USA > Kansas > Kansas; a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. with a supplementary volume devoted to selected personal history and reminiscence, Voilume I > Part 103
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Gov. Hoch expressed himself in favor of a public depository-or a system of depositories-where the public funds might be placed upon interest for the benefit of the state, and suggested two plans; Ist, the establishment of a state depository, where interest upon funds would accrue to the state, and 2nd, that the semi-annual remittances from the various county treasurers be held in a county depository until the state treasurer might need the money, the counties to have the benefit of the interest. "The State of Missouri," said he, "received in interest from
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its state depository last year the handsome sum of $42,768.61. To the wisdom of the legislature this subject is confidently submitted."
The act of March 4 provided for a board of treasury examiners, con- sisting of the governor, secretary of state and state auditor, which should meet on the first Monday in July, 1905, and each two years thereafter, in the office of the treasurer of state, and issue a notice giv- ing the date when the board would receive sealed proposals from the incorporated banks of the state for the use and care of the state funds, and the bank or banks selected should be designated as state deposi -. tories. (See Finances, State.)
On the subject of civil service the governor said: "The platform upon which a majority of the members of this legislature were elected favored the application of reasonable civil service rules to the em- ployees of the state institution. In the national government, civil service rules have been gradually extended to all departments, until now the tenure of office of thousands of governmental employees no- longer depends upon the caprice of petty politicians. This movement for the betterment of the public service was at first bitterly opposed, but no statesman who values his reputation now opposes it. It is a distinct advance in intelligent government. With the principle involved ยท I am in hearty accord, and will be glad to cooperate with the legislature in any reasonable enactment along this line."
Two acts relating to the civil service (q. v.) were passed during the session. One of them was approved by Gov. Hoch on Feb. 25, and the- other on March 10, which was the last day of the session.
The governor imparted to the legislature the information that there were yet unsold about 1,000,000 acres of the school lands, most of which lay in the western part of the state. Under the law these lands were on the market at the minimum price of $1.25 per acre, notwithstanding the value of such lands had advanced far beyond that figure in the preceding five years. "These school lands," said he "should either be. withdrawn from market or the price at which they will be sold increased commensurate with the growth and development of that country. I believe $1,000,000 can be saved to the state school fund by prompt action on the part of the legislature in this matter."
The members of the assembly evidently did not concur in the views. of the executive on this subject, or if they did concur they were not particularly desirous of saving the $1,000,000 to the school fund, as no. legislation of that character was enacted.
Other recommendations of the governor were in favor of juvenile courts, the establishment of a state printing plant, a pure food law, no- backward step on the subject of prohibition, and a thorough revision of the tax laws. With regard to the last named, he called attention to the fact that "the entire assessed value of all personal property in the state aggregates only $66,000,000, while the bank commissioner. reports over $100,000,000 in the banks alone, and the secretary of the- state board of agriculture reports the value of farm products and live-
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stock for the year at $367,301,000; and there are many other forms of personal property not included in these figures. Not only does this assessment make our aggregate statistics look insignificant abroad, but it makes our rate of taxation so enormously high as to frighten home- seekers, and to deter investments by those unfamiliar with the facts. In addition to these absurd valuations, purposely made by the various assessors, which belittle the state, many millions of dollars' worth of personal property escapes taxation altogether."
Among the remedies suggested by the governor for this condition of affairs were a county assessor, with deputies in each of the several townships, some provision for the taxation of franchises of car-lines, telegraph and telephone companies at their full value, and "some simple amendment to the present law fixing a severe penalty for failure to assess at the full value all property in the state."
About the time that Gov. Hoch came into office there was a war going . on between the oil producers of Kansas and the Standard Oil company. and a movement was on foot to pipe the natural gas outside the state. Consequently, the discussion of these subjects occupied a considerable portion of the executive message. Said he :
"The marvelous development of the gas and oil resources of the state, placing this commonwealth in the front rank of those endowed by the Creator with this kind of wealth, imposes a duty upon this legislature which no former legislature has had to meet. Monopoly threatens to rob our people of the chief benefits of this great endowment and appro- priate the profits to itself. How to save this wealth to the state and to its people, and secure to them its greatest benefits, is a serious problem.
