The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-09

ceeded in showing WHY the state
should not pay debt that it acknow-
lodged it owed right on the heels of
accepting from the nation fifteen times
| this sum from an older claim.
This bill by the claims and accounts
| committee contained a multitude of
claims and was a hard nut for the
house to crack. Many minor claims
cupied the house over three hours
| One claim by a man bearing the ter
rible name of Stolpzfus for a horse
valued at 500 that had been killed
on the grounds of the Olathe school
| for the deaf and dumb aroused a lot
| of discussion. A man CARRYING such a
burden as that name was handicapped
| enough in this life so the house con-
cluded to pay him for his horse.
Like Donnybrook Fair.
This troublesome claims and ac-
counts bill occupied the house for
three hours. After a half dozen red
| hot debates had occurred over various
items there occurred a pitched battle
| over amendments to give house and
| senate employees extra pay for over
| time. a hundred motions were made
at once. The chair pounded for order
with mighty strokes, but all to no
avail. There was riot and rapine AS
much noise and dissension as any
Donnybrook fair ever held in Galway.
The chair forced a vote on the bill
without the withdrawal of the amend
ments providing for extra compensa-
ton for employees and the bill failed to
carry with the necessary constitu-
tional majority. After another period
of confusion the house reconsidered
the bill, wiped out all amendments
providing extra pay for employees be
stricken from the bill and passed the
this ''Mulligan stew of bill by the
claims and accounts committee were
about the swiftest on record in this
very swift session of house fights.
Coburn Bill Passes.
The senate bill to raise Secretary
Coburn's salary from $2i50O to $4,000
was beaten during the morning ses-
sion under the cloak that the raise
was too much and that riders raising
the salaries of other state house Off
Gals had been tackled on to it, At the
night session the conference bill
agreed to by the senate raising Co
burns salary to only $4,000 and cut
ting off all other amendments was
also beaten by a vote of SO to Al.
lacking 3 votes of constitutional ma
jority. s
Those members opposing this raise
in Secretary Coburn's salary were
very bitter. They stood firm and |
strong against this raise for Coburn |
and claimed that their constituents |
had so instructed them.
1t is a passing strange thing to the |
newspaper men, this sentiment against |
Coburn in the Kansas house. The |
salary were not so instructed.
The following representatives voted |
no on the $4,000 raise:
Amrine, Ashcroft Banker, Bonnet,
Boyd, Burke of Saline, Cline, Gran
ston, Crarey, Crawford, Cron, Crum-
ley, Fisher, F'lagg, Flanagan, Fran
cisco, Harbaugh, Harrison, Hines,
Jewett of Lane, Jewett of Sedgwick,
Laubach, Lennen, Loofbourrow,, Nc
Cormick, Meek, Morgan of Hodgeman,
Morris, Morrison, Morton of Clay,
Morton of Osborne, Phillips. Reeder,
Sherman, Veatch, Watson, Westcott,
Westgate, White ..
The most incomprehensible thing
about this vote is that half of these |
from the cities voted for Coburn the |
farmers friend, the biggest man in the
state. A third conference committee
reported $4,000 for Coburn and in this
shape the bill finally passed the house.
the following members only voting
against it: Ashcroft, Bonnet, Boyd,
Crumley, Jewett of Lane. Laubach,
Ter. Stockton, Westcott.
The house frustrated the senate's
apparent plan to allow the antitrust
in the senate amendments
to the house bill. In conference COM
nittee on this bill the senate refused
10 concede on any single point. Stone
IF Shawnee led the fight to get the bill
through in it's amended form.
w. A. Morgan, commander of the
tate G. A. r., and his good wife, sat
Monday afternoon and wept tears of
oy when the bill providing for
memorial hall for the veterans of the
,ivil war went through.
Davis of Kiowa made a most e1o- |
Luent speech in voting for this bill
His father was a soldiers. he said, and
vas buried on a Virginia battlefield. |
The member from Kiowa was much
Lffected, many old soldiers in the
he action of the house on this bill.
Still Forty Bills
At II o'clock there was still forty
ills on the calendar and the members ,
worked like a swarm of bees to get |
heir pet measures through. The !.
lands of the house clock stood still t
While the work on. Finally some I
oshua moved them back About the !
asst fight of the house this session oc- c
urred in the small wee hours on Ma
ones effort to get through the $5O,- G
90 appropriation for free seed wheat
or the Kansas farmers. Ryan's voice L
ras almost gone, but he was still game a
nd he fought the bill to the end. The Q
ill lost A to SO while Harbaugh was I
nocked off a chair by a paper ball as n
ig as an organ box. >
Ryan and Cunningham Wrestle.
The hands of the clock still hovered l
t the hour of 1880 while Ryan and
pulled off an impromptu o
resting match. The former Wash
urn football star was too fast for the n
ig man from Brown. n
House and senate committees also
eId wrestling matches with cbstin-
te bills and then saw their labors go o
Or naught as their houses voted to a.
onconcur. The clock continued to c,
agister 11:30. d
Clock Is Regulated. p
Tho General annronriation hill, was ir