The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-29
HERE'S A new ONE
Mr.. Stubs Legislative Record
Called in Question.
Topeka Man Writes Him an
Open letter.
ON LABOR QUESTION.
Charges Him With Remaining
l Silent on Garnishment Bill.
Absent and Not Voting" on
Many Labor Measures.
ON LABOR QUESTION.

During his entire campaign w. r.
Stubs has apparently not considered
II necessary to answer certain charges
brought up about his legislative rec
ord.
Laboring men throughout the state
have been charging Mr. Stubs with
all sorts of lodging on. bills in which
they were interested. N. B. Burge of
Topeka has written several letters to
Mr.. Stubs about his labor record. but
Mr.. Stubs he says, has failed to make
any reply.
Mr.. Burge has just prepared ahoth-
er letter and it was mailed to Mr..
Stubs this morning. This letter re-
cites the bills in which >the laboring
people were interested and asking
whether Mr.. Stubs helped in passing
or opposing them. Mr.. Burge is a la
Dor union man, a member of a local
union and worker in state labor cir
cles. In addition to the letter sent to
Mr.. Stubs today Mr.. Burge has writ
ten personal letter to the .secretar-
les of the three hundred labor organ
izations in Kansas. With this letter
Mr.. Burge encloses a copy of the letter
to Mr.. Stubs which reads as follows:
MIR. w. r. Stubs, Lawrence, Kan.
My Dear Sir: Referring to my let
ter to you of May 18th in reference to
your record in the legislature on labor
legislation, to which you have made
no answer, I beg to call your attention
to the exemption law that is now on
the statute books of this state where
IN, among other things, it provides:
"A homestead of $50 acres of farm
ing land, or of one acre within the
limits of an incorporated town or city.
occupied as a residence of the family
of the owner, together with all the
Improvements on the same, shall be
exempt from sale under any process
of law etc. This law might be termed
the 'garnishment bili' OF the rich
man. for 1t exempts from attachment
a farm of $50 acres which might be
worth $3.50 per acre or $4,000, and
other property; or home in town
or city which might be worth $4,000
or more. i suppose of course, Mr..
Stubs, you are in favor of this law,
which. it is true, applies to all peo-
pie of this state alike, yet benefits to
Il greater degree those who have been
able to accumulate. and protects them
by exempting from attachment for
debt expensive mansions such as
yours. for example, on Wind Hill at
Lawrence. reported to have cost you
100000. You might incur an indebt-
edness of $4,000. yet under this law
your home could not be touched for
Its payment. IL those VINO nave Deen
able to accumulate receive this pro-
lection under the present law, then.
Mr.. Stubs. I ask you in all candor,
was not the garnishment bill which
passed the house in the legislature of
1903. which took from the working
man 25 per cent of his wages; with
out one word of protest from you, d.
rected specifically against the man
who works for daily and weekly
wages? There are over six hundred la
Dor organizations in Kansas with
combined membership of $4,000 and
while they do not object to a just and
equitable garnishment bill. certainly
do and will object to being discrimin-
ated against. They have not had the
chance to amass a fortune through the
railroad contracting business as you
have had, and thereby receive the
benefits and protection under the pres
ent exemption law in the same pro-
portion as you. They do not own
homes as a general rule. and surely
not expensive ones. They have been
busy paying grocery bills. sending
their children to school and struggling
TO keep the wolf from the door gener-
ally.
"As you are heartily in favor of
reading the records of public Off
cials. you certainly cannot take ex-
ceptions to my reading your record on
labor legislation while you have been
as follows:
In the Legislature of 1908.
1.-THE punishment bill, above re-
ferred to, backed by the Retail
Grocers association and the Mer-
y chants association. passed the house
NXithout word Of protest from you.
and with you absent and not voting
but was vetoed by Governor Bailey at
the solicitation of the labor organiza
tons of the state.
House bill No. 1876. entitled An
act to provide a penalty for coercing.
or influencing or making demands
upon or requirements OF employees,
servants, laborers' etc, passed the
house, you absent ana not voting
Senate bill No. Z. substitute for
house bill. entitled An act making the
secretary of mine industries, inspector
of weights and measures at coal
mines etc. passed the house, you
absent and not voting
Also on all the following bills
which the laboring people wanted en-
acted into law, you were recorded as
absent and not voting.
House bill No. III, commonly
known as the barber bill.
Senate bill No. 100. substitute for