The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-02-15
House Begins to Dispatch Busi-
ness in Earnest
But Members Soon Forget Good
Intentions.
THE GOOD ROADS BILL
Vain Effort Made to Consolidate
Three in One.
DOlley Makes a Reply
to White.

The house started out to get down
to business in earnest this morning,
by proceeding under a system of
eight bills set for certain hours today,
Tuesday and Wednesday under gen
eral orders and is in fair way to ac-
complish a lot Of important business
this week. The two administration
good roads bills, the utilities bill, the
anti-lobby bill and the prohibition
bills are all scheduled for final dis
position the first three days of this
week. If the house train runs on its
new schedule it will get a long ways
on its legislative journey to the
square deal station of rest and honor.
But at the first dash out of the box
there was a JangIe and the schedule
was shattered after two hours of de-
bate.
Speaking today of the recent criti-
cism of William Allen White in the
Emporia Gazette, Speaker Dolley
said 'I believe that if Mr. White had
spent some time here in the state
house and observed the hard work
and long hours by the boys of the
house that he would not have been so
hasty in his criticism He is labor
ing unQer the Q6IuSlOn tnat THIS mouse
has been playing horse or eating pea
nuts, but the fact is, a vast amount
of work has been accomplished in
committee and house sessions This
preliminary work was necessary. We
are now ready for the serious business
of the session and will grind out
legislation at satisfactory rate from
now on. 1t must be rem rendered that
the omnibus practice of passing bills
in a bunch has not been followed by
hi CsO1 eli anT of oil
separately takes lots of time. We
will redeem the party pledges; have
no doubt on that question. If Mr..
White had waited week he would
never have written his article
The automobile bill by Case of
Dickinson. considered by the house in
committee of the whole this morning.
provides for a. state tax OF. SIS per year
on all cars costing up to $2.500- and
$40 per year for cars costing $2,500
and over. AS there. are estimated to
be in the state $500 machines subject
to the first named tax and 1,500 ma
chimes coming under the provisions of
state from this tax bill will aggre-
gate about $4,000 per year. The
money raised by this tax shall be
used for the payments of the salary
and his clerk and for the fees of
county engineers working under the
supervision of the state engineer.
In the bill by Case which was con-
sidered next after the automobile bill
provision is made for the creating of
the office of a state engineer Of roads
and highways with headquarters in
the state house in Topeka and the bill
goes on to outline a practical system
of roadmaking for the state under the
supervision of this official and experts
working under him in the different
counties.
the house next considered the good
roads bill by the committee on roads
and highways providing for the i'm
provement of country roads by use of
the road drag.
These three bills were all read togeth-
er without debate until they could be
considered as one triple good roads
bill. After the reading Speaker Dol
ley took the floor in defense Of, the
three measures. In the course of his
talk the speaker declared that the
house, if it passed these three bills it
would have laid the foundation for
the biggest business proposition ever
handled by any legislature in the
state of Kansas
The bills were split up and consid-
cred separately by the house, and the
old dilatory tactics again employed.
L
roads was considered at once and the
state engineer and auto tax bills
shunted on to the side track "for
consideration at some other time"
Ten members got up and talked, sep
arateIy and together. and so the good
start made by the house this morning
under a do-som ething, system was
shattered to smfthereens. Enough
time was wasted right here in argu-
ment over Which bill to consider to
have Dassed all three of the bills
Some of the members were opposed
to the administration plan of having
a state engineer of highways, in other
words a system and expert supervis-
ion of the expenditure of the millions
of dollars necessary for good roads.
The morning session had passed be-
fore the house had even decided what
it wanted to do. Ryan of Brown, did
not think the bills had been regularly
presented through the committee on
roads and highways, and so he object
ed to their. consideration at this time.
At the rate of progress in the house
this morning it will take a month yet
to pass one good roads bill, and yet
the people of this state have declared
for good roads legislation in unmistak-
able terms.
lust before dinner time, Foley of
Rice stopped the Jangling by moving
that the house consider the good roads
drag bill The motion carried and at
last the house got down to business,
this measure were left to wander
around loose.
House committees killed % bills Sat
urday and II today. There are 147 bills
.Under general orders in committee of
the whole al this time and eight bills
under special orders. Under this lat
ter head are the following measures: