The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-19
FAILED TO PASS.
Bulk Sales Bill Which Had
Little Opposition Killed.
Small Attendance Responsible
for the Defeat.
CALL OF HOUSE FAILS.
Opposition Prevented Bringing
in of Members.
Purpose of Bill TO Protect the
Wholesalers.

puik sales bill" this bill failed o.
passage on Monday afternoon becaus,
OF the small attendance of members
40 votes being cast for it and q
against.
An effort was made to get a call OF
the house. but the enemies of the bill
managed to have the call raised be-
to pass the bill
The bill is one which was favored
py practically all the retailers of the
state; 1t was endorsed by the state
when the question was under discus
sion In committee of the whole, Sig
| mund Lehman of Labette and ]. l.
| s1nley of Cheyenne, who are retail
| merchants. both favored the adoption
| OF amendments to make the bill even
more stringent than at first proposed
but the wise members of the house
thought they knew more about the re-
| tail business than the retailers them
/ selves, and voted down the amend
| ments. The same sort of a fight took
place on the floor of the house when
the bill was on for final passage. All
or the retail merchants who were in
attendance, with the exception of
Cyrus Leland, were for the bill. J. B.
Taylor of Osborne. one of the leading
retailers from the Sixth district. voted
for the bill
The bulk sales law" has been
adopted in dozens of states of the
union, and is intended to protect
wholesale houses and jobbers from
dishonest retailers. The bill does not
in the slightest degree affect honest
merchants, and tends to protect them
/ from the slaughter sales and fore
closure sales which usually follow a
fraudulent transaction of merchan-
disc In bulk.
Under the provisions of the pro-
posed law, a retailer who is expecting
to sell out his stock in bulk, must at
least three days before the sale is con-
summated, file with the register of
deeds a statement of his intention. pro-
vided that merchant has any creditors.
If the merchant has no creditors, the
law does ont touch him. That is all
there is to the law 1t gives creditors
a chance to protect themselves.
1t is expected that such law would
prevent a dishonest merchant from
buying up a big stock of goods from
a dozen different wholesale houses On
credit, and when he had stretched his
credit to the limit. sell off his entire
stock at one transaction to some i'm
nocent purchaser. and leave all his
creditors holding the sack for the
value of their goods The reason that
other retailers are in favor of such
law is because a bulk sale of this kind
is usually made at a very low price,
and the buyer follows 1t up by cutting
the prices on merchandise and ruin
ing the local markets for other mer--
chants.
The only hope for the passage of the
bulk sales bill is now to have the bill
come up from the senate, and be
reached by the house some time when
there is a good attendance of mem
berg.
The house members who voted
against the bill did so because they
had been led to believe that their re-
tail merchant constituents wanted
them to kill the bill because 1t was
for the protection of wholesale houses
VIII
extended credit should be forced to
take the risk involved.
Warren Takes Creech's Desk.
d. A Warren of Linn county, who has
been absent from the entire session on
account OF sickness. was able to be in
the house for the first time at Mondays
session. Mr.. Warren was member of
the 1905 legislature.
The first thing done at the afternoon
session was to swear N Mr.. Warren
The oath was administered by Speaker
Simmcns. When Mr.. Warren went to
his seat, the members gave him
greeting of applause. Mr.. Warren took
the seat which has been occupied by ].
w. Creech, of Dickinson county.
Twenty-Five new bills were presented
in the house yesterday.
Enright of Wyandotte introduced a
bill authorizing Kansas university to
lease or buy a clinical hospital at Kan
sas City, Kan.
Mitchell of Douglas presented bill
amending the present lunacy bills of
the state.
Ham of Rocks presented a bill to al
low commercial travellers to vote away
from home.
The committee on health presented a
bill appropriating money for a state
hospital for consumDtives.
w w Gordon of Kansas City intro
duced in the house the bill requiring
the Associated Press to furnish news
reports to anyone desiring to buy the
same 1t is the same bill which Fred
Dumont Smith has introduced in the
senate On motion of Mr.. Gordon the
bill was at once read q second time and |
to the committee on judiciary. |
Speaker Simmons received this after
noon a resolution from the constitution |
al convention of Oklahoma, endorsing |
the Edwards stock yards bill, and rec |
that the Oklahoma legis- |
lature when organized. adopt similar |
law
Another ssAnti-Raiiroad" Bill
The railroad committee of the house |
has reported a bill requiring railroad |
to run their stock trains in |
than Is miles per hour. The bill will |
come before the house as committee
bill.
the prompt shipment of stock after it |
Is loaded into the cars. It will meet |
with the approval Oh the stock shippers |
Of the state, and will in all proba bility |
be passed by the house.
The bill introduced by the committee |
follows;
Section /. That all persons. firms or /
operating railroads as COM /
mon carriers shall transport all live |
stock received by them for transporta-
don within tais state without delay AMI !
shall transport the same in period of I
lime not less than one hour for each
fifteen 15) miles of the entire distance
over which said shipment of stock is
transported by rail within this state
unless prevented by unavoidable acci-
tents. Provided, the time consumed
~ stops for watering and feeding occa-