The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-01
BIC FIGHT IS ON.
The Antipass Contest Opens in
Earnest.
Question Is What Kind of Bill
Shall Be Passed.
TWO MEASURES UP.
Porter and Getty Represent the
Two Factions.
Friends of Real Antipass Bill
Garry the Day.
RumOrS of Reconsideration
Are Immediately Started.

What is probably the most bitter
and closely contested fight of the ses-
sion is raging today in the Kansas
senate on the antipass bill.
| When adjournment was taken at
1880. the friends of a more or less
| 'real' antipass law were on top, but
We're holding to a mighty thin rope 1t
was still in question whether the rail-
/ way pass crowd had been beaten in
| its efforts to put through a mild and
perfectly harmless antipass bill.
The issue was between the Getty
| bill and the E. F. Porter bill. Getty's
bill was similar in some respects to
| the Stone antipass bill, but as amend
| ed it allows passes to be given to sher-
| ifs, one local attorney and surgeon
| IN each county, chiefs of police in
| cities of the first class, and a good
many others not provided in the Stone
| bill.
The Porter bill is a negative anti
pass DILL 1t contains no general pro-
hibition against passes, but attempts
to set forth the classes of people to
whom no passes shall be issued.
After long debate, the senate beat
the Porter bill by vote of IS to II.
This was in committee of the whole
and the senators did not have to go on
written record. The absence of roll
calls in committee of the whole en-
ables the enemies of popular meas
ure like the antipass bill to get in
their work in the dark.
After killing the Porter bill the
senate voted to adopt the Getty SUBJ
stitute.
Local Railroad Attorneys Win.
Then the attention of the senators
was directed to putting patches onto
the Getty bill.
One of the first moves was to attempt
to strike out the provision allowing
passes to be given to one railroad attor-
ney in each county. The motion to
strike this out was beaten by a vote
of p to Is.
After some debate, sheriffs and chiefs
of police in cities of the first class were
allowed to get into the pass holding
classes.
Members of the G. A. r. in good
standing and members of the Kansas
National Guard Were put into the class
which may be given a reduced fare,
along with ministers. inmates Of soldiers
homes and those devoting their entire
time to benevolent work.
The bill defines the word family to
mean the employe, his wife and minor
children and immediate members of his
household dependent upon him for sup
port.
The penalties in the act are not very
formidable. The court may assess
fine of 800, or imprisonment not ex-
-,
prisonment.
Just as the bill has been pretty thor
oughly gone over and was about ready
to be recommended for passage. the war
broke out in a new place.
Sprung Technical Objections.
The enemies of the Getty bill tried
to knock out the whole proceedings of
the morning on technical grounds.
Senator Fitzpatrick discovered that the
Getty bill was not properly substi-
1113v I'd hot he 11Oe-ffT fTTTtka
for senate bill No. 165 offered by the
committee was not properly on the
calendar.
both contended that the proceedings
were correct and that the bill was
legally before the committee.
Senator Noftzger also argued on the
technical objection offered by Senator
Fitzpatrick
The chair ruled that the point of
order was not well taken.
Senator Fitzpatrick appealed from
the decision of the chair Under the
the president of the senate, on the
floor of the senate.
Senator Fitzpatrick moved that the
committee rise to sit again at Z p. M
and the motion prevailed.
May Try to Reconsider.
1t was rumored during the latter
part of the morning that certain SEN !
ators who voted for the Getty bill were
being pressed to get reconsideration
in the hope of knocking out that bill
on a second trial, and getting in the
Porter bill. This move would be made
only as a last resort.
Getty's Substitute Offered.
The antipass battle was resumed at
1850 this morning in the senate.
Senator Getty omered as a substitute |
for the senate committees antipass .
bill, a Encouragement of that bill, I
which provided that free pass might |
be issued to one local railroad attor- |
nev and one local surgeon in each
county, The bill also provided the |
following exceptions to the committee
bill:
asSection 1. 1t shall be unlawful for
any railroad company to issue, give or
offer to issue or give, any free pass,
ticket or transportation, in any form,
within this state, except to it's officers,
directors and employees and their fam
lilies: the employees of other railway
and their families; the en-
ployes of express, telegraph and sleep
ing car companies; a representative
from each of the labor organizations
of employees of the railway companies;
employees incapacitated by rea-
son of disease or injury incurred or
received in the employ of the COM
pany issuing such pass; ex-railway
employees who have been engaged in
the employ of a railway company con-
tinuously for fifteen years; also mes
sengers and clerks in the railway mail I
service; news agents, while selling pa
pers, books, magazines, fruit, confec-
tionery. ETC., on the train; members of
the state board of railroad commits
sioners, and the attorney for the