The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-26
HAVE HOT Time.
Members of House in Exciting
Debate.
Friends and Enemies of Utilities
Bill Clash.
CHARGES ARE MADE.
Ryan of Brown and Morgan OF
Reno Storm Center.
RumOr Of Compromise With
Friends of Administration.

The house had a whirlwind session
this morning during which the hot
test kind of a battle was waged
around and about the utilities bill. The
trouble started early in the session
when the question was raised over
making all four of the utilities bills
special orders for IL o'clock this morn
ing. The friends of the original utili-
ties bill wanted it to be considered
with the new bills drafted along the
lines of the Morgan motion of Tuesday
by the Judiciary committee. They
asked for a square deal and offered to
amend the original bill in such man
ner as to meet all the objections made
to it by Morgan of Reno and the ex-
pressed sentiments of all honest enc
mics to the bill and friends of the
plan to control the corporations. The
enemies of all utilities bills wanted the
original bill discarded altogether and
only the three new. bills drafted by in
struction of the Morgan motion con-
sidered.
After two hours of the hottest kind
of debate, during which the chair had
to threaten Ryan of Brown with the
sergeant-at-arms during Ryan'S tilt
with Davis of Bourbon, the following
roll call vote was taken on the motion
original bill along with the others:
Yeas-Amrine, Banker, Beckett,
Berke, Dryden, Buck. Buckman, Car
penter, Carter, Clay, Cline. Cranston,
Crary, Crawford Finley, Cunningham,
Davis of Bourbon, Deacon, Eadie,
FEEDER Fisher, Flagg. Grabbe. Gray,
Griffen, Harbaugh, Hopkins of Fin
ney, Hopkins of Jackson. Jewett of
Sedgwick, Krehbiel. Kyle, Lander,
Landrey. Lambertson. Lehman,
Louderback. Matson, Mccormick. Nc
MILAN. Meek, Mercer, Mitchell, Nor
ris. Morton of Clay; Morton of Os-
borne, Newlin, Parker, Ravenscraft
Schlichting, Schideler, Shoemaker.
Stannard. Stockton, Stone of Shawnee,
Walker, Watson, Westgate. White,
Wood. YoxaH, Mr.. Speaker. Total, 81.
Nays-Allen. Ashcroft. Bonnett,
Brighton, Brown, Burke, Clark. Cole,
Crumley. Davis of Kiowa, Darling,
Dennis, Ely. Fehr, Flanagan. Fran
cisco. Guilbert. Harmon, Haskin.
Jewell of Lane, Johnson, Kennett,
Kelly, Keraus, Kuoni, Laubach, Len
men. Loofbourrow, Malone. Maxwell.
McNair. Merrill, Miller, Morgan of
rison. PenweH. Phillips, Pyle, Reeder,
Rhodes of Anderson, Rhodes of Mar
shall, Rich, Rogers, Ryan, Schaum-
burg, Sekavec, Stone of Sherman,
Stout, Veatch, Westcott. Total, 81.
Under the rules a two-thirds ma
pority is required to reconsider a bill
and place it under special orders so
the motion did not prevail, but the roll
1r1endS
of the utilities bill were in a majority
this morning.
Big Fight Starts
The utilities fight is on
The three new bills were read in the
house today and the members who
stand for real control of utilities will
try to amend them along the lines of
the compromise of the original bill
outlined above. AS for the enemies of
the control of utilities, well. it is hard
. N-VT L
in the air on the matter as it now
stands. They will probably figure that
home rule of utilities altogether and
no state commission at all is the les
ser of the two evils and if they cannot
defeat all measures will likely favor
the Morgan bill.
The vote to amend the Morgan bill
into the administration compromise
measure is going to be mighty close.
Both sides are rallying for the one big
fight in the next twenty-four hours |
The lobbyists against the bill arrived
in the city on every train today and
held a conference this morning from
10 o'clock until noon.
{ The debate in the house this morn
ing on the question as to whether or
not the original utilities bill should be
considered with the other bills was an /
fight for blood There
works. The speeches were short but |
came hot from the forge and welded |
to a sharp point. Amrine, Stone. Mitch !
ell. Cunningham. DoIley, Matson. |
debate for the administration bill |
while Ryan of Brown. Davis of Kiowa
Brown of Kingman and Morgan of |
Reno stood for the Morgan bill.
Plea for Fair Play.
The administration forces pleaded for
fair play and an equal consideration of |
all four bills. Morgan and his men
fought to eliminate the administration
bill entirely and ignored completely the
offered which conceded all !
the points Mr.. Morgan aimed at when
he had the bill sent back to commit
tee for amendment.
Stone of Shawnee outlined the com
promise when he declared that Hutch
nsou and every city in the state of the
second and third class would be given
home rule of their own utilities, but
hat he wanted the giant corporations
hat do an inter-county business all
over the state should be controlled by
l state commission as the only plan
strong enough to control them at all
Dolley struck with sledge hammer
when he declared that the vote on this
was direct test of wheth-
er the members stood for a utilities
lill or would crawl under an excuse |
You will be branded as for or against
he control of corporations" he said |
and We propose that the people of the
state shall know and read the brands"
When Ryan of Brown. arose for the
me hundredth time to haraSS the
riends of the bill. Davis. Democrat,
# Bourbon. whom he was interrupting
urned on him fiercely and declared that |
lis excuses and pleas and arguments
n this matter were notL Ig more or
ess than efforts to prevent the control
# corporations. 1t was hotshot
md struck amidships. Ryan replied
With anger but his voice was lost in
he thump of the speakers gavel call