The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-17
TO LET 1T STAND.
Senate Refuses to Make Utilities
Board Elective.
Senator Price Leads Hopeless
Fight on the Section.
VOTE STANDS 25 TO ~.
Democratic Leader Stood With
the Insurgent.
Measure Itself Is Still Before
the Senate.
VOTE STANDS 25 TO IL.

After an all morning fight, the SEN
ale refused to alter the administrator
public utilities bill by making the
board elective and left the selectloh
of the board in the hands of the gov
ernor. 1t was on this point that the
main fight on the bill hinged and the
administration crowd rode triumph
antly over the ants, who were led IN
the fight by Senator Price, Of Clark
county. -,
The senate Immediately settled down
to an all day consideration OF tne piiI .'iiI
and promptly dumped the house blll
in the waste basket. This document
did not arouse enthusiasm in the re-.
form camp and they alleged that was
filled with gaping holes and ugly Joh-
ers.
Things moved along nicely until the
upper house reached the section OF the
utilities bill which left the seleclloh
of the board with the chief executive.
Occasionally Senator Cook hao IN
spected the general bill in a Search
for the infringement oil CIVIC rlgHIs lg,s
and he found a ditch in the Dill Whlch
permitted the people to appeal from
the decision of the city commissioners
to the utilities bill. He was for scalp
ing this particular section, out ms
colleagues coaXed him to change MS
pipe lines which did not extend to
more than three counties being placed
under the supervision of the boaro,
but Stannard said the original pro
visions of the bill were right and the
senate endorsed the opinion of the
I.von county member. Stannard said
the Cambern change would benent
him personally, but that 1t allowed all
OF the Independent oil refineries to
escape and he pointed out numerous
difficulties.
Then came the big fight. Price
trained his guns on the administra-
ton crowd and asked why they pro-
posed to trust the people with all the
big bills and amendments when they
wanted to shear them of their power
to name the officials.
Il want to ask, said Pr1ce, 'Wny
the administration proposes to place IN
the hands of the DeoDle the rights or
tine initiative and referendum and yet
are afraid to trust them with the election
of the officers. Here is a 81 page Dill.
Why do you want the people to pass
on the merits of this important meas
ure and yet take away from them the
rights to name the board who admins
ter its policies? How do you know but
that the governor of tomorrow may not
be the aVowed friend g the railroads?
Why, 1 remember when the genreal
attorney for the Santa Fe railway was
rendered the position OF United States
senator. IL ne were governor OL YOUR
state, would you want him to name the
utilities board? This agitation con-
Vinces me that after all there is lot
of buncomb in the I. and r. You
showed me that you were afraid to
trust the people with the big appro-
priations. I infer that if you decline
to trust them in this, that you are
afraid to trust them on q public de-
mand.'
A half dozen energetic insurgents
IL
Quincy, Stannard and Brady all waded
into the Ashland man with the best
material in their possession. They de-
clared that he was trying to blind the
people and was not playing the game
in all fairness. Price, Quincy and Stan
nard spent ten minutes cross-fring.
Then Brady secured recognition and
told Price of the error of his way.
Il don't like the tone of those re-
marks" declared Brady, 'and I don't
want the senator from Clark or any
one else to think that I am trying to
dodge a record. I am not. I claim
that this board should be composed
OF men from both parties; and it is
one of the real strong features of the
bill In my opinion some of the of
ficials of the Santa Fe would make
the very best possible officials. I want
to point to the tax commission Not
a single word of complaint has ever
been raised against this board and it
- is dDpOlnJeQ DN the governor.
Then Stannard said the best men
would not run for office but would
accept the jobs if given to them.
Price asked Stannard if he thought
Plumb, from Stannard's home county
was a good man; and Stannard replied
in the affirmative. Price then asked
if men equally as good could not be
secured, if the law We're left as il is
Carey pointed to the fact that when
the offices were doled out by the gov
ernOr in the bygone days that com
plainants never found the members in
town and that the patronage merely
furnished funds for periodical iunket-
ing expeditions.
This remark was not received with
enthusiasm and Senator Hodges went
on record for the bill as reDorted h.,
the committee. He declared tba+ 1vbi1a
his party stood for the election of
everyone from road oVerseer TO gov,
ernor by direct vote of the people. ne
was going to shatter few sacred
policies and give the governor the
power to name the board n
said that in the palmy davs he had
never heard word OF criticism against
appointed boards and he was WiIIine
to give the plan another trial.
Many of the members explained
their votes and thirty minutes was
consumed in the roll call The vote on
the. Price amendment to make the
board elective was as follows:
For-Bender, Caldwell, Carey, Cooke
Fagerberg, Milligan, Milton, OverfieId
Potter Price. Smith, Travis. Total, r.
Against-Anderson Avery, Brady
Brewster. Brown, Cambern. Denton
Fowler. Ganse. Glenn, Harris. HamiI-
ton, Hodges, Hostrup, Huffman. Hunt
er, Lower, Murphy, Myers. Porter
Quincy, Reed, Stannard. Stavely. Stew.
art. Total, 25.
Not voting-Robertson and Stillings
Chapman absent.
1t was 1890 when the roll call wa: