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order to accommodate the books that are being added to the collection. I would call your attention to this fact, and recommend that it should be provided with ample room.

The state librarian presents his side of the case in the matter of the duplication of books, to which your attention is directed in connection with the report of the secretary of the State Historical Society. There is no reason why there should not be perfect harmony between the two institutions. The state appropriates the money which buys the books for each, and the legislature should decide specifically what shall be done hereafter.

Irrigation.

A few years ago the people of the western part of the state became interested in the subject of irrigation, and the cry of "irrigate or emigrate" was used by those who believed that the salvation of that portion of the state depended upon the success or failure of irrigation. Two years ago a board of irrigation was established by the legislature, and an appropriation was made for the purpose of experimenting along the line of irrigation from wells.

I have been unable to procure a copy of the board's report, but I am informed that in several places wells have been put down, windmills erected, and allowed to go to rack and ruin. If there have been any results obtained that would justify the outlay of the appropriation, I have not been informed as to what they were. People from the western part of the state, in interviews and conversation, are divided upon the question of whether irrigation from this source can be made a success or not. Some go so far as to say that it is a' failure and a delusion; others say that a continuation of the experiments ought to be made, in order to give it a fair trial.

I would recommend to the legislature that this receive careful investigation at your hands. If, from the experience of the board and its results obtained so far, together with that of individuals who have tried it to their own satisfaction, it is found that irrigation of this kind cannot be made a success, I would recommend that the board be abolished. I do not make this recommendation to difcourage the people of the western part of the state. The admirable advantages offered stockmen are probably superior to those offered to those engaged in agriculture at times. An adaptation of means to ends will enable the people to avail themselves of all the resources of that quarter of Kansas.

Forestry Stations.

The state forestry stations, established in the western portion of the state for the purpose of testing whether trees of certain kinds could be successfully raised, have been in existence for several years. In my judgment, the question, if it ever can be solved, has been solved, and I would recommend that unless the provisions of establishment make their continuance for a specified number of

years obligatory and the contract has not been filled on the part of the state, so that their abolishment would lose the state the title to the land, that they be abolished.

Silk Station.

Kansans have been, since the organization of the state, experimenting on different lines for the benefit of different industries which it was hoped could be successfully carried on in this state. Among these was the establishment of a silk station at Peabody, Kas. Probably it has been fully demonstrated, not only by this institution, but by individuals, that silk raising is not an industry adapted to Kansas or one from which we can expect to reap profits. The land on which the station is located was deeded to the state under provisions that the station should be maintained for a certain number of years. The general impression is that the limitation of years has been reached. If this be true, I would recommend that the station be abolished.

Live-Stock Sanitary Commission.

In my judgment, one of the most important, if not the most important, industry of our state is our cattle interests. The Kansas Live-stock Sanitary Commission came into existence for the express purpose of seeing that our quarantine lines were respected and that no contagious diseases should be brought into the state by the ship ment of cattle from other points, and if contagious diseases do break out within our borders that they be quickly and efficiently stamped out. The annual report of the sanitary commission has received my careful attention, and I believe that it has done efficient work during the last two years. I would ask of the legislature that the needs of this important board be attended to, to the end that we may have a feeling of security amongst those who are interested in this great industry. The statistics show that Kansas is forging ahead as a cattleraising state. In western Kansas, especially, the finest cattle and beef are produced at a nominal cost, and I predict that in a few years the western part of the state will enjoy an extensive development of this business. I would recommend the careful study of the board's report, and that all necessary appropriations be made to carry on the work of protecting this great industry.

Grain Inspection.

I wish to call the attention of the legislature to the existing law in regard to the inspection and weighing of grain. There is an er roneous impression among the people of this state that the state supervises the weighing and inspecting of grain. The fact is, however, that the deputy inspectors who really inspect the grain and the weighers owe their appointment to and receive their appointment from boards of trade and the receivers of the grain. If the people shall be protected in this matter--and they should be it is abso

lutely necessary that the weighers and inspectors should not owe their appointment to any power but the state, which assumes to look after the interests of the people; and therefore the state should appoint the inspectors and weighers of grain, and they should be responsible to the state alone. If, however, the legislature does not deem it wise to follow this recommendation, then I recommend that the office of grain inspector be abolished altogether, so that the grain raisers will not be deceived as to the real state of affairs, which is that the receivers of grain practically do both the weighing and inspecting.

