The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-16
Introduction of Rills in Both
Houses Stops Today.
Rock Roads Under Considera-
tiOn in Senate.
QUAIL BILL AGAIN.
Senator Travis Makes Effort to
Force 1t Through.
RumOr of a Senate Lodge to
Defeat Utilities Bill.

/ interesting SeS-
sion is promised before the day closes.
A number of measures upon which
there is considerable difference of
| opinion, will be considered and some
lively debates are predicted.
A large number of new bills were
presented. today being the last oppor-
tunity for introducing bills. excepting
| those presented by committees and
the appropriation measures
At $3.50 o'clock the senate took up
s. B. No. 427. limiting the rate of levy
of taxes throughout the state. which
| had been made a special order for
| that time.
Among the bills that will probably
stir up controversy are s B. No. IL. by
| Hodges, and S. B. No. 395 by Travis
The Hodges bill is on third reading
and provides for the construction of
rock roads which cost more than
| $1,000 a mile.
| The Travis bill proposes amendments
| to the fish and game laws The other
| day the senate killed the Myers bill
| Whlcn prohibited the hunting of quail
| for six years. The vote on the oues-
| tion was decidedly close, and it is m
| derstood that the friends of the quail
| viii make strong effort today to in
| sert the years prohibition or quail
hunting in the Travis fish and game
| bill
The sportsmen in the senate will
stand together, probably under the
| leadership of Senator Carey, who holds
\ medals as quail and duck shot The
| fight to prohibit quail shooting for six
/ years will likely be led by Senator
Myers, who couldn't tell a modern
Winchester hammerless from an an
cient catapult.
| The elections committee submitted
| its report relative to the Getty Milton
| and Caldwell Moore contests, seating
Milton and Caldwell
! Senator Caldwell was in the senate
when the session convened this after
noon. He was a member of the senate
I in 1905 and 1907 and was considered one
of the most capable legislators in the
senate
No SenateI Lodge.
| While careful inquiry and investigation
among the senators fails to reveal any
concerted movement or combination to
defeat the public utilities bill, yet there
has been steadily developing well
defined sentiment in opposition to the
bill that is now before the state Iegis-
lature. The. house Judiciary commit
tee reported the bill to the house and
it was to have been considered under
special orders yesterday afternoon but
other things prevented
In the senate this measure has not
progressed even that far. it being held
up in the judiciary committee.
The utilities bill has been thorough
~ discussed and dissected by support
ers and opponents before the senate
judiciary committee and from express
sions heard among the senators the bill
in its original form is impossible for
passage.
The senate judiciary committee is
awaiting some action on the bill by
the house, but if the house does not
act on the bill soon the measure may
be reported to the senate without rec
ommendation and let the senate as a
whole fight out the different PROPOSE
tions contained in the bill
The senators seem inclined to favor
a utilities bill applying to cities of the
first class only, the expense of ad-
ministering such law to be borne
by the cities affected and not saddled
upon the whole people of the state.
The senate committee on railroads
will grant hearing Wednesday
night on Senator's Stewart's bill re-
Quiring full crews on all freight trains
and switching engines Representa-
tives of all the railroads will appear
before the committee to argue against
the bill
A favorable report has been made
bill appointing an honorary commits
sion to investigate the advisability of
| publishing school text books by the
state.
The senate judiciary committee to-
day decided to recommend for passage
Senator Anderson's bill allowing presi-
Dental electors S5 a day and 3 cents
a mile each way from their homes to
| Topeka to attend the convention of
electors The present law allows the
| electors SO a day and Is cents a mile.
Senate Lodge Story.
| A Kansas City paper prints the fol-
| lowing from its Topeka CORES pondent:
Another lodge" is being formed in
the senate. Its object at present is the
| defeat of the Hamilton general utili-
ties commission bill. The lodge of
! two years ago was organized and oper-
! ated in the interest of the railroads
1 and for the defeat of the primary cleo
ton law The only aim of the present
smothering of the Hamilton bill, which
! has the support of the governor
Whether the organization will continue
| in force after the utilities bill has been
! iisposed of remains to be seen
| The enemies Of the utilities bill are
boasting tonight that they have
| twenty-seven senators pledged to vote
! against it This may be true, but it
| is often the case that senators will
| vote against bill before the roll call
| Is actually had and they are COM
| PEELED to go on record before their
constituents. then change their minds
| later The new lodge members are
| justifying their opposition to the bill
| by saying '+the farmers are against a
| utilities law OF course no farmers
! appeared before the senate judiciary
/ committee. which has the bill under
| consideration, unless they were F. Du-
mont Smith, ex-senator; Louis E.
/ Myers of Chicago, vice president of
| the Topeka Street Railway company
| and electric light plant. and ]. w.
= Kansas Telephone company.