The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1909-03-20
GOVERNOR VET0ES
NUMBER OF BILLS
AND TELLS HIS REASONS FOR
DOING so.
Says There is Question as &c
Whether Some of Them Are
Constitutional.

Topeka-Governor Stubs has used
his veto power on several of the bills
passed by the legislature which has
just adjourned. Among them are the
following:
The bill providing for the raising Of
funds for the erection or improvement
of court houses and jails. The gov
ernor says that he believes the court
house bin to be wrong in that it per
mits the raising of fund by taxation
to make the improvements and after
the fund is raised the people get a
chance to vote on the proposition of
whether or not the improvement
should be made. The governor says
that the voting ought to be done first
and then the tax levy could be made
The bill amending the Kansas cor
poration laws. In regard to this the
governor says that he believes the
charter bill superseded the bill pass
a month ago which provided that when
a corporation abused it's corporfS ion
rights and privileges a receiver should
be appointed. He thinks that this law
is more important than the amend
ments to the corporation act and does
not approve it for that reason.
The bill which requires all state in
situations to turn over fees collected
by them to the state general fund.
The bill was a drive at the university.
The author wanted to make that in
stitution turn over all it's tuition fees
to the state and then depend upon ap-
preparations for maintenance. Under
the present system the university not
only gets everything the legislature
appropriates to it, but also the tut
ton fees it collects. Governor Stubs
said the new law might cripple some
of the institutions and he therefore
turned it down.
The bill exempting mortgages from
taxation. In his message regarding
this bill Governor Stubs says: This
bill proposes to exempt mortgages OF
real estate from taxation and to
charge in lieu thereof flat rate of so
cents on each 500 as a registration
fee. Under the law mortgages on real
estate are property. Our constitution
provides that all property shall bear
uniform rate of taxation. Senate bill
No. 247 violates the spirit of this pro
fully framed as to bring it technically
within the letter of the constitution, of
which fact there is reason for grave
doubt. / had hoped to see the legis-
lature at this session submit to a vote
of the people a constitutional amend
ment providing that the Legislature
might prescribe methods of taxation
which would permit the state to raise
it's revenues through franchise and
corporation taxes upon statewide pub
lie utilities, leaving the common forms
of property to be taxed for only coun-
ty, township, city and school district
purposes, but the legislature in its
wisdom saw fit to vote against that
proposition. l fully appreciate the ne.
cessity of establishing a just and
scientific method of taxation of mort
| gagged properties so that the debtor
and creditor will each pay their just
share according to their respective
interests in such property, but this
| bill falls far short of so doing A pa
tient, careful investigation of this sub
| ject has fully convinced me that the
registration fee provided for in sen
ate bill No. 247 would be paid by the
borrower, and the exemption of mort
cages from taxation would inure
wholly to the benefit of the man who
loaned the money"