The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-01-19
SET BY THE EARS.
House and Senate Involved in a
WrangIe.
Lower Body Objects to Senator'S
Postage Bill.
STUBBS TO THE FRONT.
Calls Legislators Down for Ex-
travagant Notions.
Representatives We're About to
Follow Senate.
THEY DON'T NEED 1T.
Says Members Can't Use $50 for
Postage.
Senate Refuses the DIctatiOn of
the House.
Conference Committee VIII Try
to Fix Things.
REPRESENTATIVE Were About to
Follow Senate.
THEY DON'T NEED 1T.
Says Members Can't Use $50 for
Postage.
Senate Refuses the DIctatiOn of
the House.
Conference Committee VIII Try
to Fix Things.


ECONOMY is having a hard row to
hoe against graft in the legislature
today. The house and senate are in
an awful snarI about the question of
postage allowance for the members.
and 2 conference committee from each
branch OF the legislature will have to
iron out the wrinkles in the situation.
This morning the house passed the
ways and means committee bill ap-
propriating $4,000 to pay part of the
salaries and mileage of members and
employees In the bill was the item
of $50 for postage stamps for each
member of the senate. The ways and
means committee bill was passed,
though not without opposition.
The members of the house had
tried to be economical, and had early
in the session refused to vote them
selves some postage money. But when
they saw the senators getting their
hands into the states barrel, it made
them envious as well as wrathy. They
thought the senate was getting the
best Of it, and was not trying to save
money. So Mr.. Seaver introduced a
resolution allowing each member of
the house $50 for postage. It seemed
that the resolution was about to pass
The members we're filled with Wild
desire to even up things with the sen
ate. and do 2 little grabbing them
selves while 1t was fashionable. Sud
denly Speaker ". r. Stubbs appeared.
y7e had been back in his office, but
had shifted danger He stalked ma
1esucally across the floor to his seat
in the front row of the house, and ad-
dressing the speaker pro TEN said:
IF this house steals 5 cents from
the state it is something which is not
creditable to it I won't see this house
do things it should be ashamed Of I
think that $40 is ample postage for
each member The man who uses
more than that is using postage for
the promotion Of some personal fol-
lowing. The average mennber. does not
use IS in postage during the session.
/ know this by experience
p g. Young, of Wilson, thought
that Stubbs was right about it. He
said; If we use only 81 worth of
postage, we simply steal S19 from the
state, and can't see the difference
between stealing $19 from the state
ana SIS from an individual"
s P Brandon moved to amend
Seaver's resolution by making the
amount $40 instead of $40.
Didn't you take your $40 two
years ago?" asked Brown, of Brown,
OF Mr. Brandon.
7 took it because the house voted
Il to me Overwhelmingly" said Mr.
Brandon Il voted against it myself -
Mr. Mead, of Mitchell. said the
house should not demand $40 simply
because the senate had done so.
MI GlasscOck thought that as the
senators represented more constjtll-
ents, they are entitled to more post
age
Mr.. Young moved to table the reso-
luton The motion was lost.
me amendment urged by Mr.
Stubbs was passed by an overwhelm-
ing vote.
Then the Trouble Commenced.
Just about this time the secretary
OF the senate appeared with the news
that the senate had passed an appro-
prlaton Dill originating with it's own
ways and means committee and
identical in its terms with the bin pre-
sented by the house ways and means /
committee, which had been passed .byl
the house.
The house was in bad temper. and
It went after the senate bill with its
tomahawk, in spite of the fact that
II mad just finished passing the same /
identical bill It amended the senate I
appropriation bill by chopping down
the senate postage allowance to S1OI
per member and tacking on an allow /
ance of $40 per member for the rem
resentatives. In that form it passed /
the senate bill.
Then the trouble was to get back
the original house bill, which had
Deen passed and message over to the
senate. A motion was made and car
No. 327, which was the appropriation.
or 'misappropriation'' bill
Ihe house has no way to compel the |
senate to allow this bill to be recalled. /
1t can simply ask it as a favor The
senate can, If it desires, go ahead and
pass the original house bill. and
thereby leave the house without a
cent for postage. while it gets the $40
per member which it desired. If the
senate passed the bill. it would be up
70 the governor to sign or veto. The
house on the other hand, has amend |
ed the senate bin. and the senate
would have to concur in the amend |
ments before that bill could become a
law.
At all points the senate holds the
commanding cards in the game. and it /
has shown itself magnaniTnous by ap-
pointing a conference committee to /
try to agree with the house members
about the terms of the bill
The outcome will doubtless be that
the senate members will get S2oI
apiece for postage, and the house
members will get $40 apiece.
Careful Of Senate Dignity.
When the senate's legislative appro- /
priation bfll was returned from the