The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-02-11
NO GAG FOR THEM
House Refuses to Adopt Three
Minute Rule.
Eeatch of Washington Favored
the Innovation.
NEW ANTI "LOB" BILL.
Davis of Bourbon Is Author of
This One.
Measure to Stop Liquor Ship
mentS in State.
NEW ANTI "LOB" BILL.

The house likes to talk long and often
and decided this morning that it did
not need gag rule to insure neces-
sary legislation before the close of this
session. Carpenter of Lyon, the
chairman of the committee on rules
| introduced a resolution to change the
rules which provided that hereafter
no member shall speak longer than
three minutes to the same question
unless it be the mover, proposer or in
troducer Of the matter pending or the
chairman of the committee or a MEM
Der delegated by the chairman. Davis
OF Bourbon, Brown of Kingman and
NJ organ OF Reno spoke against the
resolution. Veatch of washington
spoke for the resolution.
Morgan was opposed to gag rules
and saw no need for such resolution
when the house already had recourse
to the previous question to hasten the
transaction of business. He said that
no Kansas legislature had ever
adopted gag rules. Mercer of Chase
interrupted to state that the national
house had 5-minute rule. Morgan
replied that he had heard some crit
icism lately in Kansas OF that same
national house. Mercer rejoined that
he had also heard some criticism of
the Kansas legislatures of the past.
Veatch, speaking for the resolution,
declared that the session was over
half gone and the house had already
wasted much time in oratory, while
only one administration measure had
been passed. He declared that the
public utilities, assessment and taxa
ton, general appropriation. good
roads, anti-lobby and board of control
measures were yet to pass the house,
and that if the members would talk
to the point, like the language in
Grants Memoirs, three minutes was
long enough to debate these measures
if the house wanted to pass them be-
fore next May.
The vote to kill the new three min
ute rule was overwhelming.
A guarantee of deposits bill, already
prepared by the committee on banks
and banking, will not likely be intro
duced in the house before the first of
next week. The bankers of the state
put in the day and part of the night
Wednesday in assaults on the bill, but
the committee stood firm and will
present the measure to the house in
practi S2lly the same shape in which it
was drafted. The guarantee of three
per cent deposits was the section of
the bill that invited the assault of the
bankers, but Gov. Stubbs' recon-
men dation that there be no discrim-
ination against any class of deposits
by the trainers of the bill and the
bankers retired defeated from the
field. 1t is believed that the bill pre-
pared by the committee will pass the
house with only minor amendments,
but its reception in the senate is not
so certain. 1t may be either weaken
ed by that body or handicapped by
radical amendments.
The anti-lobby bill, after wandering
for nearly forty days in the wilder
ness since its passage by the house.
made its temperance in the house
Davis of Bourbon is the author of
this new bill and he has resurrected
it from its tomb in committee room
pigeon hole it having been cast aside
at the beginning of the session for the
more drastic measure that passed the
house and senate and was afterwards
found to be invalid for the reason that
the enacting clause had been omitted.
The Davis bill embodies the Demo-
cratic idea of preventing the practice
of lobbying. It provides that lobby
lists shall be registered in the secre-
tary of states office, but this is the
only point of similarity it bears to its
predecessor. The Davis bill requires
that the house and senate shall pass
upon the application of a lobbyist,
and If favorable he shall be given
permit by the speaker of the former
or president of the latter. A lobbyist
is defined as a person or agent who
is personally or peculiarly Interested
in legislation or employed by an in
d1Vidual, firm or corporation so IN
terested Members of the legislature
are forbidden to accept money in ex-
change for their vote or influence for
any measure. However, there is moth |
ing in this new anti-lobby bill that
prevents the folks at home" from
working for a measure in which their |
community at large is interested.
Haskins of Johnson has introduced |
a bill which prohibits the shipment of
Intoxicating liquor from any point in
this state to any other point in this
state. This measure goes as far, as
possible without infringing upon the
Interstate commerce law.
The tide of bills in the house |
passed the eight hundred mark today
and the end is not yet
The judiciary committee today re-
ported favorably on the Stone |
public utilities bill. However, there
is a minority report from the COM
rnittee urging that the bill be not
passed but it will likely not be filed. |
Street and interurban lines are not in
cIuded in the bill as reported
New Bills in House
The following bills were introduced in
the house today:
H B. No 7S9. BY Meek and Maxwell
An act requiring railroad companies
to erect and maintain sheds at the
stock yards along their lines of road,
for the protection of stock.
H B. No. 790 BY Boyd-An act to
amend the laws of 1905.
H B. No. 791- By Ely-An act max