Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-08-08
Soldier Preference In Kansas


F, Five suits were filed in the Kansas
| supreme court in June to Dust Office
holders whose appointments are al
legged to have been in violation of the
| soldiers preference law passed by the
/ last Legislature. The trial of these
cases will give the court an opportun-
ity to pass upon one Of the most dras-
tic pieces of soldier-preference legis-
lation ever enacted in the country.
| The supreme court suits are from
Kansas City, Kan. The defendant Of
| 1cials are George X. Addison, sanitary
| sergeant; j. l.. 3. Eager. city physi-
clan; Larkin Norman, building in.
spector; r. l.. McAlpine, city engineer,
and A. Eagle. police clerk All were
originally appointed before the passage
of the new soldier-preference law last
/ winter, and were reappointed this
| spring Before they were reappointeG,
i however, an old soldier applied for
/ each position. The mayor refused to
displace the old officials, and reap
! pointed them in the face of the sol
I dierpreference law. 1t is now up to
the supreme court to decide whether
Or not the veterans are entitled to
the jobs.
/ The present soldier-preference law
was enacted by the legislature las.
winter. Its main provision is as fol
lows
in grateful recognition of the serv-
/ ices sacrifices and sufferings OF per
sons who served I'm the army and
navy of the United States In the war
! of the rebellion, and have been honor
ably discharged therefrom, they shah
be preferred for appointments and en-
ployed to fill positions I'm every public
department, and upon all public works
: OF tho state of Kansas and of the
! counties. cities and towns of this
state, If competent to perform such
/ services; and the person thus pre-
! ferred shall not be disqualified from
/ holding any position in said service
on account Of his age or by reason OF
my physical disability, providing such
age or disability does not render him
incompetent to perform the duties OF
the position applied for; and when
any such ex-soldier or sailor shall ap.
| ply for appointment to any such posi-
ton, place or employment. The officer
/ board or person whose duty 1t is or
he In Do
such place shall, If the applicant be
I man Of good reputation and can per
form the duties Of the position applied
for by him. appoint said ex-soldier or
sailor TO such position, place or ap-
pointment"
/ This act was passed as on amend
ment to an earlier soldierprefererce
, law which had been in force for sew.
, eral years. The former statute was
considerably less drastic than the new
law. It provided that soldier appli-
, cants for appointiye positions shall
be preferred for appointment and EN-
ployed to positions in every public de-
nartnent and upon all public works OF
this state, over other persona Of equal
qualifications
Under this earlier law, soldier ap
/ plicant for an appointve Office had to
demonstrate that his qualifications
were equal to those of any other ap.
plicant This was not sufficiently
stringent to suit the old soldiers Of
the state, and they got the law amend
ed in such a way that soldier appll.
cant must simply be competent TO
perform such services Should this
law be rigidly enforced, 1t would prac-
| tically take away all discretion from
the mayor Of every city Of Kansas IN
: making appointments. as well as from
! the governor and every other public
1 official having appointing power
City officers all over Kansas are
waiting anxiously to see how the su-
preme court will interpret the new
law. The city elections occurred
shortly after the law went into eff
feet, and the newly elected mayors had
not fairly been assured OF their cleo
ton before the soldier.preference lay
began 10 be quoted in connection with
municipal appointments The mayor
Of Kansas City refused to recognize
the statute, and as a result the 81.