The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-16
MERCER ON HAND
Chase County Representative
Looks Over the Ground.
j. b. Baker Shows Him Duties
of Live Stock Commission.
NOT YET APPOINTED.
NOT YET APPOINTED.
But the Governors Commission
Isn't Far Distant.
State Accountant Gafford Faces
a Dilemma.

Joe (Billikens) Mercer of Chase
county, member of the last legislature
| spent the day Monday in Topeka and
was initiated into the duties of the Of
| fee of president of the livestock COM
| mission by J. B. Baker of Peabody
who retires in favor of the Chase
county man. Mr.. Mercer was an ad-
| ministration man from the word go in
| the last house and while not an orator
was shrewd and determined in debate
on many important questions. Mr..
Mercer has not yet been appointed
formally but the commission will soon
be ready.
The heads of the western railroads
at meeting in Chicago this week de-
cided to put the three cent fare back
in force in Missouri the first of next
month. Thus has a four years fight
in the legislatures of western states
come to naught. Kansas will con-
tinue to enjoy the two cent rare until
the Nebraska suit has been decided
Had the senate not killed the house
two cent fare bill in the last legisla-
t1re the Kansas supreme court might
have been called upon to decide the
matter before the three cent fare was
again put in force.
State Accountant J. c. Gafford will
not be able to cut much ice with his
contingent fund for 1911. An in
vestigation of the executive and
judicial appropriations bill shows that
he has been allowed only 81 for
contingent expenses in 1911. The
legislature intended to give the ac-
countant $1,000 for 1911 and did do
so in the original bill, but in the en-
crossed bill as provided for the gov
ernor to sign by the state printer one
of the ciphers was left off by an error
and the punctuation makes 1t READ
81. The enrolled bill as signed by the
governor is the one that governs. but
in this case where the intention to
give $1,000 was SO well known some
special ruling may yet be devised to
make the fund $1,000.
Frank Stahl, superintendent of the
State Temperance union work, declares
that the new prohibition law passed by
the last legislature will increase rather
ance leaders and the state and county
officials. He says: "Close the drug
stores and the jointists will thrive.
People will drink whisky and there will
always be some one to sell it. The back
alley business will open up as it has
never done before. I do not believe
that the whisky drug store men viii
become bootleggers. Lots of jointlsts
have become drug store keepers, puE
they will not reverse. The liquor ques-
ton is not settled in Kansas yet, not
by good deal We will always have
the question as long as men drink. The
work will be even harder now that the
selling of LIQUOR will have have become
the vocation of the lower element. We
will continue our full force of lawyers
and field secretaries"
The views of John Marshall, former
head attorney for the temperance
eral are somewhat differo-t from those
expressed above by Mr.. Stahl. Mr..
Marshall says: Most of the legitimate
drug stores will quit handling liquor,
but we don't look for many of the
drug store joints to quit business unless
driven out. We can now haul anybody
we please up and make him give testi-
mony as to the existence of joints. SO
while our work has been doubled we
have been given improved and more eff
fective weapons. The new law will not
take liquor out of municipal campaigns
for the reason that it does not change
the situation so far as city control OF
LIQUOR is concerned.
The assistant attorney general has
received a tip that the jointists OF
Cherokee county will soon try to re-
sumo business and he is keeping close
tab on the situation there 1t was oE1y
after hard fight that the padlocks
were placed on the doors of the joints
in that neck of the woods.
]. N. Dolley of Maple Hill, sailor,
farmer, banker and politician, has
been the busiest man in Kansas dur
ing the past year. He has held four
different jobs, all difficult ones. He
came to Topeka a year ago to take
charge of the Stubbs campaign for
the Republican nomination for gov
ernor That was a pretty stiff night,
but it was won. After rest of one
week he was elected chairman of the
Republican state committee and with
the Democrats putting up the strong
est fight in history for possession OF
the Kansas offices, the job of state
chairman was not a sinecure. Dolley
predicted thirty thousand majority for
his ticket and proved to be good
prophet AS soon as the votes had
been counted the Maple Hill man
turned his attention to legislative mat
ters; he had been elected to that body
and was slated for the place Of speak
er. On the last named job he had the
businest place of all and emerged
from the big fight with wheel marks
on his vest, and a gold watch. Next
week this busy ex-sailor will take over
the office of state bank commissioner
and undertake to apply the new guar
anty law in addition to the other
duties of the place. This years work
would furnish the material for
sequel to Stephen Cranes book,
"Active Service
Finished Her Book and Died.