The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-02
ARE GAINING GROUND.
Democrats Help Insurgents in Senate
This Afternoon.

At the afternoon session of the SEN
ate. Hodges offered an amendment to
the first section of the initiative and
referendum resolution which would
require 15 per cent of the total vote to
initiate an amendment to the constitu-
ton. The Olathe senator declared this
would spike any probable effort to- re-
submit the prohibition amendment,
but permits questions other than con-
stltutional amendments to be submit
ted on an amendment signed by 8 per
cent. His amendment carried by a
vote of % to Is. 1t was the first
amendment carried and the. admins
tration felt they were gaining ground.
The regulars came back with a few
amendments of their own, although they
could not muster enough votes to carry
important changes. Senator Price Of
fered a minor amendment and made
ten minute speech for his amend
ment and closed by saying that his
speech would not stand as a committal
on the bill. Price again reminded the
members that the platform was of ques-
tionable authorship and said he would
not swallow any political medicine that
did not taste good merely just because
someone prescribed the dope. Stewart
wanted an amendment compelling the
required per cent of Signers in each
county and Stavely amended this to
put every congressional district within
the 20 per cent limit. Although the
the total votes. yet they were loaded
with heavy amendments and gave am
PIE evidence that they possessed enough
votes to make final passage of the
measure quite uncertain. This fact did
not ease the mind of the insurgents
and with each vote the standpats ap-
peared to gain courage and strength.
Price attacked the provisions of the
bill which denied a submission of ap-
preparations and salaries of public of-
E.1fr 1c Il Il kloA IL
sive friends were trying to keep tina
real important measure from the pub
lie.
"If you can trust the people Of Kan
sas on prohibition said Price, you
can certainly trust them in fixing the
governors salary and the appropria-
ton to his school at Lawrence. The
governor declares in his message that
1t is not how much money you wiring
out of the people, but what you spend
the money for, and I think in our day
of reform some of these things should
be attended to-"
Price then showed the Oregon bal
lot
"If a couple of pages will come
here" said Price. ct will show you
how they do things in Oregon. There
they voted for the very things you de-
prive the people to make an express
sion. The trouble is our reform friends
have heard what they did to the sal
aries in that state and they don't want
it tried here"
The Ashland lawyer then sent the
Oregon ballot law to the speakers
table by two pages, who spread the
document to it's full length of seven
feet. After it was duly exhibited Price
attacked the plan and asked if the dis
tinguished statesman from Emporia
wanted the doctrine tried on the nor
NAL.
eff you are for the people, he de-
clared, don't be for them in q half
hearted way. If you can trust the peo-
pie in some of these things then why
are you reformers not willing to trust
them with all of the things? This re-
form business. is for no other purpose
than to reform some person IN the
United States senate. May God hasten
the day when reformers don't want
public Office
The Price amendment was carried en-
a yea and nay vote.