The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-11
HEARD In HOTELS
Legislative Gossip and the
Converse of Politicians.
All Candidates for Speaker
Sign Petition.
COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES
Another Senate Conference
Next Monday.
Senator Joseph of Butler
Comes to Town.
COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES


| son, leading candidates in the house
speakership fight. today declared for
the plan for committee on commit
tees in the house and signed petitions
| to that effect. Every member of the
house to whom petitions were pre-
scented today. signed the committee
f! agreement and both Orr. and Brown
made statements in favor of the plan.
That was the main development in
/ todays milling in the speakership
race. Both Orr and Brown are con-
| tending that they. have sufficient
| pledged supporters to insure them the
| ership caucus Monday. Not until to-
| day, however, have either of these
men made positive statements con-
| corning the committee on committee
movement.
| j. \. Herr, house member from
| Barber county. circulated the petit
| tionS. 1t was first presented to Brown,
| who signed it. a few minutes later
the paper was given to Orr and ne
signed. Practically every Democratic
house member who is in Topeka had
signed the petitions at noon today.
by far the larger majority of the
house members favor a committee on
committees said Orr. 1T is the only
Democratic method of organizing the
legislature and I am in favor of it,
Asked concerning his strength in
the caucus. the Atchison lawyer de-
. clared he had sufficient votes to insure
him the nomination.
Brown this afternoon made his first
statement concerning the strength
which he expects to show in the
speakership fight.
Il have so votes pledged and will
not lose one of them in the show
down." said the Kingman man. 81
have waited until 1 knew exactly my
strength before making statement
and / know that have the votes.
was the first man to sign the commit
tee on committee agreement, because
believe it is right and just"
Miles H. Mulroy of Ellis county
on committee plan and advocated it
in his candidacy. Mulroy and Willard
E. Lyon of Lincoln are both speaker
ship candidates from the Sixth dis
trict They are particularly agreed on
a Sixth district conference to be held
Monday morning. Whether or not the |
two men will then stay in the race, |
will depend largely on the decision of
the caucus.
J. n. Shuey of Decatur county, de-
clared today that he is not in the
running He will support Orr in the |
speakership contest Mulroy and
Lyon both declined to state which way
they would lean in event they with
drew and only Orr and Brown re-
manned in the race.
1t is probable that the senate Dem
ocratic committee on committees will |
hold a conference at the Throop hotel
tonight in another effort to determine
the more important committee APP
pointnents Senator t. A. Milton of
Kansas City, chairman of the commit
tee was this afternoon asked to come
to Topeka for the conference.
Democratic senators are making
every effort to smooth out the rouSht
places in the organization and declare
that they will succeed. But there are
several committees on which various
members have cast wistful eyes and
it is not improbable that some of them
may refuse to be comforted with any
thing but the real article. 1t is in the
hopes that the olive branch may be
extended and the working organfza-
ton of the senate strengthened, that
extra precautions will be taken to
make everyone happy.
An adjourned session of the Demo-
cratic senatorial caucus will be held
in the senate chamber Monday after
noon. At that time the committee ap-
pointments and the division of pat
ronage will again be discussed. But
in the meantime every effort is being
made to restore peace and harmony.
Mrs. Edna Grow is a candidate for
postmistress of the house this year.
Two years ago Mrs. Crow was a:p-
pointed as postmistreSs and made an
excellent record. She has enlisted the
support of many of the members who
sat in the 1911 session and believes
she will have sufficient strength to win
when the list of appointments is made
up.
John I. Saunders, of Cheney, is here
for the inaugural and will spend a few
days with the Democratic leaders at
the Throop. Last fall Saunders was
the Democratic congressional nominee
in the Eighth district and he conduct
ed a campaign which reduced the ma
jority of Congressman Victor Muir
dock to unusual proportions. Saunders
is Il travelling man and is rated as an
orator of more than passing ability.
Senator Fred Robertson. of RawIins
is spending the week in Topeka and
will remain here until after the in
augural ceremonies. Robertson is a
candidate for United States district at
torney to succeed Harry ]. Bone in
event the present session of congress
refuses to confirm Bones reappoint-
ment. The Rawlins man is a lawyer
Of ability and in the 1909-11 sessions
of the state senate made an excellent
record for the then minority forces.
State Senator J. ID. Joseph of White
water, Butler county, is in town today
and an active and formidable candi-
late for craftsmanship of the commit
lee on banks and banking. Senator {
Joseph is a state banker and has been S
1 FACTOR in Butler county politics for
many years. He won his senate seat t
oy $50 in a county with a normal Re- S
publican majority of 500. He gives '
he impression in the hotel corridors $
Of being an able and pleasant gentle !
man.
{
Although an appointment will prob
ably not be made until some time next .
week, it is believed that jeremiah d.
Botkin of Winfield will land the su-
oerintendency of the Hutchinson re- :
sormatory to succeed NJ +. Amrine of | :
Iouncu Grove. 1t was Botkin who I