The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-09
THE MILL GRINDS.
,contlnuea from Fage one,

4 t@OuIHueu AEOfR d6C OA~.V
izing, empowering and directing the
board of county commissioners or
4 Douglas county, Kansas, to erect
/ bridge across the Wakarusa river, and
to levy tax to pay for, the same
The Democratic members of the house
had a good deal of difficulty In nnolne
| enough seats. The five lows at the eX-
IRENE north of the hall were assigned
to them, but this did not give enough
| seats to go around.
| Democrats ~
There are seats enough" replied
| Speaker Fro Tenn Cunningham, the
| trouble is there were too many Demo-
A couple of seats were moved over
from the Republican side, and the DEM
ocratic minority was given the needed
accommodations.
o. L. Lennen, independent from Ness
county, and D. w. Blaine, Independent
from Pratt county, found seats along
side the Democrats. Lennen is CO.
operating cordially with the Democrats,
but Blaine says he is friendly with the
Square Deal Republicans.
There was the usual amount of con-
fusion and diScOrd attending the draw
ing of seats The members who had
plenty of nerve and foresight got good
seats; the new members generally got
the worst of it.
w. r. Stubs froze to the seat which
he had when speaker of the house, ana
held to it like the man in Gene Wares
poem about the pass. Speaker Simmons
and Speaker Pro Tenn Cunningham had
to content themselves with a couple of
seats little to one side of the center.
The deaf members were not given the
had to hustle for themselves after the
old members had gobbled up all the best
seats.
A drawing of seats is supposed to be
a plan by which every member has an
equal chance to get a good seat. In
reality it is generally a method by
which the old members who know how
get everything in sight.
Now that the fight for the organiza-
ton of the house is over the senatorial
combat will occupy the center of the
stage. The politicians expect that Il
will overshadow all attempts al legisie-
ton for the time being.
The senate caucus has appointed SEN
ators Fulton, Smith and Porter of Mont
gomery to represent it in a meeting
with a committee representing the house
caucus to select the time for the first
Republican senatorial caucus.
w. L. Cunningham, chairman of the
house caucus, appointed Cyrus Leland
of Donipkan, w. E. Archer of
b WI scb w; A Of E gssqn Of Elk
Kirkland of Saline. 1t is expected that
this committee will meet today and arr
range the time for tho first senatorial
caucus. Te.4sE
The caucus will be held either Fri
day night, or else next Monday night,
and the indications are that it will be
open to the public. The Curtis people
are working to have the caucus begin
as soon as possible. They have made
their medicine, and feel that they
have things in good shape. They are
afraid to wait for the fear the COM
binatfon of the field candidates will
take place. or the constituents of some
of the Curtis members will find out
what is up. and hammer their recreant
mem berS into line.
The Curtis people are claiming the |
election of Simmons to the speaker |
ship as great Curtis victory. They
have succeeded in making good !
many people believe that Curtis has
the fight already won, a7S .~-
There are some rumors which, sindi-
cate that the anti-Curtis people would |
be delighted to have an opportunity to |
throw the senatorial fight onto the |
floor of the house. 1t is likely that
this method may, be adopted as a last
resort by the anti-Curtis people, in
case they see a break coming.
The resolutions passed by the I
Democratic caucus have encouraged !
the Republicans who oppose Curtis to |
turn to the Democrats for aid 1t is /
looked upon as very foxy thing for /
the Democrats to do at the present
stage in the game, for it may have the
result of giving them voice in nam
ing the next Republican senator from
Kansas.
The reading of Governor Hochs lit
tie 40-page greeting to the legislature, |
full instructions for. the
conduct of that body during the next
so days. was little bit too heavy a
dose for both house and senate
The house wore out the voices of all
the applicants. for reading clerk. and
had then waded through only 16
pages. 1t then quit and went to work
on other business. leaving each mem
Der to finish reading the message from
the copy provided by the state printer.
A resolution by Representative
Tredway of Allen county was adopted
by the house, giving to the Kansas
state board of agriculture the use of
hall for its evening
sessions.
The sale of tickets for the Kansas
Day club banquet has comm enced.
Del Valentine, clerk of the supreme
court and Will Vernon. secretary of
the club, both of whom have offices in
The state house, have tickets for sale.
The banquet is to be hold January 29
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