The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-24
SENATE NOTES

Every mail brings letters to Sem
atoF Montee of Crawford-some urg-
ing him to extract some of the teeth
of his anti-Iiquor bill and others COM
mending him for its introduction
Two letters on the same subject
were delivered in one mail Monday
both from Montee's home county.
One was from the Ministerial asso-
citation o. Girard- II was signed by F.
as secretary. and it stated that the
membership Of the association is
1900 strong Your home town,
county and all good citizens, especial
ly those along the Missouri border. are
behind you" read the letter Let the
Associated Press know your home
town is backing you
The other letter was one of several
from members of the Evangelical
Lutheran church in Crawford county.
II pointed out that real. genuine wine
is used for sacramento purposes in
the church and that no substitute
will do
Give this matter earnest considera-
ton reads the letter. and you will
see that your measure as proposed
Will curtail our religious liberty
Montee is neither elated nor down.
cast The letters have no effect
IF liquors all right for the church,
he repeats. its all right for all of US.
If it's a bad thing for use the church
has no need of it If we are going to
have prohibition I want the kind that
will prohibit without reference to
classes
The Montee bill. now in the hands
of the committee on temperance and
hygiene, prohibits the shipment of in
toxicating liquor into Kansas by COM
mon carrier
A bill calculated to aid county attor-
neys in small western counties off the
main line of railroads in enforcing the
liquor laws has been introduced in the
senate by Doerr, of Pawnee. The bill
provides that when a county clerk dis
covers that someone living in another
county has been receiving liquor ship
ments, he shall forward the name and
amount as shown by the railroad or
express report to the county clerk of
the county in which the consiguee
lives 1t also provides that in coun-
ties having a population of less than
2.000 the list of liquor shipments filed
with the county clerk shall be open TO
inspection and shall be published in
the official county paper The bill
grows out of trouble in southwestern
Kansas where people living in the
sparsely populated counties have their
liquor shipped to points on the rail-
road in other counties to the north
County officers have no means now
of placing a check upon the ship
ments.
If bill introduced in the senate
| by MetcaIf of Douglas, becomes a law
| all passenger trains stopping in Kan
sas to take on and discharge passen-
gers must stop at every city of 10000
| or over The measure would apply to
! only a few points in the state. 1t Is
intended for the relief of Lawrence
/ The Rock Island runs thru Lawrence
r. L
! passengers Under its contract with
the Union Pacific whose lines it uses
| between Topeka and Kansas City il
does no local passenger business be-
! tween the two cities. The Metcai
bill would compel the Rock Island &c
stop all trains at Lawrence for pass
| enger business unless the trains pass
! ed right on thru the state without
stops for passengers or baggage
Another divorce measure has beer
| introduced in he senate-this one By
Coleman of Johnson. 1t also estab-
liskes insanity as a ground for divorce
as did the Huffman bill, but it pro
vides that before divorce shall be
granted on such grounds the defend
| ant shall have been insane for period
| of ten years and confined in an insti
| tuition for the care of the insane fol
that length of time. The Huffman
bill fixed five years as the required
time.
T Besides four other bills aimed a
the loan shark, Coleman of Johnson
has introduced in the senate a bill
making it possible to collect interes
usuriously paid 1t provides that al
action for that purpose NAV b,
/ brought any time within two year
after the usurious interest has beer
paid
The senate has frowned upon tn
first attempt of the session to over
ride a committee report The commit
tee on fees and salaries put a knit
into pet measure OF Senator McC-lail
of Allen 1t related to the salaries o
deputy county attorneys. Thet com
mittee killed it and so reported. Sena
tor McC1ain moved to have it place,
upon the calendar Notwithstanding
the committee report. The senate stoo,
by its committee. The vote was clever
for McClain-s motion to fourteen
against it. 1t takes a two-third vot
to override a committee recommends
ton.
The senate Judiciary committee tool
the breath out of the measure intro
duced by Schoch, of Shawnee. requir
ing the wife who has her husband ar
rested for wife desertion to appear an
testify against him, when he is return
ed to his county for trial In half
dozen Shawnee county cases the coun
ty has gone to the expense of bringin
back a fleeing husband only to hav
l-cTl frs rf &C