The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-06
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Bale Waggener Has Plan for
Bank Guaranty Law.
Would Amend Constitution and
Raise Fund by Taxation.
MERCER DENIES 1T.
Is Not the Author of That Fish
ing Bill.
DIR. Chapman Says Tax Law Is
a Bad One.

4 Ex-senator Bale P. Waggener of
Atchison was il the city today on
| business and while here delivered his
! opinion on the guarantee of deposits
proposition as follows:
! THE most equitable and safest
bank guaranty measure in my opinion
would be to amend the constitution to
authorize the levy each year, on all
! the taxable property of the state, a tax
not exceeding one mill on the dollar.
| to go to a state guaranty fund. until
/ that fund should reach, say. five mil
lions of dollars. The law should pro-
vide that the fund thus provided
! should from time to time be loaned to
| the banks of the state, upon security
| the same as state funds are now
| loaned, for not less than two per cent
| per annum. The interest thus de-
| rived to go to the guaranty fund as
\ an accretion to that fund-until the
| fund reaches the maximum. The
| banks. state and national, by way of
| After that, the banks-by way of in
| terest on the fund, would pay the en-
| tire accretion, which at two per cent
would amount annually to $100, 900
and until the maximum was reached
by taxation, the fund would be
augmented each year by the two per
cent interest paid by the banks >
w. E. Davis. assistant state auditor.
has returned from q visit in that
Democratic stronghold, Rails county
Mo, and says that the Missouri legis-
lature which convenes next week,
gives promise of holding a far livelier
session than the Kansas body. The
Gemlesch- Painter contest for the of
flee of lieutenant governor will first
come on for hearing. Gemlesch, the
Republican candidate, received ma
| jority of two votes on the face of the
returns, but the Democrats, having a
ma ority on joint ballot, propose to
| try and seat Painter. The Republf-
| cans threaten to retaliate by unseating
enough Democrats in the house, where
the Republicans have a majority, to
give the latter control of the legiSla-
ture. In this event Mckinley, the
Republican candidate for the United
States senate, win be sent to WASH
ington in place of William Joel Stone,
the gum shoe statesman. 1t would
appear that if the Democrats persist
in their efforts to defeat Gemlesch
thew will lose a United States senator
and the office of lieutenant governor
in the bargain. It might be noted in
passing that all this controversy and
rumors of war which threaten in adj
vance to disrupt the legislature have
nothing at all to do with the making
of state laws or improving the old
ones.
1t will be remembered that the
State Journal a short time ago pub
hshed the guarantee deposit idea of
F. J. Altswager, treasurer of Reno
county. in which he held that a rigid
enforcement of the double liability
law as regards holders Of bank stock
would solve the problem. Now Mr..
Altswager writes that he has received
many letters of endorsement of his
plan from prominent bankers over the
state.
Representative ]. H. Mercer of
Chase county was in Topeka today
making preliminary arrangements for
his attendance at the legislative ses-
sion Mr. Mercer returned home this
evening but will come to Topeka
again Saturday for his stay during the
session.
Mr.. Mercer is feeding 200 head of
cattle and making big improvements
on his home ranch this winter and is
a pretty busy man. incidentally
Representative Mercer repudiates the
authorship of the fishing bill at
tributed to him. He says he knew
nothing of it until it appeared in pub
LEGATION. He thinks some of his law
yer friends at Cottonwood Falls pre-
pared the bill and announced that he
would father it without his know
ledge.
H. G. Kyle of Marion and L. c. Mil
Ter of Pratt spent the day in the city
looking for quarters during the ses-
sion Each are new members. and
meeting in the governors office in the
morning. discussed legislation in a
practical and common sense way
They are farmers and have no pet
measures except the carrying out of
the pledges of the Republican party.
Assistant Attorney General c. j.
Shukers has returned from Cheyenne
county where he attended the pre-
Iiminary hearing of the Crosby Finley
election contest. Mr.. Shukers and
TnJa IA for Finley.
Republican. who is contrasting the
election of Josiah Crosby, Democrat,
who was elected representative from
Cheyenne on the face of the returns
by four votes majority. Allegations
of illegal voting and Illegal use of
liquor were made by both sides at the
preliminary hearing. The ballots will
likely be recounted by the election
committee of/the legislature. Ed Nc
Keever of Topeka is representing
Crosby.
DR. H. J. Chapman of Speed. Rocks
county, who also conducts a drug
store and music house and uses cleo
tro therapeutic appliances in the prac-
tice of his profession. has written the
State Journal taking exceptions to the
papers statement that the people of
the state generally endorse the new
tax law. DIR. Cha pman alleges that il
is an infamous law He supports
his assertion With the declaration that
he knows of several heavy tax payers
who pay more taxes than they did un-
der the old law. The proprietor of the
State Journal is in the same boat
with DIR. Chapman's friends, having
been assessed under the new law more
than the sale price for a piece of
property, but this personal hardship
does not destroy confidence in the
many good points of the new law.
Those who hope a perfect tax to see.
hope for what ne'er was and ne'er will
be.
REPRESENTATIVE Ben e B. Jewett of