The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-01
to Amendment VIII
Make 1t as Good as New.
DOERR KEEPS UP THE FIGHT
Attorney General Assists in
Putting Measure in Shape.
New Plan Makes 1t Apply Only
to the Foreign Firms.

In spite OIL t0e WelI-OrSdHlZeu loppy
around the legislature and the far
reaching field force out over the state,
the Indications today are that real
premium stamp bill will be passed by
the legislature Friends of the meas
ure have taken a new hold and with
the aid of the attorney generals office
have worked out an amendment they
believe will cure the defects and re-
move the Joker" pointed out by the
State Journal in Wednesdays issue.
Lawyer-senators say the proposed
amendment is plain in its application
to the bill. Layman fail to grasp it.
But the attorney generals office aided
in figuring it out and says it will cure
ills of the present bill, due solely to
amending the original.
The Sutton amendment contained
the joker making the bill worth no
more than the state paid for the paper
upon which it was printed, reads:i
Provided that this act shall not
apply to any tickets, tags, labels or
coupons placed by any merchant,
manufacturer or wholesaler in or up
on any package or article of mer-
chandise sold and to be redeemed by
him.
Two Words Do 1t.
By removing the words sold and"
wreck say they can save it and make
it as good as new. Of course it would
still permit a retailer to use his own
stamps and give his own premiums
but the friends of the measure are
sanguine enough TO believe it would
put the big foreign stamp concerns
out of business in Kansas.
Senator Doerr of Pawnee, has taken
over the remains of the stamp bill
and Is engineering all the operations
He stated today that the friends of
the measure had been able to get an
agreement from majority of the
senate to stand for the new amend
ment now proposed and that he had
talked sufficiently with house mem
bers to believe it would go through
that body with sold and" stricken
out.
The removal of the two words sold
and, said Senator Doerr, makes the
balance of the amendment, the words
TO be redeemed by him. relate back
TO the tickets, tags, labels or coupons
AS We understand it that would make
1t impossible for the big outside stamp
concerns to continue in business in
Kansas unless they paid the heavy
tax provided by the bill.
Drive Out Foreign Firms.
But it would not prohibit the re-
tail merchant from carrying on a
stamp business of his own However.
we do not fear much from any stamp
or coupon business a merchant would
carry on on his own hook l do not
imagine for a minute that the big
store in Topeka using the trading
stamps would continue to carry on a
trading stamp business if it had to
furnish its stamps, its premiums and
look after all the thousand and one
details connected with the business 1
believe the stamp and premium bust
ness among retailers would die out
rapidly if the bill were amended in
this way and passed as amended"
The publicity given to the lobby
around the legislature working against
the stamp bill has not been pleasing
to opponents of the measure in the
senate. Today, almost without ex-
ception, they say they are anxious
only. to protect the coupon business
carried on by wholesalers and manu-
facturers; that they have no interest
whatever in the trading stamp BUSH
ness among retailers.