The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-06

PASS BILL PASSES
Stone Measure Receives o. IL. of
the House.
Vote Overwhelmingly in Favor
of Measure.
EXPLAIN THEIR VOTES
Bird and HutchesoR of Shawnee
in Opposition.
Various Reasons Advanced for
Negative Votes.
EXPLAIN THEIR VOTES

BY vote Of 81 to q, the house today
placed its final seal of approval upon
the Stone antipass bill, and the bill has
been messaged to the senate.
Only 12 members of the house were
absent when the final vote was taken
Speaker simmons, together with pro-
badly 20 others who were really oppos-
ed to the Stone bill. voted for it on the
final showdown. Mr.. Simmons read the
following statement in explanation of
his vote:
Il do not think the bill is near what
it should be, nor near what the sober
judgment of the people demand. / think
it was put through the house under
pressure of a specially created public
sentiment and is made unnecessarily
strict, but 1 am very anxious to see
some legislation along this line, and for
this reason, deeming this overstrict
1t is rather a remarkable fact that
while the bill was drawn by Represen-
tative Robert Stone Of Shawnee county,
both of the other Shawnee county rep
resenta tives, w. A. S. Bird and NJ. A.
Hutcheson, voted against it.
Even up to the last. the enemies of
the Dill kept up a sort of grim bush
whacking apparently determined to
postpone the passage of the bill to the
last possible moment. There were sew
eral bills ahead of the Stone bill on
the calendar. and as the authors were
absent. a number of these bills were
deferred. F.. A. Enright objected to de-
ferring action on the Ieydig bill and
for a time it looked as though the house
Leydig bill before dipping into the
Stone bill. Mr.. Leydig himself came in
just then, however, and asked that his
bill be deferred. When the house was
right square up against the Stone bill,
Enright moved that action on it be de-
ferred. but the house refused to take
the motion seriously,
Trying to Hurt the Law.
After the bill had been read, w. Y.
Morgan, chairman of the railroad COM
mittee asked unanimous consent to
make the change in. the bill desired by
the stockmen and shippers. who think
the wording is too strict, Morgan pro-
posed the amendment desired by the
stockmen, but the enemies of the bill
were determined to leave the bill in as
undesirable shape as possible. Il OBJ
ject to that change" said MOntee of
Crawford II object to any change
whatever in that bill at this time. .
Montee- has been one of the persistent
enemies of antopass legislation.
When the roll was called mum ber
of members explained their votes
Bird Opposed the Bill.
W. A S. Bird, of Shawnee. said: Il
favor an autipass law, but the one Of
fered is too severe. I have 1900 con-
stituents who work for a railroad com.
pany, and this bill does not leave it
broad enough to suit them The change
of the word family to household makes
the law even more strict than it was
when first drafted
DR.. J. H. Briefly, of Cloud county
said: This bill has been changed to let
physicians ride on passes under certain
circumstances but it still leaves physf-
clans and surgeons in the class of sus-
piciouS characters. 1t doesn't treat
them as they should be treated. There
fore I am opposed to the BILL
G. Porter Craddock, of Stevens, said:
Il am opposed to any antipass law that
allows railroad employees to ride. and
does not allow other employees, just as
worthy, to also ride on free passes if
they can get them
E. A. Enright. of Kansas City. said;
or Diety for anything 1 may have said
about this bill. I don't like the general
tendency indicated by the remarks of
the friends of the bill. However, the
and 1 believe that it is my
duty to vote for this bill.'
]. L. Finley, of Cheyenne, said: II do
not believe this law draws the line in
the best paid in the United States, yet
they can ride free while others must
pay"
M A Hutcheson. of Shawnee. said:
My constituents do not want an anti
pass law like this, and I consider it
too strict
M. c. Policy of Republic said: "I
am not tied down by instructions from
my constituents, nor by corporate in
terest, nor am I controlled by any
octopus or monopoly. l have read
everything 1 could find time to read on
this subject, and l am exercising my
best judgment as to what is right or
wrong in the matter. I believe the
Stone bill is unfair and unjust, and I
shall vote against it,
After the bill had been passed. a
slight correction was made in the title
by Representative Stone, to make it
more nearly correspond with the
working of the bill in relation to all
carriers instead of merely
railroad companies.
Vote of House on Antipass Bill.
The vote was as follows:
For the bill: Adams. Archer,
Banks. Beeson. Bergman, Blaine.
Boggs. Boyle. Brandon, Brown, Chat
ten, Cole. COttingham, Cru-nIy, Cur
ran, Davidson of Sedgwick, Davis
Dawson of Marion, Dennis, Edwards
Elstun. Enright. Ferguson. Fisher
Flanagan, Foley. Fraser. Giants. Cor
don. Grasse. Guyer, Ham, Hart. Has
kins. Helmick Hendricks. Holden of
Wichita, .Holdren of Montgomery
Kirkland, Lander. Lehman. Leland,
Lennen. Leydig, Martin, Mayhew,
Mercer, Milligan, Mitchell, Morgan of
Hodgeman. Morgan of Reno, Murphy.
Myers, Neihart. Oshant. Padgett
Peter. Plumb. Pomeroy, Potts. Price,
Rail, Ransom, Reynard. Rhodes,
Rockefeller. Roush, Saun-
ders, Sherer, Sipple. Skinner, Stock
ton, Stone, Stubbs. Sweeny, Swope,
Fannahill. Thompson, Tredway. UNI
loItz. Wells. Westcott. Wheeler. White.
Wilson and Mr.. Speaker Simmons
81.
Against the bill-Bird, Brierley,
Craddock, Finley Gesner. Hutcheson,
FERRIES, Jones. Kiff, McGillivray, Mill
II. Montee, O'Conner, Patterson. Poi
ey, Rich, Richardson, Rochester,