The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-26
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Senator Robertson Has Ideas on
Needed Legislation.
Believes School Books Should Be
Printed by State.
WANTS A BANK LAW.
Primary Election and Tax Meas
ure i'm Need of Revision.
Senator Brady Would Change
City Commission Plan.

elect from the Thirty-ninth district
when asked his ideas of the most i'm
portant and needful legislation to
come before the next session of the
Kansas law makers. replied as fol-
lows:
High on the list of things to be
considered, I would place the school
book question and the subject of
promotion of education generally in
the state. The future of Kansas must
be measured by the kind of men and
women we are turning out. 1 be-
Heve school books should be printed
by the state and furnished to the
users at cost. 1t is my belief, from
something of an investigation of the
subject, good books-books much bet
ter than the ones we are now using
can be prepared and furnished by
the state for probably less than one
half we are now paying the school
book tHust for inferior books, and be-
side, the frequent changes of books
would be avoided.
The question of guaranteeing bank
deposits is an important one. I am
inclined to think that the deposits
should be guaranteed by the state.
There are many sound arguments in
favor of such guarantee and I find
the plan is supported by leading men
in all parties. These arguments, of
course, cannot be presented in the
brief space of this letter.
'The tax law and the primary cleo
ton law both need much treatment.
1t has occurred to me that possibly
the assessment of real estate could be
facilitated and the expense thereof
economical by having in each coun-
ty carefully prepared typographical
map OF the country; such map could
easily be kept UP to date, the land
readily classified, and the assessm ent
made more equitably than it now is
by the present slip-shod method The
cost OF assessment of property. under
the new law, has been more than
doubled in this part of the state. and
have escaped their just share of the
burden of taxation.
THE primary election law should
be so modified that the ballot will be
"a secret. This country spent over
$500 for printing and the notice of the
primary. This expense is useless and
serves no good purpose except to
replenish the oftimes empty pocket
book of the printer. I would have the
law SO modified that there Ewould be
no advantage to any candidate by the
arrangement of names on the ballot
1t seems to me If the names were
printed in the margin of a double cir
Gle, all would stand an equal show so
far as arrangement is concerned.
1.-THE question of good roads is i'm
portant, but should not be allowed to
over shadow other matters Of equal
or greater Importance.
realize how important is the subject
of the change on our code of civil
procedure. This is a matter of
transcendent Importance to this and
the future generations of our state.
No one knows how soon his personal
liberty or his property rights may be
in question in our courts. The IegisIa-
ture should approach this important
and stupendous undertaking of
adopting new code of civil pro-
Jx-ffI 6n ~,
and caution. This is a subject that
can be understood in all its details,
only by the lawyers. The lawyer
members of the senate and house
should scrutinize bills along this line
very carefully, to the end that the
great corporate interests do not gain
an advantage and make it more diff
cult for the poor man to be heard in
court than for the rich.
The senatorial districts of the state
should be rearranged. It is almost as
difficult to make a campaign for state
senator in this district as to run for
congress. This district contains
thirteen counties, casting more votes
than any other district in the state.
and from two to five times as
many votes as great many other
senatorial districts.
II trust that the legislature will be
found laboring for the good of Kan
sas rather than for the benefit of the
The amendment to the commission
government law for cities of the first
class as proposed by Senator Brady
of Lawrence contains the best features
Of both the Iowa and Texas ideas. 1t
goes even farther than the plan as
in either of these states in
that it places the city schools in the
hands of the commissioners. This idea
will appeal to many Topeka people for
the reason that the cost of the local
schools has been enormous during the
past few years in proportion to the size
and wealth of the city
The initiative and referendum clause
is applied in the matter of granting
charters and franchises, insuring alb
solute protection from corporations
Every effort is made to eliminate par
tisanship in the nomination and cleo
ton of the mayor and commissioners.
If Senator Brady's bill goes through
the legislature without amendment no
progressive city in the state need be
longer afraid to try the commission
plan of government.
No less than a dozen cities of Kan
sas are at this time considering the
commission plan with a view to adop-
ton.
A vital statistics bill will be intro
duced at the next session of the legis-
lature which has the endorsement of
the Kansas state board of health and
Of several national medical associa-
tlOnS. Ihe Dill provides that the state
board of health shall have charge of
the registration of births and deaths
and the secretary is to have general
of the new bureau created
by the measure. The entire state is to
be organized into registration districts
with a sub-registrar for each district
Burial permits will be necessary un-
der the provisions of the new law and
there are twenty-four questions to be
answered in this regard which range