The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-15
House Gets Real Peevish To-
day at Upper State Body.
Called a "Cheap Penny Ante
Gang" by Representative.
MEMBERS BALK ON HOWDY BILL
House Wants $4,000 Or Moth
ing for New York Reception.
Meanwhile Fees and Salaries
Measure Will Be Held Up.

1.-THE senate loads the salary bill
up for thousands of dollars. When it
comes to a welcome for the boys
who fought for their country, the sem
ate is a cheap, one cent, penny ante
gang. If were a soldier boy I would
tell the Kansas legislature to go
where it never SHOWS"
That was the tribute which Repre-
sentative Piper paid to the state sem
ate today on the floor of the house-a
tribute with reverse English on 1t.
Piper was one of the leaders in the
fight on the senate action in cutting
the house appropriation for recep-
ton for returning soldiers. After a
forty-minute squabble over rules, the
house this morning kicked the confer
ence report on the soldier report down
two flights of stairs. 1t refused to
accept the senate action on the bill
or the conference agreement.
Nor was the rejection of the con-
ference report all. The house was in
dignant and said so. Peevished over
the action of the upper house in cut
| ting the appropriation from $40,O0o
to $4,000, the house today showed its
teeth and threatened defeat of the
state house fees and salary bill. There
| is not a chance, apparently, that the
| house will accept the salary boosts
| which the senate committee of the
| whole injected into the bill. 1t is also
proba BILE that the house may stand pat
on its $4,000 appropriation for the
soldier fund. Many members declared
| they would fight for an appropriation
| such as the house allowed or nothing.
/ majority of the members voted
| for rejection of the conference agree
| ment which had fixed the appropria-
| ton figures at $2O,OOO-the senate al
| lowance-instead of at $4,000, as
voted by the house. Speaker Lam
bertson ruled that on a roll call, tho.
| the house would reject all appropria-
tions by voting mo- That rule caus-
ed real trouble. 1t also drove a num-
ber of members to vote for the report.
House Is Real Grouchy.
In another ruling, tho, Lambertson
held that a reconsideration might be
| had on a majority vote instead of on
a two-thirds vote. So house members
| changed their vote, rejected the re-
port and finally asked for new con-
ference.
The house Is showing a tendency to
become real grouchy on appropriation
matters. 1t is demanding that the
senate come to the house figures. 1t
threatens to sew up the soldiers ap-
preparation entirely. Today the house
is apparently looking for the fee and
salary bill with a gun. 1t allowed a
few increases in the original bill. 1t
has braced its feet against an accept
ance of the enormous increases ap-
|
whole.
Optimistic members hope the trou-
BILE may be settled in conference. But
it is necessary to accept conference re-
ports. Just two days of the active
session remain. And the house is
showing a tendency to die fighting in
its tracks.
XIII a Primary Bill.
| House members slaughtered the
change in the state wide primary law
as proposed by Speaker Lambertson
The final vote was 3s for the bill and
the house members to "let the peepu1
ru1," even tho the wealthier politi-
clans and big newspapers decreed to
elect themselves the 'peepul." Nc
action has as yet been taken on the
bill passed earlier in the week by the
son bill to permit the party councils
to make a few state nominations
gives little hope that the house will
follow the policy of the senate and vir-
tually put the present primary plan
out of business.
Compensation Bill Passes
In the final hours for consideration
thesubstitute for the Graves compen-
sation bill The measure makes q
number of changes in the present law
As passed by the house. the bill is
largely along the lines demanded by
the labor lobby. A similar bill was
presented in the senate, but the upper
house will probably take up the house
bill if compensation measure is con-
sidered in the senate at this session
Governor Allen recently asked the
: legislature to meet the situation BY
providing for appointment of a com
mission to study the problem and re-
port to the legislature in 1921.
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