The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-20
Gov. Stubbs' Veto of One Bill
Causes Discussion.
Senator Carey Writes About
Regents Consolidation.
COURSE OF MEASURE.
Was First Beaten and Then
Passed in Senate.
Meanwhile the Administration
Changed Front ON Question.

The veto, by Governor Stubbs of the
board of administration bill for the
state educational institutions is caus-
ing considerable discussion among
members of the legislature who worked
and voted for the bill Some of these
members understood that the governor
was for the proposition and they
waded in to get out the best measure
possible.
In the Republican platform there was
plank that the Republicans favored
the consolidation of all boards wherever
possible. The legislature consolidated
the pentitentiary and the industrial
reformatory boards. and the governor
signed this bill. The Keene bill con-
solidatinG the educational institutions
was also passed and the governor, after
much deliberation vetoed the measure.
Senator Emerson Carey of Reno
county was one of those who is much
put out over the veto by the governor
of the board of administration bill. Sem
ator Carey thought that the governor
for the plan, in fact he says the
governor urged him to support the BILL
In letter to a friend in Topeka Mr.
Carey says that the governor thought
there was a political joker somewhere
so he killed it.
A little history about this measure
may be interesting in connection with
Senator Carey's letter. The senate
killed it's own bill to put the three edu-
cational institutions under one board of
three members. Only twelve or fifteen
senators voted for it, AT that time
most of the senators of the anti-Stubbs
crowd understood tltat the governor
was for the proposition. Then ths
house passed the Keene bill and before
the Keene bill came ever to the senate
the standpat senators learned that the
governor had changed his mind and
that he really was opposed to such a
measure.
Tie day the Kcene bill was passed a
senator from southeast Kansas walked
up to the press table and remarked to
the newspaper men there, Watch us
put old Stubbsey in the hole
He refused to say what about or how
this was going to happen but he SEEM
ed supremely confident and happy
about It, Two days later the Keene bill
was passed by the senate, Deariy every
anti-Stubbs fan voting for it. This
same senator pranced by the press
table singing, just for the ears of the
reporters:
'I told you SO. 1 told you so''
Then he explained that the governor
did not want the consolidation bill at
all and that they had passed the bill
simply to put the governor in hole by
forcing him to veto a measure that the
Republican platform had declared for.
Senator Carey, in discussing this
consolidation bill, in a letter to friend,
said:
II went to Governor Stubbs to tell
him that the committee on penal insti-
tutions had drawn a bill putting the
reformatory and penitentiary under
one board, instead of putting them un-
der the board of control, as provided
IN the Mercer bill passed by the house
He said he thought this all right and
urged me to put the Keene bill
through the senate, putting the edu-
cational institutions all under one
board, which, would put the education
al institutions on d business basis" to
use the governors own words The
same bill by Senator Huffman has been
killed in the senate, receiving only nine
votes, as I rememb Der it. Believing that
such board could save from quarter
to half million dollars a year over the
present plan. and believing that it was
great waste of money and energy for
The state to employ Chancellor Strong
and Prof Hunter of the Kansas uni
versity. President Waters, Prof. Web
ster and Engir~~- Gearhart of the Ag-
ricultural college, and President Hill
of the Enporia State Normal school
at salaries of from $1,000 to $4,000 per
year, besides lesser lights from all Of
these institutions as lobbyists during
two months of the school year, and re-
membering that the governor sent a
special message to the senate uring
this. and also remem bering that this
was included in that sacred document
the Republican platform, we got busy
and passed the till, thinking the mat
ter settled.
Not so, however, the governor look
ed over the roll call and found every
so-called 'standpatter' in the senate
had voted for this bill: also, four DEM
ocrats, and only three of the admins
tratlon senators chad voted for it.
suppose he also contemplated that this
bill carried only three appointments
and the old arrangement Is appoint
ments-and how valuable these ap-
pointments would be in the senatorial
race as compared with legislating such
men as Arthur Capper, William Allen
| White and 16 other influential men,
scattered all over Kansas. out of busi-
! ness. And SO notwithstanding his
special message urging this, his plat
| form pledge and his conversation urg-
| ing the pa ssage of the bill, thus put
| ting the educational institutions on a
| business basis and saving millions of
money and putting these schools where
they can be maintained as q perman-
ent good for Kansas. instead of being
destroyed by the people of Kansas-as
| they will be if they keep on taking an
/ additional million dollars of the peO-
doing-the governor lit his pipe, reach
| ed for his pen and vetoed the best bill
passed by this session Of the legisla-
| ture and one that probably cannot be
| passed again, as a strong lobby is be-
/ ing graduated each year from all these
| Institutions favoring the old order of
things
What manner of man is this man
| Stubbs, and how long are the people
| of Kansas going to be fooled by such
| sham reform p