The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-05

court of competent jurisdiction double
the actual damages, together with
reasonable attorneys fee.
Sec. z. Chapter 24O of the session
laws of 1897, chapter SO of the session
laws of 1898, chapter 4s7 of the ses-
sion laws of 1908, and chapter 496 OF
the session laws of 1905 be and the
same are hereby repealed.
sec. g. This act shall take eHece
and be in force from and after its pub
LEGATION in the official state paper.
The Pension Agency.
Representative Bird of Shawnee in
troduced a resolution this morning to
instruct members of congress by tele-
gram to use every legal means to de-
feat in the United States senate the
bill abolishing the pension office at
Topeka, which passed the lower house.
The resolution also provided for the
notification of the legislatures OF Mis-
souri, and Colorado of the action.
Because the Topeka Capital limited
that he had overworked his authority
as chairman to help defeat Stubs
measure, Speaker Simmons broke into
the services just before noon today
with a denial of the charges, as fol-
lows:
This mornings Topeka Capital
plainly inSinuates that the committee
appointed to attend the funeral of
Hon. G. H. McKinnie were selected
by the speaker with view to having
absent from the session, friends of the
Stubs bill. 1 have fully appreciated
the unfriendly attitude of this paper
to me personally and have known it
would take every opportunity to mis-
represent me and have considered
what it said politically and personally
was not of sufficient interest to the
public to warrant any attention But
this charge is directly against my of11-
cial actions and shall not go unan-
swered
Of
ing the people of Kansas and my
county in some more or less humble
capacity for sixteen years out of the
last twenty and much of the time in
positions for which 1 was not a can
didate, and this is the first time that
my official actions were ever called in
question by a paper which pretended
to have any standing at all L have
my own ideas on different matters of
legislation, but 1 meant what L said
when I declared that 1 would never
use my official position as speaker to
help or hinder any measure before the
house, though with the objects and
aims of the Capital 1 can we'll under
stand that it did not appreciate or I'M
derStand that this was really meant
1 have kept that declaration faithfully
and even the Capital had to admit that
the committees appointed were all fair
committees. 1 wish to repeat now
that no action of mine as speaker will
be taken to help or hinder any meas
ure and none has been. l would re-
gard it as disgraceful to appoint
committee to attend the funeral OF
departed member of the house for the
purpose of weakening certain meas
ure and 1 regard it as just as disgrace
full for a newspaper to purpoSely mis-
and misState matters as the
Capital has done. 1t has a duty to be
honest as I have to be fair.
1.-The committee was selected as fol-
lows: asked Mr.. Oshant of the min
Ority to Consult with the gentlemen or
that part of the house and select three
members Mr.. Foley of Rice handed
me the names of the three Democrats
who are on the committee. asked Mr..
Fraser to attend as he is from a near
by county. AS I finished talking to
him, 1 was called into my office and I
asked Mr.. Cunningham, speaker pro
tenn, to find fifth man and he found
Mr.. ingalls, and suggested him and
made the appointment So out of the
five, I selected one and had no idea
what his attitude was toward the bill
in question On this slender founda-
ton, the Topeka Capital builds its
claim that I have been unfair and pro-
stituted my position to hinder some
bill rs
II know how useless a newspaper
is and do not intend to en-
gage in one. / realize that there is no
way to compel just treatment from a
paper not inclined to give it. But feel
t is my duty to make this statement to
he house."
Representative Oshant. Democrat,
rose in his place and announced that
any charges against the speaker were
and that he had allowed
he Democrats to make the choice of
delegates to the McKinnie funeral.
Representative Enright introduced a
pill today which will enable the legis-
ature TO secure legal opinions from the
supreme court on questions of constr- |
in laws.
The real purpose of this bill is to see
about the two courts, the district |
court and the court of common pleas !
n Wyandotte county. Enright wants |
% know if they are both legally sound |
md if not. to introduce some legisIa- |
IL. L.