The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-25
Two "Purity Bills" introduced
in the Senate Today.
They Are to Apply to Both City
and Country Residents.
CENSOR ALL Entertainments
Churches and Sunday Schools
to Look After Cities.
Welfare superintendent to
Work in the Counties.

The morals of 10Th city and country
folk are completely protected by -wo
bills introduced in the senate today b.
Satterthwaite, of Butler With the
two bills on the gtatute books as laws
one need have no fear as to the char
acter of anything in the way of a pub
lie entertainment. The censors and
welfare workers will attend to that
After their introduction Senator
Satterthwaits stated that both bills
were introduced by request and that
while he>would ike to see the subject
matter discussed in the senate, he al
not studied either bill sufficiently TO
determine whether he is for or against
them.
In the city, unler the one bill, the
program of eve-y theater. every dance
han and every othcr place where en-
terta:nment is furnished for proti-
would he-censored. 1t would be CEN
sored by a commission of five persons
selected by the churches, SUNDAY
schools and civic organizations
Besides being censored the mana
.,ers of public amusements would oe
taxed to pay for censorinS. 1heE
would be required to OBTAIN q pSI ~
from the commission before glVinS
any entertainment and the commlsslol
would have authority to revoke thar
permit any moment the entertainment
did not live up to advance notices
For Country Folk.
The country people would be look
ed after equally well under the other
eatterthwaite bill. altho their welfare
,,,orlzer would he selected by the board
Of control instead Of the churches me
country welfare bill provides Tor
the appointment of a county superb
tendent of welfare upon recommends
ton of local people
The welfare superintendent VINO
looks after the morals of the country
paople is destined to be busy person.
ago under the terms of the Dill Great
ing his job. Upon his appointment ne
= becomes parole officer, probation Of
ffcer. recreation officer, agent for the
orphans home, agent for the state free
euDIovment bureau, local statistician
on such subjects as agriculture and Ia
Dor. and assumes any other Job ne may
find lying around loose. Any spare
time he may find weighing him down
he NAV devote to an inspection of the
morals<of his constituents.
Notwithstanding the numerous
. duties handed over to the welfare su
pNrintendent the people who drafted
the bill are taking no chance on over
having him. 1t provides that in coun-
ties having a population of 5000 he
shall receive S4O0 year. But by en-
couraging immigration and other
things and stavipg off starvation long
enough he may eventually build his
salary UP to living figure, for the
bill provides that in counties having
population of 700 or over the Of
ficer shall receive a salary of $500 a
year
Senator Montee of Crawford has dis
covered something new upon which to
place d tax. He thought for a time
that everything had been covered but
after diligent search he discovered
that a man owning his own farm
could install a rig and, drill a well
with oil or gas in prospect without
paying the state or county a dollar.
Senator Montee seeks to remedy the
matter at once.
He introduced Il bill in the senate
requiring every person or corporation,
even the owner m fee simple of the
land, to obtain a permit before start
ing each well. And the permit for
each well will cost the applicant ten
dollars. SeVenty-five per cent of the
money collected by the county clerk
in this manner goes to the county and
the remainder comes to the state
treasury.
Even after he has paid the fee for
the permit the man who wishes to
know what is under His land. may not
ne thru. If he is unfortunate and
strikes nothing, he is thru, but if he
has good luck he continues to pay
tribute as long as his good luck lasts
If ne strikes oil he pays tribute If
3 cents a barrel on every barrel, and if
it is gas, he pays 5 cents upon every
10000 Seet the well produces.
In order that the state and county
may get what is coming to them tho
Montee bill provides for an official
inspector in each county who shall
draw So a day, the money to he. paid
from that collected by the well own
ers. There is a ,,enalty attached for
failure to pay up. also. 1t is a fine of
from $50 to 81 900 or a Jail sentence
of from ten days TO six months