The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-13
NEARING THE END
Session of Legislature Will Soon
Be Over.
All Important Legislation Is
Yet to Ee Enacted.
BECOMING RESTLESS.
Constituents Demand the Re-
demptiOn of Pledges.
An Innocent Looking Bill
Which Would Hurt Kansas.
BECOMING RESTLESS.

working days OF the 1909 session of
the legislature after today and not one
of the Republican party pledges have
been enacted into laws is the cause OF
more or less criticism from the folks
at home who have kept close watch on
the session from afar. William Allen
Whites suggestion, while attracting
more attention, is along the same line
as many others delivered by an impa-
ttent constituency. There is a reason
Twenty-nine- days have been con-
suned in consideration of minor meas
ures and the members private pledges
while the party pledges still remain in
committee. This is piling up wrath
against the day Of wrath
The guarantee deposit, public utili-
ties, physical valuation, appropria-
tions, tax assessment, good roads and
a score of other bills, all pledges
made TO the voters in good faith, have
been showed aside while the members
debated at length on local and person
al bills Some of thsSe administration
bills are very long and even if no op-
position developed against them,
would require a great deal Of time in
committee Of the whole.
The legislature cannot be criticised
for trihing or laziness- The house eS-
pecially has set new record for get
ting down to business early and work
ing hard. The house has spent long
hours in its hall, has worked Satur-
days and its committees have also
worked hard Speaker Dolley and the
various chairmen of committees of the
whole have pushed the business of the
session as rapidly as possible.
The trouble seems TO be in lack OF
headwork- Instead of tackIing the big
and important problems first, the
house has like the small boy, put off
saving the wood until the game OF
marbles was finished. A pretext is al
ways available for keeping an fmpor-
tant bill in committee Later, later,
there is this and that to be considered,
a little more time for details. the wat
/ er is very cold, wait. And SO all the
big bills are still waiting, and the peo-
/ pie are beginning to grumble.
| The utilities bill for instance, has
been set for consideration next Mon
day, provided that so and so does not
object, and the weather is right and
the house feels in the proper humor
and no local bill gets in the way. If
not Monday, then Tuesday will be
good day, or Wednesday.
The house leaders and heads of
committees should get together and
agree on a plan of action Here are
twenty bills promised to the people
I last summer and demanded this win
| ter These bills. have been in commit
| tee for weeks. Let a day be set for
each bill and see to it that nothing
| comes up to hinder. Fight il out on
1
! a finish
There is penalty attached to
house leadership. Herds of com
nnittees and the members who talk
| long and often on every occasion are
| ngled out already for praise or
| slaughter Their party IS happy or
! suffers with them A little foresight,
method and frmness are worth ton
| of everything else at this time Fire
| works, economy and local bills are all
very well, but they should have been
/ showed aside long ago and the serious
| business of the session taken in
/ hand
! Twelve working days yet remain
and six additional days to make up
/ for the Sundays for which the mem
| bers have been paid, nineteen days in
all a day for bill Every promise
| can yet be redeemed and the early
| critics set to shame, but this can
never be done under present dilatOry
methods The house cannot pass bills
that lie in committee rooms but the
house can call these bills forth and
pass them.
Over 500 bills have been introduced
| in the house this session. If 7S0 of
| them were killed in one day and only
/ twenty passed, the house would have
covered itself with glory and the new
| square deal party could declare itself
| redeemed by its works and strong in
| the faith of the people
The people are calling for only
| twenty bills VIII the legislature heed
| the caII2 The call of the people un-
| answered has wrecked bigger things
than the Kansas legislature This
call is reasonable and can be answered
| before the end of the session If the
| legislators will cast aside a multitude
| of little things and get down to busi-
ness 1t is now wasting a whole lot
| Of valuable energy on trifieS- Prop
/ erly directed, this energy can accom-
| pIish big things in a short time The
| majority of the members are honest
and they are willing to make good
| their promises to the people What is
needed at this time is head work and
| determination on the part of the lead
| ers- These leaders are as capable as
any Kansas ever had All they used
to do is to wake up to the fact that
| the session is fast passing away and
| get busy Do It now Erase the WORD
| tomorrow from the calendar. If they
| persist in their present path of
| dalliance here is a fine chance for
some one to rise up from the ranks
and put the matter squareIy before
| the shoulder talk at this time would
| stir EN- up and set some dry bones to
| rattIiug Action is demanded with
| do something plan behind it, And it
/ is demanded now-not tomorrow
A bill which is of special Importance
| to Topeka and Kansas industries has
been recommended for passage in the
house 1t is short, has an innocent title
and provides for the regulation of
wide reaching is II in effect that il
would not only result in driving the
boiler making department. of the Santa
Fe shops out Of Kansas but would put
has large boiler factory in Topeka