The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1921-01-20

ping stones to other political Offices,
and s. H. Piper, representative from
Montgomery, has announced his IN
tention of taking another shot Tues
day morning when he proposes to in
troduce "a resolution declaring it the
sense of the house that the legislature
should make an appropriation to buy
homes for Judges Wark and Higgins,
and should appropriate $500 to each
of these judges for the upkeep of
their homes.
1t was said Saturday that odds
were being offered that Governor
Allen would not carry out his plan of
trying to have the industrial court
divorced" from the utilities commits
sion, and many were of the opinion
that he would not even attempt to
have the present tribunal enlarged
However, in view of his previous an
nouncements, it appeared that he
would have to suggest some changes
in the organization of his court. One
plan that he was said to be thinking
of suggesting was, that the court be
enlarged to five members instead of
three; that two of the judges be in
dustrial court judges; that two be
utilities commissioners, and that the
other judge be the presiding officer
to sit in all cases where rates and
wage questions were involved at the
same time.
Much of the speculation that is be-
ing done by members of the legsla-
ture is regarding Governor Aliens
plans for Judge George H. Wark. the
war hero member of the court. 1t
is generally understood that the Gov
ernor will let Wark go if he dares
to do so, but the Third district judges
friends are hoping that he will not
dare to turn out war hero "for po-
litical reasons"
1t was said Saturday that some of
Wark's friends in the two houses
were planning to get up a "round
robin" to send to the governor de-
handing that he make known his
plans for Wark before the legisla-
ture takes up any of the governors
legislative program. Reports also
were current Saturday to the effect
that the governors advisors were
planning to have H. H. Motter, Re-
publican state chairman, placed on
the court in Wark's place, with the
idea that if Judge Clyde Reed failed
to qualify as the most available can
didate for governor in 1922, Motter
would be in a position where he
could easily be exploited and brought
before the public. Another report
Saturday was to the effect that ]. A.
McDermott, of Cowley county. the
administrations floor leader in the
lower house, was being considered as
a candidate for an industrial court
or utilities appointment.
The old heads of the house who
are free to express themselves and |
who have no axes to grind, predict |
that nothing will come of Judge Mar
tins efforts to abolish the utilities
and they are of the opin-
ion that no bill to enarge the per-
sonnal of the court will get far.
However, they are predicting that
bills will be introduced to have the
of the court elected instead
Of appointed by the governor; to have
the members of the court appointed
by the supreme bench instead of by
the governor, and to have the court
made a bipartisan body. Also, in
out these bills, they pre-
1icted that all of the recent rows
the members of the court
and all of the alleged political activ-
ties, of these members will be thor
Oughly aired as these bills are thresh-
ed over.
An analysis of the sentiment shown
in the house against good roads legis-
ation for the next two years when
the Lambertson resolution was pre-
sented, indicates not so much a slap
at the governors program as it does
a general economy frame of mind
and desire to slap the state high
way commission and the road build
ing material concerns. There is
general feeling among the legisla-
tors that the road building material
concerns have been "gougin" the
people, and that the best way to
punish them is to stop hard-surface
road building for a time. Also. for
some reason, there seems to be a