The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-11
IN SENATE mill"
Hotel Commission Now As
sured in Kansas.
Fees-Salaries Bill Passed-Sur-
prise of Session.


A hotel commission self-supporting
and maintained under the former reg
ulations of the state, has been assur-
ed by recent action of the senate IN
approving the Mulroy house bill late
Monday afternoon. Before the first OF
next year Governor Hodges Will ap,
point what will be known as hotei
commissioner with offices at the capl-
toll, and with the duties of enforcing
the present regulations
In other words the legislature mas
taken the inspection and supervision
of hotels out of the hands of the state
board of health. All fees from licenses
will be turned over to the state treas
! ury and will be recorded in support
of the maintenance of the commission.
The fee for licenses to conduct
| hotel, rooming house, apartment mouse
! or restaurant will e 81 annually. Ho-
! tells with - sleeping rooms or more
| will have to pay 49, and for eacn al
| ditional room, 81. The bill appropr1-
ates $4,000 for the support of the new
| department.
! 1t will be the duty of the new hotel
commissioner to inspect or have in
! spected by his deputies at least once
each year every hotel. rooming house,
apartment house or restaurant.
The senate late Monday afternoon
| gave to Kansas City the right to grant
| to railway companies other than street
| railways the privileges of building
and maintaining lines across. over or
! along any street, alley or public
! grounds for a period of zoo years.
! This bill will aid terminal companies
| on the Kansas side of the two cities
| at the mouth of the Kaw.
| The senators who voted Saturday
| afternoon for the minimum wage bill
were presented with carnations by
the women lobbyists Monday after
nf
| house who did not support the bill
were given nothing.
| Senator Loring Trott of Geary, who
! has been accused of coming to the leg
| islature as a good old standpat Re
| publican, denies the charge Il was
sent here as a Progressive-a Pro-
gressive without qualification" Is his
| explanation. This makes three staunch
Bull Moosers-Ingalls, Kinkel and
Trott.
One of the real surprises of the ses-
sion was sprung late Monday after
noon when the senate with only nine
dissenting votes passed the bill abol-
ishing the fee system among county
officers and placing the work on
salary basis. Three Democrats voted
AGAINST the measure-the rest of the
majority lined up solidly behind it and
refused to stand for any amendments.
bill as it was passed by the house
attempted to amend it to suit the de-
sires of their county officers and the
: applications of their districts. And as
fast as the amendments were sug-
gested, they were voted down in an
Reclamation vote. Senator Bowman
| of Anderson county stood on his feet
for fifteen minutes and suggested
eighteen amendments-an were voted
down.
The fees and salaries bill was a
platform pledge of both the Republi-
cans and Democrats, but it has been
predicted for many days that the
measure as it was drawn never would
pass the senate unless radical altera-
tions were made The last minute,
however, it was feared that the house
would not have time to consider the
amendments and the senate decided
to pass the bill as it is with the risk
of making a test of its effect the next
two years.
The bill goes into effect July L.
An attempt was made to postpone it's
effectiveness until the present list of
elected officers had served their terms.
Voting for the bill: Carey, Carney,
Davis, Denton, Gray, Kinds, Howe,
Huffman, Joseph, King, Kinkel, Klein,
Mcmillan, Meek, Milton, Nighswon-
ger, Nixon, Overfield, Paulen, Price
of Clark, Price of Greenwood, Shouse,
Simpson, Porter, Sutton. Trott, Trout
man, Waggener, Wilson of Jefferson,
Wilson of Washington. Against the
bill: Bowman, Lambertson, Logan,
Mahin, Malone, Pauley, Stavely, Will
liams and Wolf.
Senator Davis, of Bourbon county is
the most closely watched man in the
senate. His attempts to push ahead
on the calendar the anti-keg party bill
has instigated relay watch on the
Bourbon senator by members from all
parts of the chamber. Last night not
long before adjournment after Senator
Troutman had treated the senate with
cider and doughnuts Davis jumped to
his feet and said:
Now is a good time to advance that
anti-keg party bill and I move, Mr..
President, that"
II object, 1 object came from all
parts of the senate chamber.
The senate is having plenty of fun
with the advancement of this bill. Not
that there is any concentrated theory
in the upper house that key parties are
perfectly proper, but that the bill now
rests comfortably at the bottom of the
general order column and the senate Is
satisfied that it should remain there.
1.-The bill is a source of joy to me"
explained Senator Davis last night. Il
want to bring it out on third reading
and 1 w;-nt to have roll call taken on
its passage-it will be worth watching"
Final consideration of all bills has
been set for tomorrow noon. This
means the last day of the 1913 session
as far as the organization of both
branches of the legislature is concerned.