The Topeka state journal., 1911-03-02
FOR new ASYLUM
Wild Scramble of Senators to
Get 1t.
One Will Probably Be Located
in Western Section.
JUST THE PLACE FOR 1T
Every Member Has a Location
to Offer.
County Fair Bill Passes the
Senate.
JUST THE PLACE FOR 1T

There is a wild scramble of central
and western state senators for advant-
age in the race for the new 100000 in
sane asylum and a dozen efforts have
been made to put favorite communities
in the lead. When the bill was called
Wednesday afternoon, every member
from the western section was looking
at the map with a view of determining
how the board would pick location
The bill in its original form stated
that the new asylum should be located
in the central or western section Of
the state. 1t was an indefinite clause,
even for a Kansas university law
student and the legal bull dogs of the
senate wanted the matter made more
definite and certain. In the effort to
correct an obvious error, the western
members were hoping that the lines
would be drawn to throw the new state
institution to their district.
Senator Cooke, the only true patriot
from the palmy days, looked the sit
uation over and concluded that Beloit,
his home town, was an ideal place to
locate the asylum. Beloit already has
a state institution and the gentleman
with the picturesque whIskers made
little progress with his campaign.
Then Senator Reed told of the ad-
vantages of Norton as a town that
would be model location for the new
asylum. Reed wanted Norton specified
in the bill in order that there would
be no misunderstanding and to fur
ther save the board an arduous job of
finding q site The Smith Center man
worked faithfully for the western Kan
sas town, but for some reason a ma
jority of the members could not COM
prehend his logic and they refused to
write Norton in the bill.
T. yxrbO a
happy thought and harmonized the bel
ligerent members. Glenn produced
mild sentence which said that the
funny house should be somewhere
within the borders of the state, but by
all means west of the 98th meridian Of
longitude The troubled waters SUBJ
sided and the bill was passed without
undue riot.
An hour later Senator Quincy almost
went into convulSionS when he glanced
at a map and saw that his home COM
munity and the town of Joe BristoW is
some considerable distance east of the
dead line. This put Salina entirely out
of the running and Quincy was wroth.
He Immediately attracted the attention
of the presiding officer and demanded
a reconsideration Of the question.
Carey objected. Then tine bald headed
banker took his pencil in hand and
hurried a page to the desk of President
Hopkins with information that on the
morrow he would insist on his motion.
I don't just know that Salina wants
this asylum anyhow said Quincy.
but it's a downright shame to leave
the matter where we can't get in the
race If we want to-
The senate passed the Brady bill
providing for the registration of farm
names. The registration is not com
pulsory. Any modern agriculturist,
T,o iG fed fO mt q
on record for the payment to the coun-
ty clerk of the modest sum of one
dollar.
Senator Carey's bill allowing cities
Of the third class to appropriate funds
for interurban railways passeI the
senate in the second bunch of omnibus
measures.
The committee on banks and bank
ing has worked overtime this session
and the banks have received all sorts
of legislation that do everything but
encourage the overdraft privileges.
Wednesday afternoon the senate
passed another bunch Of bills that are
intended to promote the banking in
dustry.
The senate spent the greater portion
of Wednesday afternoon and a couple
of hours of the night session pushing
through the final bunch of local bills.
Two big omnibus schemes were pro-
moted. It was easy sailing for every
one except the reading clerks, who
worked overtime.
A new fence law has passed the SEN
ate that Will probably cause rejoicing
in the short grass district. Senator
Cooke introduced the measure, which
provides that no person not wishing
his land enclosed and not pasturing or
maintaining live stock on his land,
shall be compelled to erect or maintain
a fence between his land and that of
q neighbor
There was a lively ten-minute row
in the senate Wednesday afternoon
when Senator Reed wanted to inject a
few new paragraphs in the compensa-
tion act. Reeds amendments regu-
lated the appointment and duties of a
commission and Hamilton and Ganse
declared immediate war if the matter
was considered. A compromise was
finally arranged to allow both Reed
and Hamilton to submit plans for a
commission, and they were considered
this morning when the bill was called
on third reading.
While the senate was considering 10