The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-02

SENATE NOTES

with the Joker in the bone dry bill
located Thursday by George Hayden,
CITY attorney of Topeka Before the
afternoon recess. after reading OF the
hole in the act in the State Journal,
the committee brought in bill COW
ering the defects The bill was rusheu
thru first and second reading ana
placed before the committee OF the
whole at the evening session 1t VIII
be passed and printed as soon as pos
sibIe
Many senators doubt that there
was any real orifice in the act out
they have no desire to go home after
the session and confront the charge
of having left a gateway thru the
most important law. from the stand
point of public interest, that has Deen
passed by this legislature.
The bill introduced as a corrective
measure provides that all cities may
enact and enforce ordinances relating
to the possession, receipt. transpor-
tation and delivery of Intoxicating
liquors. Hayden held that while the
state had a bone dry bill there was
nothing on the statute books nor on
it's way to the statute books permit
ting cities to pass ordinances in har-
mony with tne bone dry law.
Three negroes who happened to be
around the state house Thursday night
received a jolt. Believing that the
separate school bill passed by the
house had been killed in the senate
committee weeks ago they had forgot
ten all about it Some one slipped
the word to them during the night
session that the senate was considering
another seI1rate school bill and two
minutes later they were in the senate
chamber taking notes upon the re-
marks of different senators.
The new bill was one introduced by
Senator Huffman of Cherokee. 1t
was a duplication of the Sparks bill
passed by the house and killed by the
senate committee. 1t authorizes
boards of education to provide sep
| arate schools with equal facilities"
! for the children of whites and blacks.
There was much argument in the
committee of the whole and when the
standing vote was taken the motion
to strike out the enacting clause, made
| by Senator Carroll of Wabaunsee. car
ried by one vote. The vote was II to
| 10. Numerous senators were at COM
mittee meetings, shows and elsewhere.
| Senator Huffman made no effort at
| the time to save his bill. But after
the lobby had adjourned and when the
hour came for the committee to arise
and report he moved that the senate
non-concur in that part of the report
| relating to the action on the separate
school bill.
BY vote of A to 10 the senate non
concurred and the bill is still alive.
| With a better attendance Senator
Huffman hopes to put the measure
| thru. He stated on the floor that
80 per cent of the negroes in his dis
trlct are in favor of separate schools
| providing they may have facilities
equal to those of the whites.
The senate killed the proposed
| amendment to the constitution prOVid-
ing for the executive budget system
| by mastering only twenty-four votes
for it instead of the necessary TWEEN
! ty-seven. But it is not dead. Before
the vote was announced, Senator Cole
man of johnson who carried the brunt
of the fight for it, changed his vote
| from AYE" to may and served notice
he would move reconsideration lat
err Three senators, said to be friendly
to the proposed amendment were alb
sent Friday.
| discussing the question as to the
amount of time that could be spared
in discussion of the proposed amend
ment. Senator Price of Clark first
proposed that speeches be limited TO
three minutes each. Coleman object
ed and Price agreed to fifteen min
utes for Coleman and three for every
one else. Coleman then insisted upon
fifteen minutes also in which to close
the debate. Eventually the limit was
removed because of the cry of gag
rule and Coleman proceeded He
talked for twenty-five minutes and
made quite an argument for the pro-
posed system. Then he sat down. If
he expected flow of oratory to fol-
low his retirement he was disap-
pointed Not a senator had a word
to say. There was not a word said
in opposition to The proposed amend
ment nor to his address. The senate
simply voted and killed the amend
ment. On roll call the vote was as
follows:
For-Anspaugh. Bergen, Carroll,
Coleman, Doerr, Gulick, Hart, Hilkey,
KanaveL Kimball, Huffman, Laing,
McClain. Myers. Nighswonger, Paulen.
Satterthwaite. Schoch, Snyder. Thomp-
son. Wark, Whitney, Wilson.
Against-Brunner, Delaney Terrell.
Getty. Malone, Metcalf. Montee, Nix
on, Pomeroy, Price, Smith. Sutton.
Literacy will be a test for voters
if the house will stand for the amend
ments made in its bill repeating the
Massachusetts ballot law by the SEN
= ate elections committee. The house
amended the bill introduced by Mack
of Harvey providing for the assistance
of election judges or clerks for voters
physically or otherwise disabled
The senate committee struck out the
words 'or otherwise" AS the bill
stands. if a voter cannot read the
English language he cannot vote. The
senate has already had one fight ovei
that question, in connection with bill
introduced Dy senator LdillS Oh rus
sell. In that fight a ma jority tool
the position now taken by the senate
committee on elections.
Altho there is no chance for the bill
creating the Bank of Kansas" Il
e pass at this session, Senator Snyder o
! Leavenworth, put a motion thru thu
senate Friday afternoon, calling TO
Q the printing of 1000 copies for gen
e eral distribution.
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