The Topeka state journal., 1908-01-23
Vote on Measure i'm the Senate
Is % to Is.
Next Step Will Be for a Confer
ence Committee.
ONE IMPORTANT POINT
Question Whether There Shall
BE Two Primaries or One.
Proposed to Amend COnstitu-
tiOn on Tax Question.

LUG sPnt primary bill under q Young
caption put, as amended, in reality the
Saioweil measure, with a few excep
tlons' passed the senate last evening by
q vo'e Oh ~ TO H. The roll call was as
follows:
yes-6enson, Belts. Brewer, Bus
ono"' Gaiowei' Carver, Chapman, Con-
tzpatrlck, Fulton, Griffin,
Hamme, Harrison, Haskell Hughes
Lower Noftzger. Porter of Crawford.
Porter of Montgomery, Stillinps Wap
gener Wilkerson-22
Nays--Blaker. Dollev. cettv r.,,h
Hayden, Hodges, Thurman. Mart,r ~
Bourbon, Martin of Woodson M;,,er
Quincy. Robertson, simons sr,ith
Stannard. Stewart. Tucker. Younr-1s-
The printed bill did not come IN nntiI
late in the day. 1t was amended on1v
to correct few mistakes made in nrs-
pairing the copy for the printer and to
correct typographical errors. after
which 1t went through without arx,1-
ment or comment. The majority show
ed gain of one vote, that of Benson.
VINO mad voted with the square dealers
the night before and whom the latter
had hoped to retain permanently. The
present situation as regards primary
legislation is this: The house has pass
one primary, eliminates all Conventions
for the election of delegates to formu
late party platforms and places this
junction In the hands of a party coun-
Gil The Caldwell bills. one section Of
| which passed the senate under the narne
! OF the Young bill, provide for two pri-.
maries-one for state officers and con-
gresham and another for United
States senator-and formulates party
platforms by delegates elected express
| ly for that purpose. The real fight on
| the primary proposition will come when
| the conference committees from the
two houses meet to pick a substitute
which shall be satisfactory to both
bodies. =
| A proposition to amend the constitt-
/ ton. by Senator Smith, came up as
senate concurrent resolution No. g and
relates to taxation. As originally in
troduced. it proposes to amend sections
and of article II to read as follows:
section l. The legislature shall pro-
vide for the taxation of all property by
| a uniform rule; provided, that the leg
islature may, in it's discretion, exempt
certain classes of property. The 1egis-
lature may assess intangible property in
a different manner from real and tangi-
BILE personal property. The legislature
| may tax common carriers, telegraph
! and telephone companies upon their in-s
comes; provided, that such tax shall
, not be in addition to tax on their
property or capital stock"
Smith moved to strike out the words
telegraph and telephone, as, since the
same resolution was passed by the SEN
ate last year, 80 to 8, provision has been
| made by the state board for the eol1i-
table taxation of telegraph companies.
| Express companies have also been pro
vided for. The vote on the adoption
Of the resolution was: Ayes II: nays
%, but Smith changed his vote to mo-
at the last moment, in order to move a
reconsideration of the resolution which
he did later on.
House bill No 10S, fixing the salary
of the clerk of the district court OF
Harper county at $500 was not passed:
also senate bill No. II, authorizing the
erection and maintenance of water
| works in the state of Kansas both be-
ing local measures.
Senator Belts moved reconsidera-
tion of the vote on senate bill No. IS.
| recalled from the house. relating to the
sale of the Shawnee county fair grounds
at Topeka and the purchase and I'M
provement Of new grounds for the same
| purpose, and the substitution of house
bill No. g. by Stone. covering the same
ground. The motion prevailed and the
bill was put on its third reading and
: passed. Ayes, 81; nays, 0. The bill pro-
vides for the levy Of tax Of $40 Of
! one mill each in the years 1908 and 1903.
to cover the expense of carrying out the
| provisions of this act
Senate bill No. 10, regulating the
, meetings Of the board of commission
ers of Barton county passed without
opposition.
The statement was made that owing
to the unfntentional omission of two
words in section L Of chapter 120 of the
, session laws of 1907 there was probably
not legally appointed city assessor In
: the state of Kansas today. The words
/ | left out were "city assessors and the
! trouble was remedied by the unan-
, imous passage of senate bill No. n.
bill authorizing the erection OF
900 bridge across the Marais des
Cygnes river at Kirkpatrick ford. in
. Usage county, was passed.
Stones house bill No. 81 was substi-
, tuted for senate bill No. 49, motion
of Senator Belts. Stones bill provides
that 1.-The mayor and council Of cities
of the first class are hereby authorized
to levy a tax on all property in such
| cities of not to exceed one-eighth OF
one mill per annum on each one dollar
assessed valuation, for the use and ben
eft of vocal or instrumental mosic or
t band organizations. All money re-
ceived from such levy shall be paid into
t a special fund to be known as the Hu-
! sic fund but the mayor and council
: shall not appropriate any moneys out
of such fund for the use and benefit OF
any band or musical organization untii
such band or musical organization snah
have first entered into a written con-
t tract with such city for public concerts
In the parks or public halls OF sucn
i city, at such times and places and un-
: der such regulations as shall De pro-
K vided in such contract, and no volun-
t tary donation or contribution shall De
0 made out of said fund to any such or
e ganization in any manner Whatever :
:. Provided, this act shall not apply 10
v \ cities Of the first class having pop
: uIation under forty-two thousand and
i -zfu <lx<, a