.


By a decisive vote the house of rep
resentatives for the first time during
the present session rode over the earn
est entreatfes of Car Stubbs and crush
ed the alI-potent speaker under the
wheels of the state oil refinery band
wagon.
Stubs and his friends intended that
the oil refinery bill, which came up on
second reading this morning, should
go to the committee on judiciary, which
is known as the slaughter house"
Instead of carrying out the speakers
programme. which might have killed
the state refinery bill, the house assert
ed its independence and sent the bill
past the standing committee and into
the committee of the whole house. In
order to give plenty of time for consid-
Grafton. SO that the charge of railroad
ing could not be made, the house voted
to make the consideration of the state
oil refinery bill special order for next
Wednesday at 2 o'clock
Then is when the great fight will take
place
Speaker Stubbs said this morning af-
ter the house had refused to abide by
his wishes L do not consider the vote
this morning as significant; it does not
indicate how the members will vote
next Wednesday. The only thing I
want is that the members should give
thls thing plenty of time for considera-
tlons don't want any hasty action.
The constitutionality of the bill is ser
iously questioned My only object in
asking that the bill go to the judiciary
committee was to have this point in
Vestigated- I don't want to kill the
bill without a fair hearing
Leasing Proposition Dead.
Robert Stone, chairman of the COM
mittee appointed to investigate the
feasibility of a state lease on the Web
ster refinery at Humboldt, returned
with the committee from Humboldt this
morning. and will make his report to
the house on tine result of his fnvesti-
cations on Saturday morning. He said
today:
the committee found that the Hum
boldt refinery can not be leased. The
present owners refuse to consider such
a proposition. I do not know of any
other refineries in the state which would
be available. suppose that the plan
to lease refinery is dead-at least for
the present. Our committee will prob
ably not make any recommendations
We win simply report that there are no
refineries to be obtained under a lease -
When asked what position he would
now take on the refinery proposition
Mr.. Stone said:
THE people of the state seem to de-
Tnand a state refinery. We found the
sentiment EOI d IGUn6TN very strong IN
Allen county. I am inclined to believe
that the plan to build a state refinery
is not constitutional. but in connection
with railroad legislation, I don't know
but what it is the best plan. The peo-
pie down in the Humboldt region seem
to think that railroad legislation is of
even more Importance than a state re-
finery."
Petitions to the house members
asking for state refinery are pouring
in at a lively rate. E. T. Skinner to-
day received one with $50 names
from Lincoln Center. Kan That in
cludes pretty nearly the whole adult
population of that town.
BeeISman Is Converted.
c. s. Beekman, chairman of the
house committee on gas and OIL thEz
morning announced his conversion to
the state refinery idea Beekman has
been one of the strong opponents of
the refinery up to the present time,
and has aroused considerable opposi-
ton in his committee by his position
on gas and oil matters.
Jones of Norton was really the first
man to break the ice" and openly
defy the speaker this morning. He
made the first speech in favor of the
oil refinery, and later on in the debate.
interrupted Stubbs in the midst of his
speech, and tried to call him to order
for not speaking on the question be-
fore the house. Jones of Norton was
under the gum but he did not finch.
But there were plenty of others who
were not afraid to come out and open
" announce that they will oppose the
speaker The revolt is general. If
the state refinery proposition should
have come uD for a vote today, it
would have carried two to one Wheth-
er Speaker StubbS can get things into
better shape for himself before next
Wednesday remains to be seen
Elstun of Elk was the "original'
anti-Stubbs leader He made the mo-
ton to refer the senate state refinery
bill to the committee of the whole,
and Jones of Norton seconded it It
seems likely that there Will be no
dearth of leaders. There are half a
dozen who are anxious to assume the
responsibility. It pays to advertise.
Young Opens the Argument.
C. Young of Wilson was the first to
get the floor. He said in part:
This is an hour of madness-an
era of new departures. A man is not
fit to legislate undeH such conditions.
The members have been receiving Pc
titions by the basketful in response to
the thousands OF letters being sent out
bv the friends of the bill Put this oil
refinery bill in committee of the whole
and we get no railroad legislation this
session. Let this bill take its regular
order"
ssIf this be madness said Jones of
Norton cit is the madness of the peo-
Standard Oil company This bill
should go to the committee of the
whole house, where it will be properly
taken care of by members of the
house
against the official state paper or any