The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-22
DR.. Goddard, of LeavenWOrth,
Almost Starts a Riot.
Calls Members of the House
"Numbskulls."
WOULD NOT LISTEN.
And One of the Spectators Had
a Fit.
Good Roads Bill Passes Com.
mittee of Whole.

The discussion of the three bills by.
Ewing relating to- the practice of
medicine were discussed by the house
last night and one Of them passed.
When the house undertook to plaster
the first bill with few amendments
DR.. Goddard of Leavenworth went on
the warpath and called the members
mum bskulls'' when they refused to
listen to him. you will sit here and
listen by the hour" he said. when
some fellow gets up and talks about
isms and theories, and you hug him
and his vaporings to your bosom. But
when some one gets up and talks COM
mon sense you are so thick headed you
pay no attention to him at ALL You
are in great hurry to call the doc
tors grafters when they try to get up
a law in the interest of sanitation and
the prevention of the spread of tuber-s
culosis. Yet this dread disease has
caused more deaths in the world in.
the last one hundred years than all
the wars of that period
The house jeered and the doctor.
Numbered and some innocent by
stander fell down in a fit. After the
stricken man had been removed and
the doctor went out to attend him,
quiet was restored and the house pro-
ceeded to transact business.
The medical session was a hummer
while it lasted. The press desk caught
such expressions as "epidermal re-
gions and chiropractice." but soon lost
them. 1t was very plain. though, that
the osteopaths have many friends on
the floor of this body who resent any,
effort to discriminate in favor of the
old school of medicine and surgery.
The good roads bill prepared by the
committee on roads and highways oc-
cupied the house through part of
three sittings and was not finally rec
commended for passage until this aft
ernoon. It came first before the
house Tuesday afternoon. Gray of
Phillips and Thompson of Reno led
the fight for the measure. There are
fifty-two sections to the bill and the
farmer members did most of the de-
batting while the lawyers, for once this
session, held their tongues.
The measure is devoted to the build
ing and regulating of highways. If it
finally becomes a law the person trav-
had better read up on this measure or
bear himself circumspectly while he
travels along the right of way.
Besides providing for improvement
of the roads. the bill creates the Of
flee of county engineer and has lot
grading, bitches, keeping the road
clear of litter and debris and courtesy
of tn eroad by travellers. One section
provides, That for the purpose of car
rying out the provisions of this act
the highway commissioners shall rec
ommend to the county commissioners
of the road by travellers. One section
fore the LIST day of August of each
year, a levy of not more than three
mills on the dollar on ali the property
in such township, and it shall be the
duty of the county clerk to place such
levy on the tax rolls of said county;
provided, that at least rs per cent of
all moneys collected from the taxable
property in each township, including
cities of the third class. shall be used
to improve the rural route and town
ship roads within such township.
Another section reads as follows:
THAT in all counties of the state
having 10000 population or less, IL in
the judgment OF the board OF county
commissioners the county surveyor be
competent to superintend the county
and state roads, such county surveyor
shall be the county engineer OF public
highways and bridges; but, If the board
of county commissioners shall deem
the county surveyor incompetent for
such work, they may appoint some per-
son other than the county surveyor
county engineer of public highways and
bridges
Some of the members who fought the
bill declared that such road tax
amounts almost to confiscation of pro-
perty under the present tax law of full
valuation.
After the senate vote on the I. and
R. had been announced and it was
certain that this scheme was dead in
the legislature for this session. Davis
of Kiowa, who made the fight single
handed against the bill in the house.
said:
kansas has just escaped the great
catastrophe All honor to the fifteen
senators who saved her from the
abyss. Their statues should adorn the
hall of fame in her capitol forever
Today had been set apart on the cal
endar for consideration of bills relating
to drainage districts and recovery of
swamp lands and methods of protec-
ton from overflow of streams, but the
good roads bills overflowed on to the
calendar. and remain to be disposed of.
Tomorrow has been set apart for con-
sideration of bills relating to cities of
the first and second class and consist
in the main of measures that provide
for issuing bonds for city improve
ments, and regulating thousand and
one things; many of these measures
are special bills relating to one par
ticular evil or remedy. There are 81 of
the bills on the calendar for Thursday.
The house swatted the two-cent-fare
bill in committee of the whole Tuesday
afternoon and It died the death. 1t was
said that the governor favored the
passage of this law. but the majority
of the house members were of the
opinion that it was best to let we'll
enough alone. Kansas enjoys a. two
cent rate on all the roads in the state
through the terms of an agreement
with the railroads and to violate this
armistice would be to invite a war
with nothing to gain and everything to
lose. It will be time enough to pass
this law and go to war with the roads,
said the members opposing the bill,
whe1l the roads put back the three cent
rate.
The resolution by Davis of Kiowa
providing for four-year term for
state officers was killed by the house
in committee of the whole. There has