The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-23
CUT DOWN BOARD
Mercer Bill to Abolish Passed
in the House.
Does Away With Prison and he
fOrmatOry Management.
ADD TO THE DUTIES.
Board Of Control Would be
Placed in Charge.
Governor Will Account for His
Contingent Fund.


house took up consideration OF the nrs'
administration bill, the Mercer bill to
consolidate the management OF all the
l.enal and charitable institutions unoel
the board of control. 1t is believed that
the bill will be recommended Tor pas
sage. There is no opposition to SPEAK
of, onlv differences of opinion as to the
details. The committee on cnarltdple
institutions amended the bill to nave
only two members of the board OF three
come from one political party rms
amendment was adopted by the house.
At adjournment at noon the mouse was
arguing the amendment in regard 10
the bond of the members OF the poaru'
There was also a long DEBATE on the
amendment providing that no memDer
of the board should be eligible to any
elective or appointive Office put the
amendment was passed.
The bill provides that all the charita-
BILE and penal institutions to the num-
ber of u shall be placed under tne
authority of the board of control This
means that the nine charitable lnstl-
tutions shall not be subject q change,
but that the boards governing the state
prison at Lansing and the re1ormatory
at Hutchinson shall be abollshed anu
the board of control take cver the man
agemenI of these institutions. me
members of the board shall be appoint
ed by the governor and no two Oh tneih
shall come from the same congrssslcn-
al district, nor shall one of them come
from a county in which is located one
of the institutions The members shall
hold office for terms of two, three and
four years each and shall be paid sal
airy of 500 per, year.
The Mercer bill was recommended
for passage in committee of the whole.
iS ,,ndnr-fnOd that the is
working on a message to the senate re-
garding his contingent fund. The reso-
luton to investigate the expenditure OF
this fund was killed by the house, but
the governor is anxious to have the full
facts known about the fund and will
likely send to the legislature late this
afternoon a detailed and itemized ac-
count of the expenditure of every dol
lar of this fund. The friends OF the ad-
ministration characterize as slanderous
and unfair the gossip about the fund,
the resolution to investigate 1t, the in
ference that there is something wrong,
and then the dropping of the whole
matter. 1t is branded as peanut poll
tics thus to attack a public official who
is honest and economical and then stop
short, leaving the inference and dodg
ing the proffered investigation.
Case of Dickinson introduced several
bills in the house today, one of them
providing that shares of stock in nom
resident corporations shall be exempt
from taxation in this state. Another
provides that railroad companies hav-
ing payrolls in this state shall pay
their employees at least twice a month.
Another provides that cities of the Sec
ond class can levy taxes for oiling the
streets in much the same manner that
the paving taxes are now levied.
Workmen's compensation act to the list
of house bills today. 1t differs from
the Stone bill of the same kind intro
duced last week in some particulars
Wettack would have fifty per cent of
the injured Or dead employees wages
go to the nearest dependent for a term
of five years. His bill also provides
800 for funeral expenses and 500
for hospital expenses to be paid by the
employer.
Olinger's bill introduced today pro-
hibits rebates in the issuance of life
insurance.
Wettack, of Montgomery, has a bill
that provides that cities of the first
class may levy tax of one-half mill
on the dollar for cemetery purposes He
also has an even half dozen bills in the
house relating to high schools. The
last of these provides for free privi-
leges for pupils to attend such schools.
Tyler of Finney creates a board Of
education composed of the state suner-
intendent and eight other members ap-
pointed by the governor and empower
ed to grant state diplomas to teachers.
The house this morning for the first
time this session went into committee
of the whole for the serious considera-
tion of bills in the bulk and by whole
sale. FEEDER of Barton was called to
the chair by Speaker Buckman, and
the minority members cheered the
Great Bend editor when he ascended
the platform. The first bill recon-
mended for passage in committee of
the whole was the bill by Stone of
Shawnee providing that a will made
and executed outside this state should
be deemed legally executed lust the
same as though it complied with the
law of this state, providing that it
complied with the law of the state
wherein it was drawn.
On motion by FEEDER the Cones bill
prohibiting the playing of SUNDAY
baseball was made a special order for
Thursday afternon at 2 o'clock. Mr.
Cones wanted his bill considered this
afternoon in regular order. hut was
voted down. The petitions in favor of
Sunday baseball are beginning to come
in in sheaves and clusters as thick or
thicker than those against the pastime
during the early days of the session.
The debate on the anti-Sunday base
ball bill next Thursday will fin the
galleries. Many members are known
to favor the Cones bill, but it is not
thought that there are enough to pass
the measure. The Cones anti-tiehts
bill died in committee. and Cones To-
day stated that he would not try to
resurrect 1t at this time. He will de-.
vote his energies this week to the anti
Sunday baseball bill.
George Allen of Wyandotte. chair
man of the railroad committee, said
today that that committee would not
take snap judgment in its recon-