The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-26
Situation That Has Developed in
Legislature.
Feeling on Both Sides Bitter
and Intense.
STUBBS FORCES WEAK
Brilliant Leaders of Two Years
Ago Gone.
Part of Them Have Joined the
Ants.

Not since the days of the legisla-
tive war in the early nineties has there
been such clamorous demand for
blood from contending forces in To-
peka. The lie is passed here every
day now, and fists are waved and the
dove of peace can not be seen for the
smoke. Topeka is like Paris was in
the time of the Fronde. which Dumas
describes as follows:
Voices, unheard except on days of
revolution, were distin guished; faces
were seen that only appeared on days
of bloodshed.'
Since the Hodges Ganse embroglio
the legislators do not consider that
day we'll spent when some member
has not called on the gods to witness
that some other member has lied.
Why. even couple of pages in the
senate mixed today and pulled each
others hair under the new Queens
bury rules of the senate
fractional fight is bound to be
more bitter than straight fight be-
tween parties. Personal feelings, and
prejudice, and preference enter in and
infect the wound like poison.
The house vote Wednesday noon on
the Tyler motion, which carried IS
to Al, showed a gain of some fifteen
VOTES lot Inc OppOneHtS VI the dU-
ministration over the vote of the day
before. This vote marked the pass
ing of the administration control of
the house even as it passed in the
senate the first day wheE the minority
senators Joined the regulars. This
control may be won back today or to-
morrow or the next day, but it is lost
for the present, and lost after having
survived the first two weeks of the
session.
1t did look as though the Stubs
forces had control of the house. They
won the committee appointment fight
and elected their speaker and saved
the inheritance tax law. They had
been battered some, it is true. in re-
gard to the Orr resolution and the
matter of the contesting legislative
candidates not being required to fur
nish bond, but in the main they had
held firm. losing only three or four
votes on party questions
Opinions differ in accounting for the
gain by the boilers in the administra-
ton house. The newspaper reporters
look in vain for the big four who led
the administration forces in the last
house. There were, Cunningham and
Buckman of Cowley, Mitchell of Doug
las and Stone of Shawnee. all ready de-
baters and wise in council, eloquent or
persuasive or aggressive as the occa-
sion demanded. They are all gone
now Mitchell was elected to congress,
,
Cunningham is in his law office at Ar
kansas City and Stone is on the other
side. Up to this time no one has arisen
to take their places and the battle goes
against the administration There are
good men and true to fight for the
Stubs issues still. and plenty of them,
like Matson of Sedgwick and Allen Of
Wyandotte and Mercer of Chase among
the old members, and Don Carlos ana
Wettack and others of the new mem
Stone and Orr. the opposition have
three of the able lawyers of the state
on their side and they are terrors in
debate, and that is a fact. Reorganiza-
ton, better generalship and the de-
velopment of two or three quick and
forceful and cool debaters may turn the
tide any time to the administration.
But it sure does look scaly now for adj
ministration bills in either house.
Speaking of administration bills.
Brown of Kingman. one of the minority
leaders, has introduced a minority
Utilities bill in opposition to the admin
istration brand that was handed in by
Speaker Buckinan. The Brown bill
covers three typewriter pages. The
administration bill covers thirty printed
pages. Brown would, like Buchanan
place the board of railroad commission
ers in charge of all the public utilities
of the state. But Brown would allow
the utilities per cent net income on
their Investment and then divert all
income in excess of this amount to the
Golfers of t state. Browns bin
makes an appropriation of $4,000 to
cover the cost of the enforcement of
tI,s utilities law and then would re-
imburse the state with the surplus
above mentioned. The house is sure
TO pass some kind of a utilities bill bnr
in what form it is not yet safe to pre-
dict.
Mercer of Chase county. who had the
bitter alteration with Orr of Atchison
on the floor of the house Wednesday,
explains just why he called the Atch-
tsou lawyer a liar. He said that In de-
bate dav or two previous that Orr
had declared that he (Nfercer) had not
supported a single bill In the interest of
the people since the session begun. Orr
denies that he made such a statement
After debating the bulk sales bill in
committee of the whole all of Wednes-
day afternoon. tho house recommended
the measure for passage. On a motion
by Case of Dickinson to strike out all
after the enactinS clause the bill was
saved from decapitation by the narrow