The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-28
men MUST WORK.
Or Their Constituents at Home
VIII Weep.
The House Is TOiling With
Might and Main.
To CONSIDER ALL THE BILLS.
Sessions Begin at 8 a m.-End
Begin at 8 m.--End
10 p. m.
Osweiler, the Silent Man From
Sedgwick, Speaks.

Many hours of hard work were
lodged by the house members today
when they voted to advance 1913 bills
under general orders to third reading.
This action was taken in view of the
late date of the session and means
that no more this session will the
house work in the committee of the
whole.
With nearly 40 bills on third read
ing this morning, the house faced a
prolonged session-in fact several ses-
sions-in the committee of the whole
for the consideration of bills on cal
endar under general orders. 1t was
to dodge this work and to aid in as
early an adjournment as possible that
motion was made at the suggestion OF
Speaker Brown to advance all bills to
third. reading. At the time this mo-
ton carried there were 1919 bills pend
ing under the heading of general or
ders. OF this number 1S3 were house
bills and SO were senate bills.
Each day until the close of the ses-
sion bills will be lifted from the gem
eral order column to third reading
and any fights over bills on the calen-
dar will occur when the measures are
read the third time. The work of the
revision committee will continue as in
the past. Each day that committee
will meet and derrick the bills in
which the administration feels eSpec-
ial interest or which are of state wide
Importance. AS for the local meas
ureS, they must be plucked from the
foot of the calendar and find a place
in the bulk roll calls that have char
acterized the work of the house this
week.
Adjournment Date Uncertain.
The date for final adjournment is
still uncertain. Early this week the
house adopted a resolution setting
Wednesday March 5-the fifty-first
day of the session-aS the date for
final adjournment. This measure was
m
that body has not as yet decided when
it will go home. 1t now seems prob
able. that the date set by the house
may be advanced an entire week and
that the session will not end before
Wednesday, March q, concluding a
IS day session
This week the house has worked
overtime. Its morning sessions have
begun at 9 o'clock instead of 10
o'clock and much electricity has been
consumed in providing lights for the
long, tedious night sessions. Only once
this week has the house stopped the
legislative machinery. That was
Thursday night when the members
adjourned long enough to accept the
courtesy of the newspaper men and
attend the mock senate.
A dozen bills of minor Importance
passed the house today in bulk roll
calls. Most of these measures were of
local Importance and affected only dis
tricts in which the authors of the bills
resided.
The house today passed the Lyon bill
ena bling cities of the third class to es-
ia blish commission form of govern
ment. Under the Lyon bill the city
commission in cities of the third class
shall consist of the mayor and three
commissioners. The old law provided
for the commission form of government
only in cities of the first and second
class, but the Lyon bill enables the
smaller towns by vote of their peo-
pie, to adopt the new form of city
government.
Theodore Osweiler, the silent member
from SedgWick county, is beginning to
esta blish a record as a speaker on the
floor of the house. At least three times
this week Osweiler has been aroused to
the point where he declared his senti-
ments to his collea CUES in public speech
Once this week Osweiler endorsed
Speaker Browns resolution for the in
tervention of the United States in the
Mexican troubles That was Osweiler's
maiden speech and it was a success
So when the bill compelling alien
voters to register with the county
clerks came up for consideration, Os-
weller not only moved to strike out the