Free press., 1907-01-19

til Monday, January IA.
Great interest centers around the
selection Of a successor to Alfred w
Benson United States senator, whose
term expires on March f. Senator
Benson is a candidate for reelection
and there are half a dozen other
avowed candidates. AS the legisIa-
ture is Overwhelmingly Republican a
member of that party will be electc 1.
The message OF Gov. Hoch was re
late in the day
The senate was organized by the
selection of ". S. Fitzpatrick, Of
Sedan. temporary presiding officer;
William S. Reitsinger. of EmI 1ria,
secretary; w. Pitts. assistant ST re
tary; Guy Swallow. sergeanL-at-
arms; George Mohler, head door
keeper: Rev. Edwin Brown, cha. lain;
Miss Mabel Hovalter, postmaster.
j. r .Burrow called the house to
order. The members were sworn in
In grour~ of twenty-five. G. B. Kirt-
land, Of Saline county. was made
temporary chairman. All the Repub
lican caucus nominees were elected.
The Democratic Nominations were
H. S. Thompson. of Reno. for speak
er, and J. NJ Davis, of Bourbon, for
Political lines were followed close
ly in the election, resulting: Repub-
licans, "a; Democrats, 80. J. NJ.
Whitehead was elected chaplain over
sc 10 o4oA e 40 'qouEI s9IIBqO 'AoH
to 25.
Stono of Shawnee, introduced the
first bill. authorizing the increasing
of salaries of supreme court judges
to $4,000. On motion the bill was
placed on its second reading as an
emergency measure and failed.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. 9.-Aside from
the furry in judges salaries the
only business transacted by the Sen
ate yesterday was the introduction
Of twenty-five bills, the election of
the minor senate employees, over
which problem the committee on
employees had been perspiring for
ten hours, the appointment OF few
committee clerks and the adoption
of two or three unimportant resolu-
tiOns. An attempt was made to read
the governors message but the SEN
ate bucked, Dolley suggesting that
as everybody had read the message
in the morning papers, reading it
again to empty seats was a waste of
time and lung power. His motion 10
dispense with it encountered no Op-
position.
Two OR three important bills were
introduced One Of them was Brew
er's measure to reduce passenger
fares to two cents a mile. Both
Young and Smith introduced freight
rate bills fixing a maximum charge
on certain commodities. Smiths s
bill takes only corn and wheat into
consideration. Young's measure in
cludes about everything the farmer
and small town merchant ships in or
sends out Another really important
measure introduced yesterday was
Huffman's pure food bill. Its title
covers not only foods. but drugs,
medicines and liquors and it is a
long sten in the right direction.
The senate adjourned for the day
shortly after three o'clock. Not a
great deal Of business will be trans
acted until the senatorial fight is
over.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. 10. = The bill
increasing the salaries of justices Of
the supreme court and district court
judges passed the house today by
passage by the senate in committee
o. the whole. 1t has been placed on
third reading in the senate, and
made a special order for tomorrow
morning at 10:30 o'clock. It receiv-
ed % votes in committee of the
whole this afternoon when it was
recommended for passage. and the
indications are that these senators
will XOto for If fOVnOrrOw
Robert Stone, member of the house
from Shawnee county. presented his
anti-pass bill this afternoon, prohib-
iting the issuance of free transpOrta-
ton by any railroad company to any
persons except railroad employees or
the members of their immediate
families. under penalty of 800 fine
and imprisonment for the acceptance
of such transportation. The meas
ure is advocated by the "squ =
| DEAF organization.
One of the bills designed to bring
the railroads of the state more thor
ougaly under the control of the
Kansas laws and the Kansas board
of railroad commissioners was in
! troduced in the senate today by
| Senator Noftzger This measure
provides that the railroads operat
| Ing IN Kansas SudI SSLdDIlSH proper
terminal facilities for passengers
and freight within the state of Kan
sas at such places as the railroad
| board shall designate.
Two resolutions providing fol
| amendments to the constitution
changing the terms of elective off
GERS were offered in the house to
day. One. by Representative Ham
would change the length Of the tern
Office CT the governor. lieutenant
vernon. attorney general. auditor
e state >asu-er. superintendent o
schools, tary Of state and in
Boa Constructor at Large.
When the caretaker at travelling
menagerie recently exhibiting al
Stratford. England, went to heat the
water in tank under the cage of q
boa constructor one morning the rep
| tile was missing. After two hours
search they fountS it snugly resting il
cinematograph box. Attempts tC
induce it to return to its proper
quarters were resented, but the crea
! ture RESPONDED readily to the woman