The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-02-09
Keene Takes a Slap at the
Farmers Union President.
House Speaker Denies State
ment Made by McCauliffe.
BANK BILL NOT MURDERED
Nor Was Influence Used to
Send Measure to Committee.
Big Scrap Brewing Over Chit
tenden Cooperative Scheme.

Speaker Keene probably stuck his
pick in four foot vein of trouble
today when he declared from the
speakers stand that President Maui
rice McCauliffe, of the Farmers
union, had made a false statement
concerning reference of the Chittenden
cooperative banking bill. Nc
Cauliffe had stated in a speech in
Representative hall Thursday after
noon that the union had directed the
reference of the bank bill to the judi
ciary committee because they knew
the house banking committee, bowling
to bank influence, would either kill or
strangle the measure.
Strong bank influence was brought
to bear in the fight on the Chittenden
bill After a prolonged debate, the
bill was reported for passage by the
committee of the whole, only to fail
of passage the following day. keene's
statement, however, is clear and plain.
1t checks back to the officers of the
union the statement made during
their visit to the legislature and
leaves the next move to the head of
the rural organization-to retract or
to supply new facts concerning his
charges.
One of the dominant features in the
speeches of Farmers union members
when they visited the Kansas legisla-
ure to pass the Chittenden bill. In his
speech the head of the big farmer or
ganiZation took a direct shot at both
the banker lobby and the house bank
the house speaker today answered the
speech by declaring that the charges
were absolutely false"
when the cooperative banking bill
was introduced in this house, we saw
to it that the bill didn't go to the
ha n Because
that committee. as in former sessions,
| is composed of or dominated by bank
ers and banking Influence. That is
| why we saw to it that the bill went
members of our union voted for the
bill on final passage, it would have
passed this house"
| Calls Statement Untrue.
The Chittenden bill had been re-
ferred by Speaker Keene to the house
judiciary committee. N the house il
was generally understood that Chit
tenden did not desire his bill to
the banking committee In fact, the
member from Ellis county was quite
! open in his admission of a preference
for reference to another committee
| influence had been brought to bear in
not sending the bill to the committee
on banks and banking.
81 want to answer and emphatical-
| ly deny a statement made from TINS
| stand yesterday by a member of the
Farmers Union,' said Keene at the
opening of the days session. I'm that
speech a member of the Farmers
Union said that the house committee
as usual was controlled and dominat-
| ed by banking influence He said
that because of this fact they saw tc
| it that the cooperative banking bill
was not sent to the banking commit
tee. I want to say here and now
that statement was absolutely false
| There wasn't a man said a word tC
| me about the reference of that bill
/ 1 want to add that no bill was sem
| to any committee in the interest OF
any faction and no faction controls
] this house or its speaker