The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-01-22
HARRISON WOULD.
ABOLISH EN- ALL
FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE
HAS PLAN TO SIMPLIFY STATE
GOVERNMENT.
WOULD CREATEAREAL CABINET"
To Do Work Now Handled BY State
Board Of Affairs, Capitol Com
mission and the Prison and
Asylum Boards.
Oklahoma City

Wholesale adjustment or state
boards and the creation of a COVER
nor's council to perform their func
tions are provided for in bill intro
duced into the house by Represents
tive Ben Harrison CT Hughes county.
similar to presidents cabinet as il
Wruld have general supervision OF
state institutions and their affairs
The governor would be chairman and
the secretary of state, state treasurer,
commissioner of labor, and state audi
tor would be the other members of
the council.
They would receive no compensa-
tion in addition to that provided for
the offices which they fill but the state
auditor, who would be secretary of
the council would be authorized to
employ an assistant secretary at ST..
800 year and a stenographer at ST..
200.
Council to Control.
The bill provides for the abolish
ment of the board of public affairs,
capitol commission, board of educa-
ton, and the boards which have con-
| troll Of the insane asylum and state
penitentiary and reformatory. The
governors council would have charge
of the institutions formerly under con
troll of these boards.
The governor is given the power to
remove any officers of the state gov
eminent or of any subdivision upon
due notice and hearing If he deems
such official guilty of misconduct in
office under provisions of bill intro.
duced by Representatives Lemon and
Pinkham.
To Legislature.
The governor may conduct hearings
summon witnesses and punish for con.
tempt and remove if evidence sustains
such action in his judgment.
In case of officers subject only to
removal by impeachment the governor
shall transmit all evidence gathered
to the next legislature. In all other
cases the governor shall furnish his
evidence to the attorney general of
the state and county attorney for such
action as they may. deem advisable.
preferential primary election law,
designed to carry out one of the demo-
cratic state platform pledges, and a
usury bill, which deals a severe blow
to loan sharks" and others charging
a usurious rate of interest on loaned
money, were introduced in the house
of representatives.
The preferential election law, pre-
scented by Representative John H
Wright of Oklahoma county, provides
method by which nominees of all
parties shall be the choice of a major.
ity of their party instead of mi.
nority.
1t is provided in the bill that each
voter may express his first, second and
third choice of all candidates for the
nomination for any office on the state
ticket A system of computing the
votes given ehch candidate by which
it is determined which candidate re-
ceived the highest number of all votes
cast is provided for
Usury Bill by Glaeco.
The usury bin is by Representative
E. E. Glasco of McClain bounty. It
fixes the legal rate of interest at six
per cent per annum, unless a different
rate is agreed upon in writing. Con-
tract interest shall not exceed 10 per
cent per annum.
The bill provides penalty of a fine
of not less than $50 or mere than $500
and confinement in the county jail for
period Of not less than thirty or
more than sixty days for CHARGING
higher rate OF interest than is pro.
vided for in the bill.
The resolution calling for probe
of the school land department. which
was introduced by Representative Lu-
Their Harrison of Seminole county, was
passed without dissenting vote after
IL he'd been amended so as to provide
for open meetings of the investigating
committee and directing the state ex-
aminer and inspector to do the neces-
sary technical clerical work involved
in the investigation
The first bill to he introduced in the
senate was by Franklin and Edwards
of the senate and Miller of the house.
1t provides for the appropriation of
| S665,S00 for the support and mainte
nance of the state university and for
the erection and repair of buildings.
Other important bills and resolutions
introduced in the senate were:
BY Franklin and Edwards of the
senate and Miller of the house, appro.
priating Sl25OO0 for the construction
and equipment of an auditorium and
class rooms for the state university.
~0N-N-NO~IoJN-~-~~~o0~1N.O
Revenue Receipts Increasing
Seventy-ive thousand dollars worth
of revenue stamps, most of them being
from to cents in denomination
have been sold by the internal revenue
stamp Office since the first day of De
cember or rather since the first week
in December, as the stamps were moi
available ON December l. Orders fol
approximately $1,000 worth are re
ceived at the office each day, of which