The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-06-18
REFORM IN SIGHT.;

Continued from Page One.)
that he did not favor the socaHed com:
mission form of government plan and
did not understand that Senator
Smiths bill made such . change In
Governor Hodges declared that the
enactment of his plan meant the re-
tention Of the executive, Legislative
and judicial departments Of state.
More Radical-Hodges.
Senator Smiths proposal IL some
what more radical than mine in that
he reduces the number Of Legislators
to eight while suggested q minimum
of sixteen for Kansas." said Governor
Hodges. II think some harm has
been done to this proposed legislative
reform by those who refer to 1t as a
commission form of government for
the state. It L. not that and have
never proposed anything of the kind.
nor do 1 understand that Senator
Smiths proposal is a commission
form of government for the state OF
Louisiana. have distinctly stated
that I am in favor OF retaining the
three separate departments of state
the executive, legislative aud judicial.
house legislative body OF experienced
Legislators, and sooner or later we
are coming to just that thing.
'Since my article on this subject
was printed. my attention has been
called to another instance Of legisla-
tive blundering and technical judicial
construction which IL just now cost
ing the state something like i've thou
sand dollars per annum," continued
the governor.
THE legislatures Of 19Os-11-13.
each placed a section in tho executive
and judicial appropriation bills re-
curing all state officers to turn in to
the state treasury all fees collected by
them In November, 1913, the SUI
preme court in passing on the dues-
ton as to whether or not the. attor-
ney general was el- titled to keep fees
in liquor cases held that these pro-
visions requiring state officers to turn
all fees in to the state treasury were
void because the title to the appropri-
alton acts was not broad enough to
include them.
Fees to Treasurer.
THE result is that the state treas
urer gets fees aggregating about four
thousand dollars. and the state auditor
gets between seven hundred and eight
hundred dollars in fees. in addition to
their respective salaries, notwithstand-
ing the fact that it was the plain in
tention of three legislatures that they
should not have these fees.
Without discussing the ethical
question involved In the taking OF these
fees, a small one house legislature
converting as often as might be neces-
sary for the protection of state bust-
ness would quickly settle the legal
question by passing an act with a title
with which not even the most techni-
cal court could find fault-and such q
legislature with time to study and
properly draft laws would not have
left room for the construction which
the supreme court gave to the acts re-
ferred to. 80
Il am only too glad to see that the
movement for legislative reform fs
growing in strength not only in Louis
lana but in other states in the union.
The demand for the bulletin on this
subject put out by our state library u
evidence of the widespread interest
which students of public affairs are
taking in this matter. and I am only
too glad to have started the discus
sion''