The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-05
USED A SHARP AXE
Senate MutiIsted Hoch's Anti
Gambling Bill.
Then to End the Agony Cut
Out Enacting Clause.
THEY STAID UP LATE.
Worked Until After Eleven on
the Measure.
Then Found That There Was
No Quorum.
THEY STAID UP LATE.

1t is almost a tragedy the way the
Kansas senate lands on Governor
Hoch's pet bills. Whenever a bill APP
pears bearing the tag My bill; pass
it. (Signed) E. w Boch," the senate
flies at it and bites its head off. 1t
is the regular thing. and is intended
to show the governor that it does not
pay to come before the senate in per
son and lecture that body for unworth-
mess
Monday night the senate had a regu-
lar barbaric war dance around Hoch' s
antigambling BILL Until nearly mid
night, the bill was kept under torture.
Bale Waggener, w. S. Fitzpatrick.
Tom Noftzger and the other braves,
with their scalping knives in their
tony of the bill. and playfully poked
their blades in among its internal or
gans. Whenever they csaw a protuber-
ance marked assistant attorney gen
eraP' state marshal" 1T was
promptly amputated without the use
of anesthetic The slow fires sizzled
and the tom-toms were. beating, while
the victim at the stake struggled feebly
and ineffectively. Just as it was about
to expire from gradual mutilation,
Senator Waggener seized a battle axe.
and pronounced these words Mr..
Chairman, 1 move that the enacting
clause be stricken OUT And with that
he chopped of the head of the bill with
one blow.
This particular bill made a very
nasty disturbance while in its dying
agony, and it was this that kept the
senators up so late. In fact, 1t was
found necessary to postpone the inter-
ment of the corpse until this morning.
After the head of the bill had been
removed by Senator Waggener's battle
axe, and the committee of the whole
was ready to report the result of its
work to- the senate, Senator Simons
moved that the senate disagree with
the report of the committee, and de-
manded a roll call. The roll call is
sort of an avenging angel for dead
bills. 1t comes in at inopportune times.
like a ghost. to haunt the paths Of
peaceful legislators.
1t was about 1880 when Senator
Simons introduced this particular ghost
to the Kansas state senate. It happen
ed that most of the enemies of the bill,
who has been participating in the war
dance earlier in the evening, had be-
come weary of the carnage and had
gone to their respective and respectable
beds. There were only 10 members
left in the hall. Eleven of them voted
to disagree with the committee report.
Eight of them voted against disagree
ment. In other words, the roll call
ghost moved a majority of the remain
ing senators to vote TO save the bill
Those voting for the bill were Baker,
Dolley, Fitzpatrick, Fulton, Miller,
Noftzger. Simons Stannard, Stewart.
Tucker, Young. Those voting against
the bill were Benson, Carver, Getty,
Harrison, Hodges Huffman, Quincy,
Waggener.
A call of the senate was ordered.
The doors were locked. AT midnight.
the sergeant at arms hustled out into
the darkness to root out enough sleep
ing senators to make a quorum. The
senators remaining in the hall chewed
the parliamentary rag for an hour,
waiting for the returns to come in.
Finally they decided that they had
hit upon a way by which they might
void ING 7icrl7t to 1s~ft
the absent members to be brought i'll.
All of the senators who had voted
against disagreement, changed their
votes. The senate then adjourned,
with the understanding that the first
thing a the morning session, a motion
would be made to reconsider the vote
saved the MutiIated Bill.
The mutilated bill was apparently
hardly worth saving. but its friends
made determined struggle for it.
Senator Waggener made his motion
to reconsider this morning and it pass
ed Then a roll call was taken on the
same proposition presented last night
to disagree with the report of the COM
mittee of the whole on the Simons bill,
which report was that the enacting
clause be stricken out. The motion to
disagree carried by a vote of % to 9. |
and then the remains of the Simons bill
were recommended for passage.
The vote on the motion to disagree
was as follows:
Caldwell. Carver, Dolley. Fitzpatrick,
Fulton. Gilbert, Griffin, Haskell /
Hughes, Lower, Martin of Woodson, !
Miller, Quincy. Robertson, Simons,
Stannard. Stewart, Tucker, Wilkerson, /
Ycung-23
To agree-Benscn. Conner Harrison,
Hodges, Huffman. Porter of Montgom-
cry, Shillings, Waggener-9.
Absent-Brewer, Chapman, Hamme,
Hayden. Martin of Bourbon, Noftzger, |
Porter of Crawford, Smith.
Bill Was Drawn by Trickett.
The anti-gambling bill is one of two
bills drafted by ex-Attorney General
c. c. Coleman. Assistant Attorney
General w. S. Trickett. and others. !
The other bill was the prohibitory Ii
Quor bill, providing for assistant at
torney generals, state marshals, the
paddock system, and a lot of other
things to enable the governor of the
state to take direct charge of the en-
forcement of law. The senate killed
the liquor bill some days ago. The
gambling bill was travelling a few DAYS
behind the liquor bill, and did not fall
into the ambush until Tuesday night |
In general purposes il was very much
like the liquor bill. 1t was intended to
strength = -..e assistant attorney gem
erai system of law enforcement.
This bill was drawn" said Senator
Waggener, for the purpose of collect
ing fat attorney fees, not for enforc-
Ing the law" And then he moved to
Out WOTOS assistant attOr-
ney general" wherever those words
appeared in the BIZ
"How do you know that was the
purpose of the bill?" asked Senator
Young.
''In the special message to the leg
islature." said Senator Waggener 1.-THE
governor referred to a bill drawn by
this man Trickett. Trickett is the man
who has made a fortune enforcing the
law in Kansas City, Kan. He merely
wants to enlarge and extend mis- sys-
tenn. This is the scheme which he has
devised. The county attorneys are the
ones whose business it is to enforce