Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-01-19
WEAKNESS OF INSURGENCY
ls SHOWN In LEGISLATURE
Fight over Rules Has Cleared 20.
llticaI Atmosphere.

1tlCal HLmO5VHch0 III hnAS~Dt g~tN
Representative ]. w. Davis Of Kiowa
a Republican house leader
il 1T ought to eliminate all distihc-
tlon between 'insurgent' and 'regu'
lar in the state. The insurgents
made the state platform and refused
to permit any suggestion to come
from the conservative Republicans
and they put into the platform the
issue OF 'Cannonism. +
1T was claimed In the Kansas
campaign that the fight on Can
nonlsm' was not a fight personally
on Speaker Cannon, but that It was
a contest in behalf of the principal
that the power to control legislation
ought not to be vested in the speak
er through the appointment Of COM
mittees. That was the issue, and
Upon that issue Congressman Scott,
Calderhead and Miller were defeated
by the Insurgents in the primary
campaign.
Now at the first opportunity the
'insurgent' members In the legis-
lature refuse to abide by the doc
trlne they had invoked and in SC
doing they repudiated their own
state platform.
"Their refusal to stand by the
declarations they made in the pri-
mary campaign Is confession that
the cry OF 'Cannonism' was not MADE
/ In good faith and that they. con
Quoted the campaign under false pre-
lenses.
But for this issue Calderhead
and Scott and Miller would have
gone back to congress.
'.The result OF this fight In the
Kansas house of representatives
ought to bring the two wings Of the
Republican party together. The in
surgents' have confessed that they
were wrong and there is nothing
them to do except to come back into
the Republican party.
I'm view Of the platform declara-
ton there was no consistent course
except for the house to elect its COM
mittees. Ifthe platform was wrong
the men who made 1t are responsible,
The insurgents MADE It and refused
to allow the regular Republican
to have any voice in making 1t. II
we are to have government by poll
tical parties in this country there is
no Way In which 1t can be done ex-
cent by shaping legislation through
the medium of partisan committees. "
Save on Printing.
Chas. Sessions, secretary OF state,
and by virtue of his office at the
bead Of the state printing board. has
inaugurated a reform policy that
promises to greatly reduce the quan-
tity and incidentally the cost of state
printing. At his suggestion the
state printing board has this week
been turning down request after re-
quest for state printing, The work
ia only started too. Sessions has
been about, the state house fifteen
years as a newspaperman and knows
: that much Of the printed matter
for which the state annually spends
thousands Of dollars Is useless.
He started by turning down re-
qulsitions made By the Legislature
for stationery for the individual
/ members. Heretofore It has been
the practice 70 print up a batch Of
| individual letter heads for each mem
Der. Sessions has taken the position
that this is useless expense.
4. Down TO BUSINESS Tuesday.
Tuesday the, legislature WIN get
down to the business Of making laws
and next week Is expected to be
rather an eventful one. Proposed
amendments to the inheritance tax
! law WIN be one OF the important sub
iects considered in the senate and
perhaps in the house too. The SEN
ate committee on assessment and
taxation, Of which Senator stayely
/ is Chairman, has already reported
out an amendment exempting direct
heirs from the Inheritance tax. It
viii be considered BY the senate the
first time that body goes into COM
mittee Of the whole.
70 Abolish County ,, Of Pa
Senator John D, Myers. Of Jack.
500 county has introduced a bin IN
The senate that "a attracting a great
lasai OF fayerpbas notice from the
! lawyer member. Of The legislature
n So BIZ abpliahjng, the offices
q, justice q ne peace p court,
seals and creating q, county eoqIs
- a.. -,.k,aa tnfek ahall