The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-03
Initiative and Referendum
Death KnelI Sounded.
Senate Finishes Work of Tear
ing Bill to Shreds.
WOULD NOT KNOW 1T.
Insurgents Forced to Accept
Many Strange Provisions.
Then Passes Senate in Com
mittee OF the Whole.

Tettered. ragged and torn, the ad-
ninistration initiative and referendum
was sent back to the senate suoJect -
further abuse and humiliation Late
Thursday afternoon the senate re- 7l U.s.
TO give the measure a decent pti To.
when it prevented the striking out OF
the euacting clause by a narrow mar
gin and sent the resolution pack SUP
jecf TO amendment and debate. Enough
votes were mustered to insure inc
positive d feat of the measure on the
omen floor but the insurgents cluus
ferventlv to their party pledge IN TIE
vain hope OF converting reactIonarles.
Nv a straight party vote, the senate
refused to substitute the minority
measure for the document prepared oy
Myers, of Jackson. Then BreWsLeI ~
most overloaded the resolution py an
amendment permitting women to vote
on the measures. Stayely INJECTED
educational qualifications and stewart
of Sedgwick, found exception TO edcii
separate line. Prince challenged the
sincerity of a lengthy document anu
ureed that the resolution be heid 70
six lines. Fagerberg found much com
plant with sections that met with the
approval of the administration and the
member from Pottawatome declared ne
could not support the bill and return
to Westmoreland.
Stavely slipped the first joker IN the
deck when he offered an amendment
which required all persons voting on
the PROPOSITIONS to be American citl-
zens and capable of writing and read
ing English. Before the insurgents
could stop the scheme, the motion car
ried and Price of Clark, argued for
the intelligence of the people and de
clared they should pass on the fees
and salaries of public officials ana on
appropriations to state institutions.
His motion swept out of existence sew
-f~,--v
ture This was followed by the Brew
ster scheme to allow women to vote
Hamilton and Potter attacked the
Troy lawyer in a lively manner, but
the, bushy headed member was We'll
able to care for himself and he Won
applause from the ladies' gallery HIS
motion, however, was defeated, lS to H.
with Prices motion to reduce the
size of the Myers resolution. he Of
fered the items of expense from the
recent Oregon election and showed
that it had cost more than $24,lOU
to submit the matter to the voters. He
then contended that Kansas with three
times the population of the western
state could not handle th3 PROPOSE
tion for a less amount than $4,000
and declared that the state should be
able to acquire a large amount of re-
that the people could know nothing
of the matters submitted to them. ex-
cept general guess derived from
reading the titles of tho measures and
the Usage member pointed to tlfe fact
that even the lawyers and courts were
sometimes poor guessers en- such sub
jects.
To these remarks Quincy, Brady
Potter and Hamilton made warm re-
plies. At times they charged the
stand pats with trying to defeat legis-
lation which the people desired. At
times they admitted Stewart and Price
had each offered a pocketful of
amendments with the very best of in
tentions and that their efforts had i'm
proved the bill None of these
speeches changed the voting and Reed
moved to strike out the enacting
clause This motion was defeated %
to IA, but those Ia votes signified that
the resolution would be doomed on the
floor of the open senate. Of the SO
members attending the session, two
did not vote on the enacting clause
proposition. Those two men are regu-
lars. The % votes which the resolu-
ton received in support of the enact
ing clause represents the combined
strength of the progressive Republi-
cans and the Democrats. In order to
pass the resolution, four converts must
be secured from the ranks of the re-
dictionary Republicans. who succeed ed
in holding their strength throughout
the days voting.
Immediately following the session of
the committee of the whole. Cook of
Mitchell moved to substitute the mi
ton resolution. The motion was lost
80 to 5, and was the first straight
party vote since the 1911 session was
called to order.