The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-12
Democratic Legislature Makes
Fine Record.
Most of Party Promises Are
Fulfilled.
CLOSING DAYS The WORST
Five Administration Measures
Killed the Last Week.
The House Will Wipe Its Cal
endar Clean.
SENATE HAS LOTS TO DO
Adjournment Not Likely Be-
fore Midnight Tonight.
Record of Big Bills Passed and
Beaten This Session.

Late tonight-more likely early
Thursday morning-the outgoing trains
will be crowded with legislative mem
bers who are hurrying back to theii
constituents. Only a few hours of the
1913 legislative session remains. so fal
as the actual passage of bills is con-
cerned. And with the session almost
closed, it is apparent that the first
really Democratic administration in the
history of Kansas has written into the
statute books more party promises
than any administration in a dozen
years.
This afternoon a dozen important bills
are pending Some of them will be
lost in the hurry to quit work and go
home A half dozen conference COM
nnittees are making final desperate eI-
forts to agree on bills which caused
disa aereernent in the two houses. To-
night the work of those committees: the
work of the, two branches of the leg1sla-
ture will be known in every detail ana
the record for the session VIII nave
been written.
In the last few days, the administra-
+ion saw the womens minimum wage
bill. the maximum hour law, the 1u-
diciaI reapportionment bill, the eff1-
ciency commission, and the mortgage
reeistration tax law go to the scrap
Iust at the present time the new gram
jnspection bill has very uncertain Iu-
ture Unless someone comes TO the
rescue with a i ulmotor. the new gram
inspection bill has only a lew nours % S,e,O 20
live. The amendments which the uls
nified and solemn senate slipped lilto
the bill have left serious DOUBT as ~
whether the measure still retains IT'S
water proof provisions.
Then too. both houses today jumped
SRI fiOn
when if came from the second CONFER
ence committee and there VIII pc no
,norteaee tax law at the hands OF TINS
legislature.
Senator Mahin's liquor reglStratnUn tinI,l
hill which encountered some question:
ab1a amendments in the house, received
tba concurrence of the senate TO-DAY
and that bill is now on ice
House VIII Clean Calendar.
This afternoon the senate faced
long list of bills, some of them OF STATE e
wide Importance, and 1t is douptLu ~
they will be reached in time TOT lhe
fnaI adjournment, which will come
sometime tonight-aIthough the hour is
finally set for 4 o'clock this afternoon.
Tn the house. the members are not
hurrying This morning the house
members faced a calendar which con-
might be cleaned up in two hours II
necessary. But for the first time IN
several sessions, the house is far. Tar
ahead of the senate and is ENJOYING
the rest at the close of the session
The house members propose to wipe
every hill off the calendar before ad-
iournment They will be ready to ad-
io11rn at any hour that suits the con-
venience and pleasure of the senate
but are praying that the upper mouse
will stay on the job and take fnal
action on the bills which passed the
house sometime ago
Appropriation Bill in Conference.
Both houses face the situation of
having to take final action on several
appropriation bills. For the first time
this session the legislature has an ap-
propriation bill in the hands of con-
ference committee. The executive and
judiciary appropriation bill went to
conference late last night when the
senate amended the house bill by put
ting the supreme court officials on
their former salaries and refusing to
concur in the action of the house in
reducing the paychecks for the court.
1t is probable that this conference
committee will report late this after
noon.
Will Sign 800 Bills
AS a result of this session of the
legislature, it is probable that about
800 new laws will be enacted. Pre-
dictions made today on the number of
bills which would be signed by Gov
800. When the governors office clos
ed last night, Governor Hodges had
signed just 173 bills. A record of the
bills which will be approved by the
Kansas executive today and sent back
to the legislature with the official o.
K. will probably total 55, bringing the
grand total of bills signed to 22S for
the session
Among the bills to be reported IA
vorably this afternoon and which are
already in the hands of the governor
are the appropriations for the state
educational institutions including
Kansas University, the state normal
and agricultural college. The appro-
priation for the Weir City school of
mines found a way into the miscel-
laneous appropriation bill last night.
but has not yet received attention in
the senate.
House Passes ~ Bills.
A record of the house proceedings
shows that the lower branch of che
legislature has passed a total of 472
bills. OF this number 322 were orig
inal house bills and an even $50 SEN
a tie bills. The house has killed SO of
its own bills and 26 senate bills. The