The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-02-26
5 Legislative Gossip

OllllCdl Wiit AeN'o
hard shedding after this If the bill re-
ported favorably by the senate COM
mittee on elections is enacted into law.
1t absolutely bars independent" can
didates from running for office, by
providing that their names shall not
be printed on the Australian ballot at
the general election. The object of
the bill is to drive all voters into one
of the regularly organized parties.
The time for. the introduction Of
bills, except committee bills, ceased
in the legislature Feb. 16. Up to that
time there were 644 senate bills and
$50 house bills introduced, total OF
1903. So far, thirteen have been en-
acted into law, and the end of the ses-
sion Is only two weeks away. Care
was taken to see that bills covering
all promises in the Republican state
platform were in the hopper.
The legislature killed a bill pre-
venting the intermarriage of whites
with Japanese. The bill also contain
ed a clause prohibiting the marriage
of whites and negroes, but it was kill
ed on account of the Jap feature. The
members thought that such law
might incite further i'll feeling between
the two countries, and they did not
want Kansas to secure any such ad-
verse advertising as California recent
ly has over the Jap question.
The house passed the anti-lobby Dill
as it came from the senate without a
single amendment and it becomes
law just as soon as it can be signed
by the governor and printed In the Of
fetal paper. After this all lobbyists
except those who represent municipal
of other public corporations must reg
lister. However, the standing commit
tees can invite people before them
without requiring them to register.
The vote was 50 to 10.
Up to February 1E only thirteen
bills had been enacted into law and
most of them are unimportant. Eleven
resolutions have been adopted which
must go into the statutes. None OF
them relates to a change of the con-
stitution. Unless the legislature gets
down to work soon the 1909 session
laws will not be any larger than the
report of the state board of health on
the enforcement of the pure food
law.
The house ways and means commit
ciI 10 000 tn
the development of normal courses In
the city and county high schools of
the state Every high school that will
put in a normal course will be given
$500 a term as state aid. This means
81 900 a year, as there are two terms
a year. But there must be at least
ten students taking the course Rep
resentative Amrine says that this
will stimulate normal work in all the
high schools of the state. -.
Merchants in the small towns OF
Kansas are greatly excited over the
bulk sales bill pending in the legisla-
ture and they are sending in protests
by the cord against it's enactment.
They claim that it is in the interests
of foreign wholesale houses and
reflection upon the integrity OF Kan
sas merchants The bill requires
merchant to give ten days notice in
his home paper of his intention to sell
his store. 1t will likely fail of pas
sage.
Senator Quincy's resolution instruct
ing the Kansas delegation in congress
to work for a change in the United
States constitution so that United
States senators can be elected by di-
rect vote, has been passed by the
house. AS soon as it can be embossed
with red ribbon and the seal of the
state, etc, it will be sent to Wash
ington. That is, an embossed copy
will be sent to each member. The
members will file hem, and they will
be printed in the Congressional Rec
ord.
From present indications 1t appears
that there will be no state fair au-
thorized at this session of the state
legislature. The bill is reposing in
pigeonhole in the ways and means
committee of the senate and has not
even been considered by the commit
tee. A majority of the members of the
committee do not seem to approve of
the state fair bill.
Among the important house bills IA
vorably reported were the bill by Nc
Nair of Meade authorizing county
commissioners to drill artesian wells
in their respective counties at an ex-
penditure of not to exceed 10000; the
bill of Amrine of Morris, prohibiting
the defilement of running streams by
throwing therein Of the carcasses OF
animals or any refuse of waste In
- c.