The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-24
senators Hodges and Ganse in
Personal Encounter.
Lie Passed on Floor of Senate in
Afternoon.
GANSE observation-disclosures
In Committee Room Emporia
Senator Opens Battle.
W1ry Little Democrat Has Bet.
ter OF Encounter.

Two weeks Of pent up stubborn fac-
tional animosity broke over the senat.
late Monday evening and in +ba .r.
mated review of personalities +bo a.,
was passed between Senators Hodees
anu Ganse' who two hours later at
tempted to settle their difficulties in !.
pnysical encounter IN senate commit
tee room.
After the early evening trouble the
men met at O'Clock in the office of ths
state treasurer, which was used for a
joint session of the ways and means
committees. Both are members rf
this committee. Hodges arrived aft the
meeting first. He was sitting in a
cnair talking to Representative Case
OF dickinson county, when Ganse en-
tered the room. Ganse walked to the
chair occupied by the Democratic lead
er.
You called me liar on the floor of
the senate this evening"" declared ths
Santa Fe attorney, "and 1 don't take
that from any man"
AS he completed the sentence, Ganso
struck Hodges squareIy in the face
Hodges grasped his opponent. upsettino
MS chair and that occupied by Case
The three men rolled ON the floor. Case
In the center of the trouble district.
Hodges was on top and damned the in
AT this stage of the game w T.
Brown, representative from Kingrnan
county, interfered and separated the
combative lawmakers, though he re-
ce1ved blow from Ganse's fist during
the melee. Mark Tulley. state treasur-
er, was for calling the police, but
members of the committee convinced
him OF the error of his way As the
men arose to their feet, they INDUCED
I'm a heated discussion of personalities.
Hodges walked close to the Coffev
county member and read him an i'm
FASHIONED tongue lashing Ganse re-
Piled in the same language. In the
rough and tumble encounter. Cases
trousers were torn and Ganse received
a welt below the eye Although Ganse
is 80 pounds the heavier of the two
men. the minority leader had the bet
ter of the argument and refused TO
apologize
The two men made lively the session
by frequently exchanging expressions
that showed a feeling which cannot be
erased by harmony sessions.
The trouble started over the report
of the rules committee recommending
the appointment of a conference COM
mittee on committees. The discussion
which followed the report opened a
breach in the upper house that can
hardly be bridged at this session.
Lie Is Passed.
In five minutes after the regulars had
helped to send the Orr resolution to the
scrap heap, Stavely offered the docu-
melt that turned loose the animals
and precipitated a row that may hold
the ribbon in the trouble zone of Kan
SaS legislatures for several sessions 1t
was in the course of this debate that
Ganse referred to the record of George
H. Hodges, the defeated Democratic
candidate for governor and without
batting eye the Johnson county SEN
| -.
lie. Then followed half hour of per-
sona1 comments in which Robertson
flayed Ganse and Brady removed Mil
toms scalp. Milton abused the insur-
gents for, all that was good and bad
and Price and Han-ilton cross fired as
to what constituted Republican prin-
ciples.
Then by the same vote that dehorn-
| ed President Hopkins. the senate pass
ed the Stavely resolution. Hopkins
declared the document had failed and
Brewster for the second time this ses-
sion appealed from the decision of the
chair and was sustained by the senate.
Gamely the Is insurgent members
stayed by their principles and when
their colors were trod upon the floor
of the senate chamber, they came back
for more and received a second drub
bing as gracefully as they swallowed
the sting of their first defeat.
Other committee reports had been
|
chairman of the rules committee. of
fered the following change in the
rules:
The Committee on Conferees.
Rule 70-All conferees of the SEN
ate committee on revision of the cal
endar shall be appointed by a commit
tee composed to Senators Reed, Rob
ertson, Milligan, Stewart, Huffman.
| Caldwell, Milton, Fagerberg and Ben
der. ]. H. STAvELY, Chairman
| Almost before the clerk had finish
| ed the reading of the resolution, Ganse
was On his feet and lambasting the op-
position force.
These fellows who want this dras-
tic measure adopted" declared the
| Coffey county senator, ARE not fight
ing for a principle. They are here to
| defeat laudable legislation. They have
been treated well; yes, better than
they deserved, by the president of the
senate. Their only ambition is slap
| at the president"
'If this were SLAP" declared
| Stavely, who had not yet returned to
his seat, ct want to assure the gentle
man from Coffey, that I would have
returned a minority report. The size
| of this matter is that these fellows are
| trying to dodge their own doctrine.
Hamilton called Stavely to order
and the chairman of the committee
replied that he had no further remark
| than to correct an insinuation which
the president of the senate had allow
ed to pass unnoticed.
| Then Robertson again opened the
recent wound in the heart of the in
surgent floor leader.
II want to assure this body" said
Robertson, that the minority mem
bers have nothing but words OF COM
mendation for the presiding officer
and are united in our respect for him;
but we are fighting for principle The
faction of the gentleman from Coffey