The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-22
Accomplishes More in Four Days
Than Before in Session.
REDEEMING PLEDGES.
Already Four Have Been Wiped
Off Slate.
Lack of Leadership Appears to
Have Good Effect.


in session until Saturday, March g.,
that would mean twelve more work
ing days. Most of the important busi-
ness of the term can be finished up in
twelve days. with few night sessions
for good measure.
The house accomplished more in
the last four days of last week than
in any ten previous days of the ses-
sion in spite of the efforts of the ora
tors within and the lobbyists without.
The anti-lobby bill, the prohibition
bill and the guaranty and good roads
bills were all wiped off the calendar
in that time These were all admin
fstration measures and long, hard
problems. The one big hill on the
road to adjournment and a well done
epitaph is the utilities bill This meas
ure passed and the house should trav-
ell with speed the rest of the way
through the multitude of bills, even if
the Dolley bill for a legislative library
and the appropriation bills cause
few bumps.
The committees are working hard
and report bills in to the house at
the rate of about fifty a day, killing
half of them in the process. Nearly
two hundred bills await the house un-
der the head of general orders and
must be considered in committee of
the whole. If the members are limit
ed to three minute speeches as we'll
one minute votes these bill can all be
considered yet and others besides
them
The resolution by White of ottawa
giving the railway board more pow
ers and then prodding the members
with a sharp stick to get after the
through freight rate question for the
great benefit of Kansas in competing
with other states in shipping products
and buying merchandise, is as i'm
portant as any measure brought be-
fore the house this term and should
not be overlooked in favor of any
thing else in the way of legislation:
The newspaper boys have compiled
a blacklist of seven members of the
house who can talk longer, more Of
ten on any and all measures than any
seven men in shoe leather-or sandals
either, for that matter. 1t is won
derful how much these men have to
say on so many things and how little
their voices influence for or against
impending legislation. Then there are
about forty others besides these seven
who can and do talk some. The fact
is. that Iron Jawed Brown of King
man, war horse of the old PopuliSts |
and Boyd of Republic, who was a
sentinel on the ramparts of the old
Greenback party, can scarcely get a |
word in edgeways in this house any
more, try as they may. Yet these
two were accounted strong takers |
among the strong in the old Pop leg |
islature.
There is no leadership of the house. |
Not a trace of it. No organization or |
concerted effort, or caucus. on any |
question. All the members talk. and |
vote according to their own sweet |
will. A man is in line today and !
jumps at the crack of the party whip
and the next day he is outside the |
breastworks shooting holes in the
bandwagon. Three men started out to |
lead, and it looked at first like one of
them might succeed in turning the |
trick, but 1t was not to be. These
were able and aggressive men. but
Charles Fox could not lead this house
he would not be able to gain the
floor long or often enough to make
way against the main body.
Well, what's the difference? The |
benefits of leadership in a legislative /
body are questionable when weighed
against the advantages of the present
conditions. There are plenty of
bright. sensible, loyal men on the
floor of the house, and while it may
take them all longer to work it out /
than it would one or two men. yet the /
interests of the entire state are better I
represented and served than under |
the Observation-Disclosures plan that
has been pracuced SO much in all gov
erning bodies since Noah anchored
the ark on Mt. Ararat.
Gossip.
Foley of Rice, in the house. and |
Price of Clark, in the senate are, to |
use a baseball phrase, the two finds of |
the season.
When Sekavec of Ellsworth ex-
plains his vote the newspaper boys al
ways listen for something wise as we'll /
as funny.
Dolley's ruling that a concurrent |
resolution must have a constitutional |
majority will go to make a paragraph |
in Kansas history.
Mercer of Chase does not talk /
often and his longest speech was de-
livered in less than one minute, but |
at that he has said more than some |
members who have consumed hours |
of time while standing on their legs
before the house.
Sig Lehman of Labette is a wise old |
owl. He is also one of the most valu- |