"Whatever may be the limitations of' power of the state in reference to piping the gas beyond its borders, one duty clearly within its power demands immediate performance. Vast amounts of gas are constantly going to waste in all the gas-fields of the state-a condition which Indiana and other states have learned to their sorrow, should not be permitted to continue. Stringent laws to prevent this waste should be immediately enacted.
"Our oil interests are also in jeopardy. I am a firm believer in the competitive system, and entertain with caution any proposition tend- ing to the centralization of governmental power over commercial enter- prises which should, as far as possible, be left to individual control. I have been a student of these subjects for years, and am grounded in the philosophy of the competitive system in contradistinction to the socialistic idea of government absorption of business enterprises. But while profoundly imbued with this conviction, I refuse to be blinded by a theory, however sound, if confused by misleading terms. If an arrogant and almost omnipotent monopoly is to control in any business circle, the competitive system is slaughtered in the house of its friends, for monopoly is but one form of socialism mas- querading under the name of competition. Monopoly destroys compe-
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tition, and that is all socialism does, considered from an industrial stand- point. Rather, therefore, than permit the great monopolies to rob us of the benefits of the vast reservoirs of oil which have been stored by the Creator beneath our soil, I am inclined to waive my objection to the socialistic phase of this subject and recommend the establishment of an oil refinery of our own in our state for the preservation of our wealth and the protection of our people."
In harmony with this attitude of the governor, and pursuant to his recommendation, the act of Feb. 17, 1905, directed the warden of the state penitentiary to establish at Peru, Chautauqua county, an oil refinery to be operated as a branch of the penitentiary "for the refining of crude oil, and to market the same and its by-products, and to keep such refinery in repair, and furnish therefor requisite machinery and equipment, and necessary facilities and instrumentalities for receiving, manufacturing, storing and handling crude and refined oil and its by- products." To carry out the provisions of the act the sum of $410,000 was appropriated. Of this appropriation $200,000 was for the con- struction and equipment ; $200,000 to be used as a "revolving fund" for the purchase of crude oil and operating expenses until returns from sales came in, and $10,000 for the erection of suitable quarters for the convicts to be employed in the refinery. A supplementary act, approved on March 7, appropriated $58,800 to pay the interest on the refinery bonds for the fiscal years 1906 and 1907. A resolution was also adopted urging the Kansas representatives and senators in Congress to use their influence to perfect legislation to control the Standard Oil company and protect the oil industry in Kansas.
Although the state supreme court subsequently held the refinery act to be unconstitutional, this exhibition of the "Kansas spirit" had the effect of curbing the monopolies referred to by the governor in his message, and in an indirect way resulted in conferring substantial bene- fits upon the oil industry in the state.
Of the 541 acts passed at this session of the legislature, a large major- ity of them were of local significance only, such as defining or chang- ing county boundaries; legalizing acts of county and town authorities; conferring power on municipalities to issue bonds, etc. A long act of 59 sections provided for the organization of drainage districts for the construction and repair of levees, the removal of obstructions from the channels of water courses, etc. An appropriation of $1,000 was made for marking by suitable monuments the Santa Fe trail; county com- missioners were given authority to appoint inspectors of natural gas wells and pipe lines ; a board of control for certain state institutions was created ; a child labor bill was passed which prohibited the employment in factories, mines and packing-houses of persons under the age of fourteen years, and regulated the employment of persons under the age of sixteen ; provision was made for the appointment of state fish and game wardens, and their powers and duties were defined; the office of county inspector of bees was established; several acts were passed
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relating to railroads, extending the power of the railroad commission ; the governor was authorized to appoint a parole officer for the state penitentiary ; provision was made for the establishment of juvenile courts and for the care of neglected, dependent or delinquent children ; and by resolution the board of directors and warden of the penitentiary were authorized to enter into a contract with the Territory of Oklahoma for the care of her convicts for a period not exceeding ten years, and at a rate of not less than 40 cents a day for each convict.
