The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-15
House Receives First Grist of
Bills.
Keene of Bourbon Slips One
Over.
HE GETS BILLS IN FIRST
And They Are Administration
Measures, Too.
House Appoints Its List OF
Employees.

announced in the house today, A NJ
Keene of Bourbon, a leader among
the minority forces, caught the Demo
Gratis mapping and put over half
dozen bills which the administration
had promised in their platform. one
of the most important measures whlch
Keene introduced today, however, was
a bill exempting women from jury
service and putting the new Kansas
voters in the classification with puo-
lie officials, militiamen ana otheFs
ALREADY exempt under the Kansas
statutes. -,
Keene not only introduced the bill
exempting women from Jury service, z,*s
but he revived that three-fourths jury
verdict bill which is warmed over
from the 1911 session. Then he m
troduced the bulk sales bill, biI
calling for the printing OF textpookS
at the state printing plant, an admins
tration board for the supervision Ci
educational institutions ana a plI
enabling insurance companies TO asa-n
compete in Kansas in the regulation
of insurance rates. 1t was busy day
that the Bourbon county RepupIcdn
spent in the house and the measures
which he offered in the flrst hour oA
the session are among some of the
more important legislative matters TO
be considered at this session.
The bill exempting women IToll from
Jury services does not say that they
shall not serve on Kansas juries- 1t
merely provides that the new voters
may be provided with perfectly lesaI
excuse in event they flnd serving & &uh-
pleasant and are unable to themselves
provide an excuse that Will reach a
tender spot in the presiding Judge
heart. ~
administration board to control the
educational institutions, keene snip |
ned one over on the administration |
crowd, as it is strictly Democratic
He against beat the Democrats to |
their own promises when at the re-
quest of the state bar assoclatlon ne
offered the three-fourthS jury verdict
resolution. This measure was COLI
sidered in the last session, but was
never submitted as a CONSTITUTIONAL
amendment The bulk sales plll was
a measure which met with d1sfaVor IN
the 1911 session, but Keene introduced /
the bill today and will fight to nave
it considered early in the session.
Under the present law. there is
what many lawyers term as a legal
lied pact of the insurance companies
for the regulation of insurance rates.
Keene believes it is unjust So he has
offered a bill repeating the OLD law
and enabling insurance companies to
compete for business without the use
of a printed rate book and to make
their own rates.
Ono of the bills introduced in the
morning session of the house calls for
a shakeup in the present primary laws
of the state. 1t tends to do away with
the circulation of nominating petitions
and TO prescribe for the printing of
names of all candidates for office on
the same ballot.
The bill went to the enrolling clerk
as No and without the name of the
author attached. But it promises to
become a rather important DIT OF 1910
legislation.
1t provides that any person may
elect to seek any office. All that is
required is to notify the county clerk
or secretary of state of such intention
and to make deposit of a prescribed
sum. Candidates for United States
senator, congress or state Office, shall
deposit with the secretary of state
sum equal to 1 per cent of the first
annual salary of that office. Candidates
for county office shall deposit the sum
of SIS with the county clerk. This mon !
ey is to be turned into the general
revenue fund to help meet the cleo
tion expenses.
But the big change is in the recon- |
mendation of the bill calling for the !
printing of the names of candidates
for nomination for all offices on the
same ticket, irrespective of political | I
affiliations. 1t also calls for the use of l
the party name and emblem at the
head of each ticket as is now provid- I
ed in the law regulating the printing {
of general election ballots. s
A voter may thus enter the booth ]
on primary day and vote for the nomi- !
nation of candidates for all offices on
all tickets if desired. He may vote to :
nominate a Democrat for governor, a
Republican for lieutenant governor and q
so on down the line, except that he is /
barred for voting for more than one c
for nomination to the same
office.
Then a second member of the house
who forgot to attach his name to his
BILL offered a measure demanding a
change in the law regulating the
printing of ballots. This bill does away s
with the present contract system by
the county commissioners and city
for annual contracts for pub
ic printing and makes a special fea- I
lure of the ballot plan.
1t provides that the city officials or >
The county board shall properly adver- :
Use the plan to let a contract for the .
printing of primary or general election O
,allots This advertisement shall be t
published by the city or county clerk t
md the contract shall be let to the ]
owest bidder by the county board or h
,ity council or commissioners It pro- I
rides that sufficient bond shall be
provided by the successful bidder for a
he successful fulfllment of his con- c
ract. 4
The house committee on employees, n
Lfter a long and tedious night con- =
erence. today announced the ap- #
,eintees for the various places in the 7
over branch of the Kansas legisla- IT
ure. An effort was made to hold b