The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-11
House Committee Would Kill
School of Mines.
Turns Down $4,000 for the
Institution.
SENATE HAD PASSED IT
Panama Exposition Bill Goes
Through.
Also Bill to Work COnvictS on
Highways.

Weir City's school of mines and min
ing will never be opened to the public
If the house sustains the decision of
the ways and means committee and re-
fuses to approve the $4,000 for the
Cherokee county institution. Two years
ago the school of mines and mining
was dumped into the pork barrel and
located at Weir City by legislative en-
actment. But now the house threat
ems to hold up the appropriation, which
will probably mean the ultimate death
of the institution.
The stand of the house committee
was taken after the senate had APP
proved the appropriation for the Weir
City institution. A bill recommended
by the senate committee called for an
appropriation of SIS, 900 a year for the
new school and the senate approved
it, The $50 900 thus appropriated was
much less than the school wanted, but
1T was enough to keep the institution
alive and the promoters and boosters
for the Weir City plant were perfectly
willing to compromise on this basis.
Then the bill went to the house COM
mittee and was smothered.
Before this action was taken, bill
had been introduced by Representative
Carnahan, of Clay county, which meant
the death of the Weir City school and
the relocation of the school at Kansas
University. Canadians bill was never
considered on the floor of the legisla- |
ture but the fight had been started and
the ways and means committee has by
its action sustained the position or the
Clay county member. The blocking of !
the Weir City appropriation in the !
house means that the school VIII De /
maintained at Lawrence, where 1t was
located before the action of the 1911
legislature.
1.-THE Weir City appropriation will not
be called up by the house ways and
means committee, SAID - N. herr'
chairman of the house ways and means
committee as he discussed the appro-
priation item today. Our committee Is
against the appropriation
This stand by the committee IN the
house, leaves but one avenue or nope
for the friends of the Weir City school,
In order to secure consideration OF tnelr
bill in the house, they must induce the
claims and accounts committee to put
their appropriation in the general APP
preparation bill. AS this bill has al
ready been done, the item can now De
included only as an amendment. And
an effort TO tack this amendment on
the general appropriation bills is quite
certain to arouse lively flght LIE ne
state has already spent about $4,000
on the Weir City school
ONLY the signature of Governor
Hodges is now needed to give Kansas
a law permitting the working OF state
convicts on roads and puoPo n1en
which has already passed the upper
house. was adopted by the mouse
members today by a vote OF % TO "a
and the bill will be sent to the COVER
nor for his official approval
The most stubborn fight on the bill
came from Gilman of LeavenWortn
county, in which is located tne s.a1e
worth lawmakers have come TO TO
peka and asked permission of the
state to use convict labor on the
hot
one knows. But about all the really ]
good roads in that county are sald 10
have been built by convicts in the
state prison and without cost 10 AeaV-
county.
So when Gilman terafully told the {
legislature today of the injustice Oh '
using this prison labor in other coun-
ties than LeaVenworth, he failed TO I
enlist any large and enthusiastic list S
of converts Several members OPP f
posed the bill from the viewpoint that
the working of prisoners on pupnc I
tice on the other hand the argument I
was just as strong that the oppor- +
tunity to work outside of prison walls g
really added new hope to the conVicts e
and that they would be glad of the
especially since this work y
would afford them an opportunity TO f
reduce their prison term.
For nearly an hour the house mem
bers fought over the provisions of the
bill. On final passage, the measure |
was adopted by a bare constitutional i
majority. Similar bills have been I
beaten on several occasions in the
last ten years.
Kansas will make an appropriation
for state exhibit at both the Panama
Pacific exposition in San Francisco 7
and at the San Diego exposition. That
was determined today when the house
voted to adopt a report of a confer
ence committee which had recommend
ed appropriations for both expositions y
after the house had previously removed S
the San Diego show from the Kansas o
bill.
The senate had approved both shows a
and recommended an appropriation of !
s40, 900 for the San Francisco exposi- =
lion and an additional $4,000 for San .
Diego. When the bill came up in the u
house last Saturday, Speaker Brown a
moved to strike out the San Diego a