Three constitutional amendments were submitted to the people to be voted upon at the general election in Nov., 1906. The first made a change in section 2, article 12, relating to corporations; the second amended section 17, article 2, relating to laws and their construction by the courts ; and the third amended section 8, article 3, relating to pro- bate courts. All three were ratified by the people by substantial majorities.
In an article on "Bailey's Administration" mention is made of a resolution passed by. the Kansas legislature requesting the Kansas dele- gation in Congress to make efforts to have one of the new battleships named for the state. They were successful in carrying out the wishes of the legislature, and on Aug. 12, 1905, the battleship Kansas (q. v.) was launched at Camden, N. J., Gov. Hoch and several other dis- tinguished citizens of Kansas being present.
When Joseph R. Burton resigned his seat in the United States senate on June 4, 1906, Gov .. Hoch tendered an appointment to F. D. Coburn, secretary of the state board of agriculture. Mr. Coburn declined and the governor then appointed Alfred W. Benson to serve as senator until the legislature convened. Judge Benson left for Washington on June II.
In the summer of 1906 the Santa Fe trail was marked by the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution, and from Sept. 26 to 29 was held the first centennial celebration in Kansas. This celebration marked the rooth anniversary of the raising of the American flag for the first time on Kansas soil by Lieut. Zebulon M. Pike. It was held on the site of the old Pawnee village near Republic City, Republic county. Sept. 26 was "Woman's Day." An address of greeting was delivered by Mrs. Edward W. Hoch, wife of the governor. Addresses were also delivered by Mrs. Noble L. Prentis, Mrs. Charles E. Adams, Mrs. Lilla D. Mon- roe and others. The 27th was "Historical Day," when papers by Prof. John B. Dunbar, James R. Mead and William E. Connelley were read, and an address was delivered by George W. Martin, secretary of the State Historical Society. On the 28th the principal orators were Capt. Patrick H. Coney, commander of the Kansas department of the Grand Army of the Republic, Capt. Charles E. Adams and Congressman W. A. Calderhead. On the 29th-the real anniversary of the raising of the flag-the speakers were Gov. Hoch and United States Senator Chester I. Long. The ceremonies were accompanied by artillery salutes and enlivened by music of bands, etc.
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The political campaign of 1906 was opened by the Democratic party, which held a state convention at Topeka on April 25. William A. Harris was nominated for governor; Hugh P. Farrelly, for lieutenant- governor ; Louis C. Ahlborn, for secretary of state; W. F. Bowman, for auditor ; Patrick Gorman, for treasurer ; David Overmeyer, for attorney- general; A. B. Carney, for superintendent of public instruction ; J. W. Murphy, for superintendent of insurance; A. M. Jackson, D. M. Dale, W. S. Glass and Lorenz Hawn, for associate justices; Harry McMillan, C. A. Cooper and James Humphrey, for railroad commissioners, and W. F. Feder, for state printer. This was the first time the state printer was ever elected by the people. The platform indorsed and reaffirmed the national platforms of the party for 1896, 1900 and 1904; demanded of the board of railroad commissioners "an honest and earnest enforce- ment of all provisions of existing laws against rebates and all manner of discriminations ; and of the legislature intelligent, fair supplementary legislation to the end that both the railroads and the public may have justice ;" congratulated the country upon the triumphant vindication of the quantative theory of money; declared in favor of the initiative and referendum and the enforcement of all laws, and demanded the abolition of the free pass system on railroads.
On May 2 the Republican state convention met at Topeka. Gov. Hoch was renominated by acclamation, and the balance of the ticket was as follows: Lieutenant-governor, W. J. Fitzgerald; secretary of state, Charles E. Denton; auditor, James M. Nation; treasurer, Mark Tulley; attorney-general, Fred S. Jackson; superintendent of public instruction, Edward T. Fairchild; superintendent of insurance, Charles W. Barnes ; associate justices, William A. Johnston, R. A. Burch, Silas Porter and C. B. Graves ; railroad commissioners, C. A. Ryker, George W. Kanavel and Frank J. Ryan ; state printer, Thomas A. McNeal. The platform approved the administrations of President Roosevelt and Gov. Hoch ; commended the juvenile court and state depository laws passed by the last legislature ; favored a pension of not less than $12 per month for every surviving soldier and sailor of the Civil war; approved the action of the legislature regarding oil and gas, and declared that "The Republican party enacted the first railroad law in Kansas. It has tini- formly stood for consistent and efficient regulation of these great public corporations. The last legislature, without any specific platform promises previously made, enacted a general railroad law conceded to be the best in the United States."
