The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-02
HAVEN'T GIVEN UP
House Leaders Want Primary
Election Law.
Special Committee Appointed to
Fix 1t Up.
CHANCES ARE SMALL.
Will Have to Hurry to Get
Measure Through.
Mead Taxation Bill Passes the
Lower House.
ARE SMALL.

4
voted to have a special committee ap-
pointed to draft some amendments to
the present primary election law. The
committee is composed of w. Y Nor
gan, c. A. Fisher and Geo, B. Cones.
The motion for the appointment Of
the special committee was made by
w Y. Morgan.
1t is claimed that the committee on
elections, to which the matter of pre-
pairing new primary election law was
referred, has failed to comply with its
instructions. No meeting of the COM
mittee has been held, as the house in
strucsed should be done, and it was
evidently the intention of the COM
mittee to allow the preparation of
new law to go by default
This plan has been to some extent
frustrated by the move made last
night. The friends Of a primary cleo
ton law are determined to get some
thing on the statute books which will
protect the primaries from fraud.
This is one of the propositions
which the Republicans have been
talking about for the past two years
with great enthusiasm. They were
sure that this legislature would put
primary election law on the statute
books which would hold the Demo-
Gratis in check. and make each party
vote at its own primary election and
not at any other. The committee on
elections was supposed to draft such
bill, but it did not present anything
until the closing days of the session.
When the bill did come in, 1t was so
long. complicated and cumbersome,
that the house would not stand for it.
The chances are now that there will
be no primary election law at all,
though Morgan's committee will I'M
doubtedly present some sort of a plan
for the house to tear to pieces.
The house voted last night to recall
the primary election bill from the
committee on elections, which takes it
out of the hands of the elections COM
mittee to interfere with the work of
the special committee which has been
appointed.
Pass the Tax Bill.
Mead's taxation and assessment bills
passed the house Wednesday after
noon by a vote of 81 to As. The SEN
ate bill on assessment and taxation
which has occupied a place on the
special orders, was thrown to the foot
of the calendar
This may mean that there will be
no new assessment and taxation laws
at this session. The house and senate
are about as far apart as possible.
Three of Mead's bills were passed;
the one cutting down the limits on
tax levies to correspond with the pro-
posed increase in valuations was
taken up, but found to be in such i'm
perfect condition that it had to be re-
vision. The special committee as ap-
pointed by Speaker pro tenn. Clark is
Mead, Young and Pringle- The three
bills passed were as follows:
Requiring the county assessors to
make oath that they have assessed
property at its full cash value. and
laying a property owner liable to
prosecution for perjury if he fails to
give in his full valuation.
Making the same requirements on
the railroads and state board of rail-
road assessors.
Making the same on the telegraph
and telephone companies and state
board Of assessors.
The house voted on the Mead bills
at one roll call, and the vote was asI
For the biil-Adair. Archer. Banks.
Barnes. Benson, Bergman. Bird,
Brady, Brandon, BrierIey. Brown of
Sherman, Clark of Jefferson, Clark of
Rice. Cones, Cowen, Creech, Croker
Glasscock, Goebel, Grass. Hall, Ham,
Hamersly, Hildreth. Holden, Husey,
Hussey, Kerns. Kirkland, Lacy, Lander,
Landergin. Mcbride, Mead, Montee,
Morgan. Mueller, Murphy, Nelson,
Oshant, Ohlhausen, Pawling, Peter
Plummer, Pralle, Roger, Rochester,
Robinett, Roush, Schermerhorn,
Schmidt, Simmons SeuTbeer. STAN
rem, Wyckoff, Stubbs-64.
Against the bill-Adams, ALBANIAN,
Beeson, Boggs, Brown of Brown,
Burke, Crumly, Curran, Eddy, EwelI,
Humphrey, Jeffries, Jones of Trego,
Josserand, Kinnison, Leland, Lupfer,
Meagher. Miley, Myers, Orr, OssweiIer,
Perdue, Phenicie, Pomeroy, Potts.
Plumb, Pringle. Rhodes, Richards,
Skinner, Steckel, Stober, Stout, Tan
nehill. Taylor. Thompson, Trigg, Tur-
ner. White, Young-45
Absent-Beekman, Dali, Farris, |
F'ieser, Harrison, Holdren, Howerton,
Jones of Norton, Matthews. Mcc4ilIi-
vray, Policy, Ransom, Seaver, West, |
WEIGH, WilsOn-16.
Passed the Fee and Salary Bin.
At the end of the wednesday after
noon session, the house passed. with
some amendments. the Hackney salary |
bill, which fixed the paw of all the state
officers not already provided for by law |
An effort was made by w A. S Bird
to put back the number of state house
janitors and lawn men to IS instead of |
10, but the effort failed. The men who
remain will get $72O a year instead Of ,
$500; the guide will get $500 instead of
The state librarian was put back to
81 500
The assistant superintendent of in
surance will get 81, 900 instead of 81 500. |
and there viii be a chief clerk at ST. !
200.
The pay of two clerks in the histori-
cal society was put back TO $500, by |
vote of 81 to SO.
The state board of health was given |
the right to employ a bacteriologist at |
$500 and the pay of the stenographer !
was raised from $500 to 1920
Haskins tried to have the salary of /
the superintendent of the horticultural /
society put back to $500. but failed |
Morgan tried to get back Dayhoff's ex-
ira stenographer. and failed.