The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-06
Chairman BriStOW of p. Z. c. Is
Battered in Senate.
Senator Getty Calls Him a ''PO-
Iitical Carpet-Bagger."
BOARD DOES PEOPLE NO GOOD
Predicts 1t VIII Be Abolished
Within Two Years.
Senator Coleman in Defense
Also Given "Skinning."

The rest of the senate sat back ana
listened Monday night while senator
Coleman of Johnson. and Senator
Getty of Wyandotte forgot all about
the bill before the house and offend
ed and defended Joseph l.. Bristow,
chairman of the public utilities COM
mission.
The executive and judicial budget
passed by the house was before the
senate and had suffered little when
the appropriation for the pubic utll-
tiles commission was reached Getty
has hung out weather flags all thru
the session forecasting a sudden rise
in temperature the first time there
was a chance to get to work on the
public utilities commission. He had
his chance last night and when it
and made no effort to interfere They
don't fight windmills.
The bill provided an appropriation
of $4,000 to the contingent fund of
the commission for 1918 and $4,000
for 1919. Senator Getty made a mo-
ton to cut the contingent fund to the
bone and proceeded to talk upon 1t.
He did not become particularly per-
sonal so far as senators are concern
ed but he used BriStOw'S name time
and again. He referred to him as
Joe" and when Senator Coleman
took up the defense of the commits
sion and its appropriation, Getty re-
piled:
TT is the voice of the senator from
johnson, but the words are those of
| Joe Bristow."
Joe" Is Traveller.
Coleman attempted to show that
Getty's spleen was due to litigation in
which he appeared as attorney before
the commission. Getty admitted he
had appeared before the commission
but also showed cases in which he
had appeared had been decided in
| his favor.
At one stage of the debate Getty
picked up a report of the commission
| and read one paragraph after an
other, making running comments.
Here" he said, lis a line showing
Bristow were $500 and over in one
year and it is a well known fact that
he and the other members of the
| commission pay no railroad fare. They
are exempted from the anti-pass laws.
| Here John Kinkel received only lit
tie over 5000 for travelling expenses.
Kinkel is just as much a member of
| the commission as BristOw. Why
| doesn't he rampse around over the
country and pile up expenses against
/ the state? Because he doesn't own d
peanut farm in Virginia. That's the
reason.
Docs the State No Good.
Il object to aiding in providing a
| great appropriation like this for d
tribunal that has never done the peo-
PIE OIL Kansas any SOOu' lnaI never
will and which 1 believe will be abol-
ished by the legislature within tive
years.
THE interstate commerce commits
sion and the supreme court have
taken more than half of its powers
away from it. In order to keep up {
show of doing something for tho
money it receives. it is reaching Out
all the time for new things to settle
Bills have been introduced here timt
after time giving it additional terri
tory and authority.
Il object to providing bigger and
bigger appropriations for man who
is a political carpet-bagger, and {
renegade and who to my persona
knowledge has been a political hang
er-on for twenty-five years.
Senator Coleman invited a trim
ming when he waded in upon thu
senator from Wyandotte. He knew
the public utilities commission is Get
tvs favorite red flag and that wher
no one else will wave it before hin
Getty picks it up and waves it him
self Getty becomes just as much in
furiated when he waves the red ras
; himself as when somebody else doe