The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-05
LEGISLATIVE RECORD

GeneraI asns....... nrssns ...................... IL
Ts1H orders go
In commiftees '............-..... 9
Ihe legislature is closing its books
toaay Tor the first month of the 1a2I
ssssIon. AFTER four weeks of work. the
outstanding feature of the session 40
perhaps the decided absence OF nuro
pose or leadership in either house
Neither the house nor the senate -.
ueveioped an individual who can lead
, , Gnu oiIect Tor more than a few hours
or oay- Then the leaders mower
iails and the legislature proceeds ~,
its unguided course. o''
Down to Serious Work.
Both houses are getting dovr 90
eai, nara, serious work. In fact tho
| legislators seemingly take their iohs
more seriously than many of the law
irnrig i1rrahhg podies which have come TO
u,opeka IN recent years. Maybe II is
tne tremendous responsibility of ~,
tnlngs-that ever present danger or
running the statutes head on INTO .ba
Sonstltution--that bothers the mem
pess. but the Moses who developes
today may be an invalid and a crinnJe
when the next fight starts. Samsons
are shorn in the house with div
regularity. 1t all works with a sort or
ads you're It, now you're out" pre-
1Oedi Ol 1o5 BillS.
IN the four weeks the legislators
nave worked they have dumped 75a
proposed laws in the mill. some Of
them nave come back from the com
Inlttee rooms with favorable recon-
lnenuauons. Others have come back
wearing funeral clothes
TO date the legislative coynp,tt,ao..
nave built up a slaughter record 80
SIo, Whicn is quite sufficient for big
league batting averages. OF the 406
plils which have come back from tha
conmlttee rooms, 123 were wearing
taG oaaSh Ilppons when the reading clerk
.ehoerly filed them away possibly TO
De resurrected in the next session.
Ten New Laws Passed.
Of the ten new laws none are ad-
ninlstration measures. However. the
industrial court divorce bills NAV he
ready Tor the governors signature
next week. Again they NAV NOT The
house. which works in fretfiIi peru-
GUS uncertain mood, has shown a ten
dency to pass the bills. It amended
the direct divorce bill in such a man
her that 1t will go to conference. II
cnewed holes in the public utilities
commission bill, then suddenly saw
ghosts, apoIogized to the state affairs
committee and recommended the bill
as originally drafted.
In the senate things are moving
more smoothly-but not too gosh
oiioothiy. oOfIle DAYS senator
Francis c. Price. the wise man of the
senate, receives a real hearing and
his advice and leadership is followed
Then the next day farmer member
or the upper house is quite likely to
pay high compliment to the senator
from Clark, but explain that the stand
which he has taken is unconstitutional
The other day Senator Price with his
frank. direct, convincing argument
pointed TO fallacies in the bill to de-
fine the rights of women on political
committees by statutory enactment. He
won hands down. The next day he
pointed out holes in the divorce bill.
And five members voted with him.
Absence of Leadership.
1t is this absence of leadership in
both houses that has occasioned com
ment in the lobbies and by observers.
No man is wise enough to know the
mood or temper of the house or SEN
ate-and quite often the house and
being a much smaller body-wiIl
naturally form a working organization
much sooner than the house. But
month of lawmaking has failed to give
any member of either house a right to
claim leadership or super power.
The two houses are running evenly
in introduction and passage of original
bills. altho the house has fifty per
cent lead over the senate in mortuary
returns. The senate has presented BAT
bills. while the 125 house members,
have introduced 40G. The senate has
been in session fewer days than the
house and its cop1parat tive record for
fCout1Uued on Page