The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-27
Big Shakeup Involves All But
Six Districts.
TWO YEARS PAYING WORK.
Jurists tODraw Salary Although
job Is Gone.
Shawnee One of 6 Unaffected by
Change.

BY vote of IS to 20. the house today
passed the bill offered by the judicial
apportionment committee. readjustmg
the judicial districts of Kansas and re-
ducing the number of districts from "a
to 2S Six districts were abolished, six
were left unchanged. and in the re-
naming % districts, there was a gen.
eraI shape-up Shawnee county was
not affected by the bill jefferson
county, which was attached TO Shaw
nee in the original bill. was on final
passage attached to the Thirty-sixth
district comprising Jackson. jefferson,
Brown and Nemaha counties.
There was but little discussion of the
bill today. The real Oratorical display
had been wasted Wednesday afternoon
in an effort to kill the bill by severing
the euacting clause with an axe.
Brewster of Doniphan. had led this
fight But Speaker Brown. Orr OF
-Atchison. and other Democrats called up
the party platform for the fortieth
time this session and BrewSter's motion
went to the scrap pile. There was con-
tention and dissa tisfaction concerning
the various shake-ups in the districts.
but on final roll call only 20 members
opposed the passage of the Dill.
y Long Delayed Task.
For years Kansas politicians, law
yers and members of the Legislature
have discussed the need of redlstrlct-
ing the state as regards the judiciary |
But no legislature in 10 years mas
shown the nerve to attempt Such "a !
lob Once in the eos. there was a !
readjustment. Since that time bills |
providing for the reduction in the /
number of district judges have been |
offered, but this is the first bill to be
passed in many years which seriously
affects the judiciary. /
Then. too, the work of rearranging /
AZ 70.
thorough. The seventh, thirteenth,
twenty-second. thirty-fourth and |
thirty-fifth districts are abolished in
the bill as passed in the house. The
original bill recommended a reduction
of eight districts, but in the fight on
the floor only six districts were re-
moved from the judicial map of the
state.
The bill as passed provides that the
district judges in the several districts
may determine the dates for holding
court in the several counties in their
district and no statutory arrangement
for court term is made in the present
bill. Number of judicial districts will
also be the same as in former years.
since the judges of these districts were
elected to preside over districts of
those particular numbers.
Two Years Pay-No Work
This new bill, if passed by the senate
viii become effective in January 1915
The judges in the districts abolished
nave Otth CltNltu iOt TERMS OF TOUR I
years. As they will still have two years
to serve at the time this law becomes
operative they will be retired from
office with work and full pay for the
two years of their term. Fol-
lowing that time. however. administra-
ton workers claim that the passage of
the present bill will mean saving of
So. 900 year to the state I
Districts and counties not affected by
the passage of the bill are:
First-LeaVcnWort
Third-Shawnec
Observation-Disclosures ,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Thirty -eightl-Crawford.
Thirty -ninth-WyanGotte
The % districts affected by the
will be composed of the fol-
lowing counties:
The New Districts.
Second-Atchison and Doniphan
F'ourth-Franklin, Douglas, Usage
and Corey
Fifth-Lyon, Chase. Wabaunsee and ,
Morris. /,
Sixth-Bourhon. Linn and Neosho
REHABILITATION. Mcpherson and Rice.
Nnth-Reno. Harvey and Stafford.
h-Miami-Johnson and Ander-
son.
TweIfth-Clay. Cloud, Republic and
!
Fourteenth-Montg omery and Chau- {
ia uqua. ,
Fifteenth-JeweH Smith Mitchell.
Osborne and Rocks.