The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-20
FLOOD IS over.
Introduction OF Bills in the
House Ends.
Total Shows Falling OFF From
Last Session.
STONE HAS THE LAST.
ONE HAS THE LAST.
Shawnee Representative Also
Introduced First Bill.
Morning Session Devoted to
Maximum Rate Bill.

Introduction of all new bills, except
| appropriation bills, ended in the house
at noon today.
The total number of bills introduced
in the house during the session was
$40, as compared with 1,004 at the 1905
session. A total of 3s new bills were
put into the hopper at today's session.
The last bill introduced. which bears
the number $40, was presented by Rob-
ert Stone of Shawnee county. 1t was
bill making certain changes in the
laws relating to cities of the first
class Mr.. Stone also introduced bill
No. !.
At ten minutes before noon the house
suspended all other business, to allow
members a chance to rush in their final
! crop of bills. Earlier in the day 26 new
bills had been presented and on the
| last call, II more were brought to light.
! Among the last II bills was one by
Elstun of Elk authorizing the super
! intendent of insurance to employ a fill
/ ing clerk at a salary OF $500.
Cunningham of Cowley, introduced
one giving to members of the anti
horse thief association and similar or
ganiZations, the powers of deputy shei-
ifs.
Lander of Mcpherson, presented a
bill requiring railroad companies to
place a spittoon at every seat in
passenger coach and prohibiting spit
ting on the floor.
Rochester of Scott had bill amend
ing the libel laws to place the burden
of proof of the truth of an article on
the defendant.
Plumb, of Lyon, offered a local bill
authorizing the county commissioners
of Lyon county to buy county fair
grounds.
Maximum Rate Bill Discussed.
Most of the morning session was put
in by the house in discussion of the
maximum rate bill. No vote was TAX
en- on the bill and the discussion was
not completed, but it was evident that
the sentiment of the house vas
strongly in favor of the bill.
There was little debate on the bill
as the sections zgere read. At the
close of the second section w. A. Els
tun of Elk county offered an amend
rnent which made the rates on lum-
ber the same as the maximum rates
on corn. On account of some mis-
takes made in drawing the amend
ment it was withdrawn.
c. F. Neihart of Usage offered an
amendment to make the corn rates
cover the rates on hay. He said that
the hay rates were the same as those
for corn and that the schedule made
by the committee actually raised the
rates on hay. ]. F. White replied that
while it might appear that the hay
rates were raised this was done SIM
ply to make the bill less liable to sue
cessfuI attack by the railroads and to
square deal. He said that a car could
not be loaded to its full capacity
weight with hay as it could with corn
and the earning capacity of a car
could not be secured by the railroads
and the roads would not allow their
cars to be used for hay shipments, as
long as there was any corn offered
for shipment On this explanation
Mr.. Neihart withdrew his amendment.
When the section relating to ce-
reached E. A. Enright moved that IT
be stricken out, saying that he expect
ed that the railroads would raise the
rates on other manufactured products
which were not covered by the bill IN
order to make up the loss occasioned
by the bill He said this wouldn't oe
fair to the consumers and especially to
the workingmen. The motion was
killed right on the jump.
On a question by G. F. Foley, Mr..
White said that the rates on broom
corn for short distances were cut over
so per cent by the bill while the cut
in rates for longer distances was from
90 to 25 per cent
When the section in rates for hay was
reached C. F. Neihart again offered an
amendment which substituted the rates
on corn as given in the bill for the hay
rates which were slightly higher than
against the amendment on the same
grounds as given in his former re-
marks. He called attention to the fact
that the railroads at present carried the !
hay rates on a blanket of nearly loo !
miles wide while the bill cut the !
blanket into 5 and 10 mile segments |
and made the rates more equitable to
every section of the state.
Mr. Neihart said: Il would feel queer
If had to go home and tell my people |
that 1 favored a maximum rate bill that |
raises the rate on hay from my local |
ity about So, cents a ton
F. c. Pomeroy- Of jackson stated that
the rate from his locality is now cents |
a hundred, while the new schedule |
raises it to S14 cents.
w Y Morgan said that the present |
railroad rates are discriminatiYe, and /
that the new schedule corrects these
Determinations
The Neihart motion was carried by |
a vote of So for to SO against. The corn
schedule was therefore made TO apply
to hay shipments.
AS it was nearly noon the house post
poned further consideration of the bill
Resubnlission Question Is Up.
Westcott of Cherokee presented to the
house a resolution providing for the re-
submission of the prohibitory amend
uent. The proposed change in the con-
stitution consists of the addition of |
proviso which says that when ten per
cent of the voters in any county shall
petition the county commissioners,
special election shall be called to vote on
the prohibitory question IN that county
The resolution says
And if a majority of the electors vot-,
ing on that question shall vote in favor
thereof. then intoxicating liquors may
be sold under such regulations as the
legislature may provide"
1t is provided that the amendment to
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