The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-02
Sessions Corporation Bill De.
feated in Senate Committee.
Dawson Makes Final Effort to
Save Measure.
COMPROMISE BEATEN.
Then an UnfavOrable Report Is
Framed.
An Exciting Meeting of Com
COMPROMISE BEATEN.
An Exciting Meeting of Com
mittee Last Evening.


Following a stormy session of the
committee on corporations, the Ses-
sions corporation tax bill went down to
defeat in poll made this morning of
that committee. The formality of re-
porting the cruci1xion of the measure
has been deferred. Nearly fifty per-
sons interested in the bill attended
meeting in the office of the secretary
of state and John Dawson, attorney
general, threatened dire things for the
big profit earning concerns in the fu-
ture if the committee Strangled this
pet measure. At times the discussion
bordered on the edge of personal eX-
pressions and the Commercial club
came in for a drubbing.
In the closing hours of the battle of
Wednesday night, Dawson weakened
in his fight for the bill. His bold state
ments of earlier in the evening were
substituted for offers of conn promise.
He admitted that the proposed rate
might be too high, he said that per-
haps in the hurry and rush to prepare
a bill that would raise the quarter
million dollars, perhaps the measure
was slightly out of balance. Maybe,
he suggested, that a further reform
might be taken and other concerns in
cluded, while some corporations which
would be caught under the terms of
the pending bill, might gracefully be
omitted.
But there was no compromise with
the committee. From all over the
state had come petitions to defeat the
threatened legislation. Those petit
tions did not ask a compromise. The
petitioners wanted the entire scalp.
Some of the letters threatened dire
things in the political arena for Daw-
son and Sessions. L. S. Ferry placed
on the table several hundred pages of
petitions. There was no uncertainty
as to their tone. Brady of Douglas
,1v cfn Il =,
early in the evening, he moved that
the committee report the bill unfavor-
ably. ]. T. Reed, who is classed in
the administration blue book as a
rabid reactionary, came to the rescue
of the reform forces and saved them
from a singing defeat. He declared
that as chairman Of the committee, he
would not permit of an adverse re-
port on the bill without the attendance
of the entire committee. If such ac-
ton was attempted, he threatened a
minority report. Later in the pro-
ceedings, Reed urged that the bill be
dumped on the floor of the senate
chamber without recommendation
II want these true reformers to
show their hand" declared the Smith
Center lawyer. land I think the peo-
pie are entitled to know how every
man votes on a measure of this kind.
This old story that pet measures are
killed by an unsympathetic committee,
is getting threadbare and run down at
the heels
Senator E. F. Porter appeared be-
fore the committee and pleaded for
the defeat of the bill on behalf of 1O4
individual corporations in his district
Then came Senators Bender and
Fagerberg. They were followed by
Attorneys Charles B. Smith. L. S. Fer
ry of Topeka, and w. B. Sweeney of
Junction City. They declared that an
incorporated concern should not be
handica pped in favor of a partnership
r1l~ixr Of in iffIf fnI7
had to compete on a close margin.
Senator Fagerberg of Pottawatomie
county performed the real Samaritan
act of the session, when he pleaded
for q mercantile company in his home
town which would be affected, al
though Fagerberg himself owns a like
business which would escape penalty.
snd the two institutions measure
swords for the local business. w. H.
Davis of the Davis Mercantile COM
pany said that the tax would impose a
rank injustice on many stockholders
in his company who are wage earners
and are trying to pay for small block
of stock IN the company.
Charles Sessions and John Dawson
talked for the bill. Sessions alluded in
n sarcastic manner to the circular let
ters sent out by the Topeka CONNER
cial club.
eff the Commercial club will attend
to its own business said Sessions.
land will devote its time to the State
fair. the paving appropriation and
keep its nose out of the affairs OF a
dozen corporations, it will be better
off. We did not expect these COM
panies to petition for the bill and are
not surprised at their action
John Dawson declared that the tax
was needed and would cut down indi-
Vidual taxes. Senator Carey asked
. how much these taxes would be re-
duced. Dawson believed 5 per cent
Carey contended that the man who
paid taxes on $4,000 valuation
would save six cents by the proposed
law and declared that he preferred tc
paw his six cents
what you people want" said Carey
sis to get the money and levy for what
purposes you like and not be watched
so closely. If you will tax all public
service corporations and pay tn,
money to the counties in which they
do business. we will support the bill
You say it is primitive. Do you thinl
1t is primitive for a company to lay
down its books and affairs for the raw
ages of a tax commission ,"
You must take this or get some
thing worse said Dawson, who de
clared the law was working success
fully in 33 states.
Then Carey referred to the incom