The Populist state convention assembled at Topeka on July 4. An effort to effect a fusion with the Democratic party failed, after which the convention proceeded to the nomination of candidates for state officers with the following result: Governor, Horace A. Keefer ; lieutenant-governor, Joseph A. Wright; secretary of state, Robert Hauserman; auditor, E. C. Fowler; treasurer, D. C. Kay ; attorney- general, George H. Bailey ; superintendent of public instruction, D. O. Kemphill; superintendent of insurance, C. N. Mungenbach ; associate
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justices, W. A. Eyster and H. C. Root, leaving two places to be filled by the state central committee; railroad. commissioner, G. R. Sallyard, two places to be filled by the committee; state printer, Charles A. Southwick. For some reason the state central committee never sup- plied the vacancies on the ticket for justices of the supreme court and railroad commissioners. The platform adopted by the committee declared in favor of governmental ownership of railroads and the initiative and referendum; demanded that all money be issued by the general government, a rigid enforcement of all laws, and railroad legis- lation in the interest of the man who "pays the freight;" and urged the adoption of an amendment to the state constitution which would make it possible for the state to establish an insurance department that would supply fire and life insurance at cost.
The Prohibition party nominated J. B. Cook for governor; W. B. Jones, for lieutenant-governor; William Martin, for secretary of state; T. D. Talmage, for auditor ; C. F. Wolfe, for treasurer; W. C. Wolfe, for attorney-general; O. W. Newby, for superintendent of public instruction; P. J. Thwaites, for superintendent of insurance; G. W. Martin, J. D. M. Crockett, W. C. Fogle and E. B. Greene, for associate justices; Wallace Gibbs, G. C. McFadden and A. L. Evers, for rail- road commissioners, and F. B. Sweet, for state printer.
The Socialist party also nominated a full state ticket, to wit: For governor, Harry Gilham; lieutenant-governor, T. A. Curry; secretary of state, Arthur E. Welch; auditor, E. N. Firestone; treasurer, John J. Price ; attorney-general, C. R. Mitchell ; superintendent of public instruc- tion, Grace D. Brewer; superintendent of insurance, Niels P. Larsen ; associate justices, A. M. Morrison, F. L. McDermott, Myron F. Wiltse and William E. Pierce; railroad commissioners, Charles A. Brannon, P. B. Moore and James O. Smith ; state printer, Frank W. Cotton.
At the Nevember election the entire Republican ticket was elected, the vote for governor being as follows: Hoch, 152,147 ; Harris, 150,024; Gilham, 7,621 ; Cook, 4,453; Keefer, 1,131.
On Jan. 8, 1907, the legislature began its 15th biennial session. The senate was called to order by Lieut .- Gov. David J. Hanna, who pre- sided until the 14th, when Gov. Hoch was inaugurated for his second term and Lieut .- Gov. W. J. Fitzgerald was also inducted into office, succeeding Mr. Hanna as president of the senate. John S. Simmons was elected speaker of the house. The message submitted by the gov- ernor at the opening of the session was a long one, covering almost every phase of state affairs. He congratulated the people of the state upon their prosperity ; announced that the state's wheat crop for the year 1906 was over 93,000,000 bushels, and the value of farm products and live stock aggregated $424,222,277, an increase of over $15,000,000 over the year 1905, and on the subject of bank deposits said :
"The total deposits in Kansas banks, state and national, ten years ago aggregated only $32,031,780.39, of which the national banks held $16,811,672.97 and the state banks $15,220,107.39. For eight years there-
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after the deposits increased at the enormous rate of an average of $10,000,000 per year, and on Sept. 1, 1904, reached the highest point in the history of banking in the state up to that time, showing total deposits amounting to $110,325,895.90. But during the past two years the increase has been greater than during any biennial period in the history of the state. During this biennial period the increase exceeded $30,000,000, or more than $15,000,000 each year, the total deposits at this time being $140,185,283.62. This is an average of over $90 per capita-nearly three times the average in the United States. . The population of the state increased 66,000 during the past year, the greatest annual increase in twenty years. Surely every Kan- san has a right to be proud of the wonderful progress and prosperity which characterize the state of his birth or adoption."
