The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-04


pages. Stubbs' bill is SO pages in
length. Holdren,s is so pages.
The Creech bill merely provides
that primaries shall be held to elect
for the selection of precinct commit
teemen. This is such diluted form
of primary law that the railroads have
figured that anybody would be willing
to swallow it.
The Holdren bill is very compre-
hensive and elaborate system for the
election of delegates to county, state,
senatorial and congressional conven-
tions, coupled with chance for peo-
pie to vote at the came time, directly
for the various candidates. This di-
rect vote is supposed to give the dele
gates their "hunch'' hut they are not
obliged to vote for the man getting the
most votes, except under the following
conditions provided in the bill:
IF upon the completion of the can
vass of returns it appears thereon
that any candidate of any. party for
the nomination for any state, congress
sional, or senatorial Office has received
a plurality of all the votes cast for
candidates for nomination for such
Office in any delegate district. such
candidate shall have cast for him the
votes of all the delegates. from such
delegate district to the convention be-
fore which he is a candidate for at
least the first BALLOT
The Stubbs primary is simple be-
i
convention. 1t provides that candi-
dates for county, state, congressional,
Legislative, senatorial and other Of
f1cers, including the United States
senatorship, may have their names
placed on the ballot by simply filing
petition with the secretary of state
signed by specified per cent of the
voters in whatever district the candi-
date may be running. The Stubbs bill
has the advantage of being decidedly
easy to understand.
The present status of these two most
important bills, upon which the grand
test of strength will be made, is as fol-
lows.
The Stone anti-pass bill. which abse-
lutely prohibits the issuance of passes
except to a limited class of legitimate
users, was reported adversely by ma
jority of the house railroad committee,
but good husky minority went on rec
ord for it, and the house sustained the
minority and in committee of the
whole recommended the Stone bill for
passage The vote was 81 to "a. This
was not on roll call, and it probably
represented the very maximum of the
railroad strength. Since then the anti
pass bill has been buried under the
head of general orders" and it can not
be lifted from that pit without sus
pension of rules which requires a two
thirds vote. Two efforts to advance the
bill have been made.s and both have
failed. Each time the friends of the
bill showed a good safe majority, but
not wo-thirds.
When the bill is reached in the reg
ular order, it will be- given its third
reading, and will probably pass. though
the railroads. who want to give passes,
and the sheriffs and others who want
to get them, are making a big fight on
it The friends of the bill figure that a
good many votes will soou1e to them on
roll call which 1t cannot get on stand
ing or viva voce vote. This isc the ''rab-
Bit portion of the house, which favors
railroads in secret, and votes the 9TH
er way in order to KEEP its record clear.
In the serate, the antf-pass bill has
been favorably reported by the railroad
committee
The primary election laws are a spec
ial order for O'Clock Tuesday after
noon in the house. The Stubs bill is
the one which was favorably reported
by the committee on elections.