The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-06
AGkEE lU QUH.
Senate Finally Agrees to Ad-
jOurn March IL.
Date as Originally Fixed by the
House.
SAVE THE BALD EAGLE
Hereafter 1t Will Be Unlawful
to Kill Them.
Stone Bridge Bill Is Passed in
the Senate.
THE BALD EAGLE

the Senate.
Another change of mind by the
senate before supper time last night
settles the question of the date of final
adjournment of the state legislature
The date is now definitely fixed by
both houses for p. m. Friday,
March -.
The senate at first declined to con-
cur in the house amendments to the
adjournment resolution. which amend
ments fixed the date at March IL. The
senate turned down the house amend
ment and got up a brand new reso-
luton to adjourn Wednesday, March
10. But the house stood pat on It's
amendments and declined to concur
in the senate proposition to adjourn
Wednesday. Believing that the mem
bers of the house would stay in session
all summer before they would accede
to the wishes of the senate, the latter
body decided to adopt the resolution
as amneded by the house
This resolution. known as the
''Skiddoo'' resolution because of its
being No. %, provides that both
houses cease consideration of their
own bills, excepting appropriation
measures, at midnight tonight; cease
consideration of all bills and messages
day, March s, and adjourn finally next
Friday March IL, at p. m.
The real work of the session, how
ever, will close Monday night when
consideration of all bills ceases.
The state senate should be given at
least one credit mark, even by its
seyerest critics. for the passage of
Senator Stannard's bill No. sol to
protect the "haliaeetus leucoceptha-
1us'' Friday afternoon This is not a
disease nor new brand of cigarettes;
it is the polite, or parlor, name for the
bird commonly known as the Amer
lean or BALD eagle.
A preamble to the bill recites that
unless this bird is protected the
American eagle will become extinct in
this state and the bill makes it un-
lawful for any person to kill or take
into captivity any eagle or member of
the bird family known as 'Fhaliaeetus
$40 to $25 fine is fixed for violations
of the act.
The discussion of this bill produced
several facetious remarks. Senator
Travis wanted to know If the bill
would be retroactive. THE only one
/ know Of" he said, 'who has been
guilty Of depredations on the Amer
lean eagle is the senator from Butler
(Leidy), who on two occasions has
ierked out the tail feathers of the bird
on the floor of the senate"
Senator Leidy raised laugh by stat
ing that the words "haIiaeetus leuco-
bird from Allen county (Senator
TravisO.
Senator Travis retorted that he
thought the bill Ought also to include
the old bald-headed bird from Saline
county, (Quincy).
These personal sallies produced much
laughter for the hair on the heads of
both senators Travis and Quincy is so
infrequent, that their colleagues declare
they have to tie a string around their
heads to tell how far up to wash their
faces.
The bill was finally put to a vote and
One of the important bills passed by
the senate late Friday afternoon was
S. B. No. 537, by the committee on cor
porations, the principal new feature of
which is to permit the organization of
corporations for the purpose of buying,
selling and holding real estate.
Senator Hodges bill. No. s2s, provid-
ing for the construction of concrete and
stone bridges, was another of the i'm
portant measures passed by the sem
ate. The bill requires county and city
authorities to construct bridges and
culverts, of concrete or stone, in every
case where the bridge can be built at
cost not exceeding 130 per cent of the
cost of a steel bridge.
The house rock roads bills, H. B. No.
$40, by the committee on roads and
highways, was finally passed by the sem
ate yesterday afternoon. The bill has
already passed the house, but the SEN
ate struck out several sections of the bill
which have already been enacted in
other good roads bills and this measure
will have to be sent back to the house
for concurrence in the amendments. The
vote in the senate on the final passage
of the bill stood 26 to 4. Senators Avery,
Cambern, Smith and Leidy, voting in
the negative.
The house dairy commissioner bill. H
B. No. 4S9, by the committee on live
stock was substituted for the senate bill
and passed by the senate. This bill
provides for a state dairy commission
er and deputies to be appointed by the
regents of the agricultural college and
prescribes rules and regulations for the
supervision of all matters connected
with the dairy industry in the state.
Senator Hamilton's bill authorizing
city authorities to construct high pres
sure systems for fire protection was
ment late Friday afternoon.
Senator Huffman introduced the
bill providing for the erection in To-
peka of a historical building at a cost
of 100000. Under suspension of the
rules the bill was advanced to second
reading. Senator Stannard objected
to advancing the bill to third read
ing and the bill was ordered printed
and placed on the calendar.
The senate adopted the report of
the conference committee relative to
s. B. No. 163. Senator Quincy's as
sessment bill, amending the present
laws relating to county assessors and
methods of making assessments Sen
ators Quincy and Stavely were the
senate conferees on the bill. The bill
as it came from conference leaves the
state tax commissioners appointive as
at present; provides for the election
of county assessors, in counties over
10000 The county assessors are done