He then reviewed with more or less detail the condition of the state institutions ; again urged the passage of a primary election law and a law providing for a better and more uniform system of assessment of property for tax purposes; discussed the oil interests of the state, the good roads movement, equal suffrage, the sugar beet industry, the subject of grain inspection, the fish and game laws, the bureau of labor statistics and the work it had accomplished, the state depository law, school lands, the National Guard and the state museum, and com- mended the state board of health for its efforts "to improve the sani- tary conditions of the state and promote the health of the people."
He also urged the appropriation of a larger contingent fund for the board of railroad commissioners, pointing out the fact that the states of Texas and Minnesota allowed their boards of railroad commissioners $43,000 and $40,000 respectively, while Kansas allowed her board but $5,000. He congratulated the state upon the establishment of juvenile courts, the board of control and the state printing plant, all of which he had recommended in his message of 1905. With regard to the last named institution he said :
"The legislature responded to the suggestion by providing for the election of a state printer by the people, to be given a salary of $2,500, and for the erection of a printing house to be owned by the state. It also provided for the appointment of a commission by the governor to erect the proposed building and equip it with material. In harmony with this statute, I appointed Mr. C. S. Gleed, Mr. George E. Tucker and Mr. E. P. Harris as such commission. It now gives me pleasure to report the completion of a three-story brick printing office. 50 by 130 feet in dimension, handsome in external appearance and modern in internal arrangement, equipped with modern material and in success- ful operation, at a total cost of about $68,000, all of which will be paid for out of the saving of less than three years' operation."
On Jan1 .. 29, 1906, a convention of delegates from commercial clubs, county commissioners, city councils, etc., met at Topeka to consider the question of having some sort of a semi-centennial celebration of the admission of Kansas into the Union on Jan. 29, 1911. The pro-
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posal to have the celebration take the nature of an industrial exposi- tion met with favor, both by the press and the people, and the subject was submitted to the legislature of 1907 by the governor. No action was taken by the assembly in the way of an appropriation or other encouragement, and the exposition project was abandoned.
One duty that devolved upon the legislature of 1907 was the election of a United States senator to fill the unexpired term of Joseph R. Burton, and also for the full term of six years beginning on March 4, 1907. On Jan. 23 Charles Curtis was elected for both the short and the long terms.
At this session a state tax commission was created, to take the place of the board of railroad assessors and the state board of equalization, and was authorized to assess property at its actual value. State boards of embalming and veterinary registration, and a state entomological commission were also created; the office of commissioners of forestry was created ; provisions were made for the display of the United States flag upon the public school buildings of the state; Lincoln's birthday (Feb. 12) was made a legal holiday ; free kindergartens were authorized in connection with the public school system, and a law was passed for- bidding railroad companies to issue free passes.
Resolutions were adopted asking Congress to pass a bill granting pensions to the survivors of the battle of Beecher's island and to the widows of those killed in that action, and to call a convention for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Federal constitution, par- ticularly one authorizing the election of United States senators by direct vote of the people.
Two amendments to the state constitution were adopted and sub- mitted to the people, to be voted on at the general election in Nov., 1908. One amendment proposed to strike out section 3, article 2, relating to the compensation of members of the legislature, and insert a new section giving each member a salary of $500 for regular and $100 for special sessions, with three cents for each mile traveled in going and returning. The other proposed to amend section 13, article 3, relating to the salary of justices of the supreme court and prohibiting them from accepting any fees or perquisites, or from holding any other office during the term for which they might be elected, except they were to be eligible to appointment as judge of some Federal court. Both were defeated at the election.
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