The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1911-01-20
THE KANSAS LEGISLATURE
IS NOW Ar WORK
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR WAS DE
HORNED BY THE SENATE.
House Refuses to Take Powor From
spoaker-pOlngs at Topeka In 4
dictate Warm Session.

the most bitterly contested and politi
cally vindictlve legislative session Of
recent years is now in session. Ap
parently every senator and member
came in with knife In his boot. In
the senate, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Hop.
kins was dehorned, the power to make
committee appointments having been
taken away from him.
The house, by vote of SIS to SO re.
fused to remove the power Of appoint
ing committees from the speaker II
required, however. that the speaker
give proportionate consideration to
Democrats in naming the committees.
The vote was IS to So.
In the senate an effort was made
by Senator Gantz to restore the power
of naming the committee to the lieu
tenant-governor. The motion was los,
by vote of 81 to Is and a committee
was chosen by the committee on rules
to make the committee assignments
in the senate.
When the senate committees were
made up the insurgent senators were
relegated to unimportant chairman
ships.
Kansas Labor Wants Laws.
w. L. A. Johnson, state commission.
er of labor, outlined the legislation
which the labor legislative cOmmitte
will present before the legislature.
The liability law, introduced at the
last session of the legislature, passed
the house and defeated by the senate,
again will be presented. No changes
have been made in 1t.
A compensation law will be urged
1t has not been worked out in detail
but will provide for fixed amount for
death and injury in accordance with a
general average Of previous number
OF years of wages. Contributory negli,
gence and gross negligence of employ.
er are to be waived. A sliding scale
of compensation is to be arranged
A commission Is to be asked to be
paid by the state on per diem wage
Five members are to compose it. The
commission Is to be limited to the con-
sideration of certain hazardous EN-.
pigments and the investigation of &C
cidents resulting In such employment.
holding hearings on all such cases. II
is to compile report and make re.
concentrations to the next legisla
ture.
An. amendment to the accident law
Is to be asked. 1t Is to be modelled
afterfthe provision in the Minnesota
law that all accidents be reported to
the state commissioner of labor so
that tabulations can be made as to
causes, conditions, effects and costs.
After Scalp Of the Assessor.
It is not unlikely that the office of
county assessor will be abolished dur.
ing this session of the legislature; that
is in counties having population OF
around $4,000 or less. Two bills along
that line have been introduced in the |
house by Democrats The two bills In. |
troduced put the county assessor out OF
business completely and turn his work
over to the county clerk. 1t is ex-
pected that there will be bill from
the Republican side of the house pro.
viding for the abolition of the county
assessor only in counties having GER
tain populatlon-probably $4,000 or
10000.
To Prevent Hog Cholera.
Governor Stubs has sent his first
special message to the legislature. He
asks that provision be made at once
to enlarge the plant at the state agri.