The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-01-21
PASSES EIGHT BILLS
Senate Speeds Up Today Following
Prolonged IdIcness.


The senate today put its foot on the
accelerator and in two short morning
hours eight bills of local and general
interest were passed on third reading.
First, the Burdick stockyards bill,
on special orders for 1870 o'clock
two mornings, was again put over un-
til tomorrow. Then ceme the deluge
of local pets and general bills.
A bill forcing county commissioners
to have all United States mail high
ways inspected and repaired after all
rains. snow storms or bad storms was
passed. This applies to all roads over
which rural mail carriers travel.
A bill providing for an increase of
s25 a month in the salaries of bailiffs
of the Shawnee county district court
was held over on account of a defective
title.
Another measure creating a third
district court in Sedgwick county was
passed. That makes two counties in
Kansas with three divisions of the dis
trict court, Wyandotte and Sedgwick.
Revive Haskell County Row.
The Haskell county seat row was
revived when a bill providing for a
county seat election every two instead
l
ton -Doerr of Pawnee stated that
this measure had become a personal
affair with him and it's disposition by
the upper house would establish in
his mind whether he had as much in
fluence in the senate as a strong lobby
which has been working to kill the
bill.
Senators in districts where county
seat rows were impending objected
strenuously. The bill was passed over
and held it's place on the calendar to
give Doerr time to prepare an amend
ment which would straighten out the
Haskell county row but at the same
time would keep other counties from
becoming involved in such disputes.
The present county seat of Haskell
county is Santa Fe, which isn't on the
RAILROAD. A fight is on to place the
county seat at Sublette.
Put Ban on MescaI.
| With old. John Barleycorn no longer
retaining any legal life in Kansas, new
menaces, pellote and mescal. are
Indians on reservations. These drugs,
which are claimed to be worse than
the morphine and whisky habits, were
| legislated out of business by the senate
| today.
| A local bill to put the coroner of
Sedgwick county on a regular salary
| of $1,000 a year and to give him 5
cents a mile for travel was passed, as
was an insurance bill giving mutual
| companies a, right to insure buildings
against hail damage.
Other local bills concerning taxes
| in Wichita and Hutchinson and in
| western counties were passed in short
| order.
Create Employment Bureau.
| Passage of a bill creating a state
| free employment bureau with offices
in four cities in the state was the most
1 n To
/ day afternoon. Sparks, Cherokee en-
| deavored to kill the bill, declaring
| there were too many chair warmers
| on state jobs now and he hired lots
of hands and never had any trouble
getting them" The bill passed tho
| by a vote of 81 to 9. Appropriations
asked for the office were trimmed,
however. The 100000 demanded for
| the remainder of the fiscal year was
cut to $4,000; the $4,000 demanded
for the next year was reduced to $685.
I0O0.
The insurance bill. similar to the
| one killed in the lower house in the
morning, was passed. The measure
amends an old statute under which
| any life insurance company that
writes health and accident insurance,
| or double indemnity policies, is
barred from the state. With one or
| two exceptions all old line companies
now are writing this insurance.
/ Approves Rosedale Bonds.
| Theremainder of the days activities
included passage of local measures
messaged from the house to the SEN
ate. One gives Rosedale permission to
vote $4,000 in bonds for purchase of
| additional grounds for the Bell Me-
| mortal hospital. Another provides for
an increase in salaries of Kansas City,
| Kan, firemen. a third allows county
commissioners to expend $4,000 for
Il county bridges without submitting the
n a nf In 10
The limit on townships is raised from
$4,000 to $4,000. Another allows
Wichita to vote terminal railroad aid
bonds for the Anthony & Northwest