The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-14
Has Again Made Its Appearance
in the House.
Provides That All Receptacles
for Gasoline Must Be Painted.
ANY COLOR so IT'S RED
Was Once Before on Verge of
Becoming a Law.
Capital Punishment May Be
Legally Abolished.

The celebrated red can bill'' which
provoked so much discussion at the
| last session of the legislature, and
came near passage, was again intro
duced in the house of representatives
at late session by w. A. S. Bird of
Shawnee county.
The red can bill. provides that gaso-
line can not be sold by grocers, drug
gists, or other retail vendors. except in
cans or other receptacles painted red.
Kerosene, on the contrary, must not
be put in red cans under penalty of
the law.
The penalty for the violation of the
law is that the person guilty shall be
liable for all damages resulting from
his act.
AS a matter of fact the bill is one
which contains more than ordinary
merit, but the fact that it is little
out of the ordinary makes it hard for
the Kansas statesmen to take it seri-
ously like he would a bill to authorize
Hayseed township to vote bonds to
build a bridge across ROCK creek, or
Joker bill to amend section 1878 OF
article or the session laws of 1879,
being section 1914 Of the revised stat
yates of 1903.
The red can bill would prevent peo
pie blowing themselves up with gaso-
line, and would save the lives of many
housekeepers and hired girls. In
these days when hired girls are scarce,
this bill deserves serious considera-
ton.
Normal School Library Cracking.
In a letter to the regent of the State
Normal school John F. Stanton, state
architect says that he has found frac-
lures in the front walls of the State
Normal library building, of such SER
ious nature that a part of the wall is
liza ble to fall.
To provide for the necessary repairs
of this wall, George Plumb. representa-
tive from Lyon county, introduced
bill in the house this afternoon appro-
priating $12, 500, the amount of the dam
age as estimated by the state architect.
The foundation of the library build
ing was made without any projection
beyond the face Of the wall, and either
an inferior quality or insufficient guam
THY of cement was used. The architect
recommended that supplemental foot
ir IS be put in, and the damaged walls
be reconstructed.
Abolish Capital Punishment.
Capital punishment, which exists only
theoretically in the state of Kansas,
will be abolished actually If the bill in
troduced by A. c. Mitchell of Douglas
county in the house becomes a law. The
bill provides that persons convicted of
murder in the first degree shall be pun
ished by confinement at hard labor in
the state penitentiary for life. Those
convicted of murder in the second de-
gree shall be punished by confinement
at hard labor for not less than ten
years.
Low Rates for Corpscs.
Here is a proposed Kansas law which
will be of interest to Kansas oorpses,
and those expecting to become corpses.
1t was introduced at the session of the
house by T. A. Mayhem OF Sumner
county, ard fixes the rate of transporta-
ton at maximum for adults of 25k
cents a mile. while the rate for children
enclosed in boxes not over 3h feet long
is III cents per mile.
This is right in line with the proposed