The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-06
TIME HASN'T EXPIRED.
Lawrence Woman Lawyer Says Leg
isIatnre Is Stin Within Limit.

Mrs. Lizzie S. Sheldon. a practising
attorney from Lawrence, raises the
point that the members of the legis-
lature have no right, under the con-
stitution, to draw pay for Sundays,
and that the 50-day term which the
( members are elected to serve at SO a
! day does not expire until Wednesday,
March 8. She says that the members
will not begin to work without pay
until after that date.
1t looks very much as though Mrs
Sheldon is right about it, Article ?,
section 3 of the constitution of Kansas
says:
1.-THE members Of the legislature
shall receive as compensation for
/ their services the sum of three dollars
for each days actual service at any
regular or special session. The limit
to be paid each member is $3.50.
/ There is nothing said about SO con-
/ secutive days
Furthermore. sections 10 and IA of
the same article specifically except
Sundays from the days upon which
legislative business can be transacted.
The present session commenced on
Jan. 1 o. Since then there have been
eight Sundays, which should not be
counted in figuring up the fifty days
service. With Sundays counted out, |
the fifty days will not be up until
next Wednesday evening.
So it appears that the members of |
the legislature are not being greatly |
abused to be required to come back /
here and finish UP their work They /
are getting pay for their services.
Criticizes Appropriation Bill.
Mrs. Sheldon also has some criti-
cisTns for the university appropriation
bill which has passed both houses
She says:
1.-The legislature has included in the !
university appropriation bill certain |
fees which are to be charged to the |
students among others a SIS diploma 4
fee / wonder how many of the mem I
bers would have voted for this par |
ticular fee if they had known that it 1
is a fact that the greater part of the /
IS is to cover the cost of a free ban /
quet to the alumni of the institution? |
"In plain language, every student |
who graduates is held up to pay for a |
banquet whether he attends or not, |
and this fraud is concealed under the |
guise of a diploma fee Last year a /
number of the graduating class re-
fused to pay this diploma fee, and the
result was that there was a great
hubbub because there were no funds
for the alumni banquet. It made a
lot of talk at the time, and the stu
dents were appealed to to put up the
SIS of their own accord. I am in
formed that the thing finally fixed
up by the regents, who took the
money from some other fund to pay
for the banquet, thing which of
course they had no right to do"
Mrs. Sheldon also thinks that all of
the state educational institutions should
be put under one board of education,
and that the practice of going outside of
the state and importing people to be
the heads of educational institutions
should be stopped. She says:
1T would have been a great thing
for the state had this legislature adopt
ed Governor Hoch's suggestion. and
brought all the educational institutions
under one board. 1t is a much needed
reform A board of education should
be provided that comes direct from the
people, and is directly responsible to the
people. Tt would be desirable to have
one member elected from each congress
sional district, with the state superin-
tendent as an additional member, as the
constitution itself authorizes this officer
to have general supervision of the edu-
cational institutions of the state.
This board should hold its meetings
at the state capitol during customary
business hours in the day time. All bus
mess transacted should be given wide
publicity.
The teaching force should be sup
piled by Kansas men and women The
present board of education is an anomaly
in government. The boards of regents
import men into the state to become
heads of educational institutions and
they thereby become officials of the
state when they are not even electors,
and have never contributed anything to
the growth of the state. The agricul-
tura1 college and state normal should
be made departments of the state uni
versity according to the constitution of
the state, but each should be governed
by its own faculty, and all should be
subject to a state board of education !