The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-18

MI. GORDON OF the COP61aud has re-
gretted the loss of Mr. Lambert much
more than anyone outside of relatives
and frfendS-even more than the lass
OF his property and home. As soon as
we hear from the legislature we viii
equip every room incur buildings at
once without the least delay We
realize that Chief Wflmarth is simply
doing his duty in sending these orders
and reminders to Us and We would be
glad to obey them IL we thought it the
rational thing to do I don't believe
that the chief himself thinks the in
stauatiOn of rope IRE escapes is the
right course to follow and we all be-
lieve he is right We have had a
meeting concerning this matter and
have had no intention of disregarding
the orders of the fire department.
Waits on Legislature
County Attorney Schenck was seen
was OF the same opinion as the hotel
men. He said that he would enforce
the law as soon as the legislature took
action on the fire escape laws that are
now pending. He has been prodding
the legislators every day for the last
week or so and he has made a number
of trips to the state house in an effort
to gain Information on the subject and
see if It would be advisable to enforce
the present law. He said:
There are any number of such
laws before the house and senate at
the present time and according to the
boiled out before the legislature ad-
journs and probably within the next
few days. I do not want to enforce
the old law at once and cause the
hotels to spend a few hundred dollars
each in installing system that would
become worthless within a weeks
time. 1t would not be the logical thing
to do. Fire Marshal WiImarth is per-
forming his duty according to law and
when the time comes I viii stand be-
hind it,
The iron fire escapes on the hotels
in the city are in good condition and
according to the fire marshal are in
good shape today. There was some
misunderstanding at first on account
of the fact that people were not aware
of the fact that even the two story
buildings would have to be equipped
with the iron escapes if there were
twenty or more people living there and
If it was a tenement house or hotel
This caused pick up in the escape
business but nevertheless everything IS
in good shape. The fire chief said this
morning that he had examined the
iron escapes in Topeka and they were
all constructed according to law and
many of them much betetr than the
law requires
Tomorrow is the last day for registra-
ton at the office of the Election Com
Captain Titus does not have a middle
name just an initiaD and business IS
picking up good today Yesterday the
total registration for the day ran up
to It's, over two-thirds OF them being
women This IS encouraging to the WO-
men candidates who are making a frantic
race for the school board At the pres
ent time there are about 2.500 women
registered and Captain Titus does not
expect many more. The male vote viii
probably reach 1850. These are the
guesses given out by the election COM
missioner This morning the office was
well crowded the whole time but as is
the habit a big majority of them want
ed to know If they had registered in
the fall The men are picking up to-
day and it looks as though the women
will fall down a little on their cast.
Captain Titus has placed signs all
along in front of the Auditorium giving
the women especially a chance TO make
their influence felt hut they simply steer
around them or else STUN BILE over them
and pass on 1t has been suggested that
the election and registration notices be
displayed on the screens at the moving
picture houses
Biederwolf has been helping the good
cause along and during his talks lately
he has tried to make the women see the
Importance of registering and to those
who have not attached their names to
the big books he has caused all man
ners Of condemnation TO fall upon their
heads F
The candidates have been getting
busy today. They have made semi
final swoop down upon their friends
and Observation-Disclosures. influencing them
to go to the city han and get a chance
to vote in their favor Cards and pos
ters OF all sorts lie in artistic con-
fusion around the Office and button
holing and cigar distributing IS com
mon
This afternoon a delegation of people
from the district in the southwest part
of the city are talking with the mayor
and the city attorney on the street
naming proposition The only chance
they have is to have the ordinance
passed by the council. vetoed by the
mayor. If Mayor Green does not veto
the ordinance before the first meeting
of the council in March. it win go into
effect anyway and the mayor said this
morning that he would either sign it
or veto it long before this time and
then the matter could be dropped for
good
It is not known Just how Mayor
Green will act. He does not have any
thing to say on the matter but it is
thought that he viii attach his veto
the first in the history of the admins
of cir