Coal-oil Inspection.

The laws regulating the collection of fees for inspection of coal-oil and for accounting for the same to the treasury are not entirely satisfactory. I commend this matter to your attention.

Consolidation of Boards.

I would recommend that the law governing the appointment of the penitentiary board be so amended that it can also supervise and control, in addition to the penitentiary at Lansing, the Hutchinson reformatory, and, if not abolished, the reform school for boys, at Topeka. At present this institution is under the supervision of the state board of charities. The Hutchinson reformatory is under a separate board. To make the matter plain, I would have all the penal institutions under charge of the board of directors for penal institututions, and all of the charitable institutions under the supervision of the state board of charities.

Insurance.

Year by year the people of this state pay to foreign and inter state insurance companies, life and fire, large sums of money as premiums for insurance. In several instances companies that have done a large business in the state have failed and left the policyholders without any available assets for the security of their policies or for reinsurance in other companies.

The laws of New York provide that all companies incorporated under the laws of the state of New York be required to invest their surplus earnings in securities within a radius of fifty miles of the city of New York. The laws of Kansas should require that an adequate and equitable percentage of the premiums paid to insurance companies by policy-holders in the state of Kansas should be invested within the state of Kansas, the investment if in securities to be approved by the commissioner of insurance and deposited in the state treasury as a guarantee fund to policy-holders for the payment of losses, and in case of failure of companies for reinsurance, and that all companies doing business in the state be required to desig nate some person upon whom service of summons can be made.

Text-Books.

The people of the state demand and should secure legislation that will cheapen the price of school text-books, and make available to every child of the state the means for a common-school education. The text-book question has received the attention of different legislatures in this state, and has been legislated upon in all its phases in the states of California, Minnesota, and Nebraska. The evolution of this legislation in the states mentioned has resulted in the district ownership of text-books, each child attending the public schools being provided with text-books without money and without price. Such a law brings the purchaser of text-books into direct relations with the publishers thereof, quickening competition among publishers. I commend to the legislature the laws of Minnesota and Nebraska.

Gas and Oil Wells.

The development of gas and oil wells has reached a point where they should receive some legislative attention. I recommend that legislation be had which will enable them to secure right of way for their pipe lines.

Questions to Jurymen.

The abuse of permitting a long series of irrelevant questions to be asked of juries suggests that some limitation be placed upon this privilege. I recommend that by specific enactment trial judges be authorized to specify the number of questions that may be propounded to the jury in any given legal proceeding by either party.

Elections.

The chairman of the county committee of each of the respective organizations should be entitled to name the judges of election who are to be of his political party. The printing of the ballots under our present system appears to be more expensive than is absolutely

necessary.

Kansas City Stock Yards.

The Kansas City Stock-Yards Company is in the enjoyment of cartain privileges which have proved very lucrative. Considerable complaint is made as to their charges and sometimes as to their methods. I suggest that 10 per cent. profit above the price in the Kansas City market is sufficient on their sales of grain and hay, and I recommend an enactment to that effect. The statutes should provide that the Live-Stock Sanitary Commission should have such control of the stock-yards owned by the above-named company as shall be necessary to the enforcement of any laws you make, if this recommendation commends itself to your judgment.

Railroad Legislation.

The question of the regulation of transportation companies has been one that has commanded the attention of the legislatures of the various states since railroads were first introduced. These cor

porations have received their charter rights from the various states, and these states naturally concluded that they had the right to regulate and control the corporations that they thus had created. This view of the case was constantly combatted by the corporations, who claimed, as they were private corporations, that they were rot subject to state legislation so far as their charges were concerned, a view that they have not yet abandoned. When, however, the courts of the states began to hold that they were public corporations, and therefore amenable to the legislatures of the states, they appealed to the federal courts, claiming, first, that they were private corporations, and, secondly, that if they were quasi public corporations, the regulation of them could only be had through the federal congress. The courts having sustained this view, the people of the various states then demanded that the federal congress should pass such legislation and create such boards of control as were necessary to secure to the people their just rights in the matter. In obedience to this demand, congress 11 years ago created that subterfuge for justice called the interstate commerce commission. and enacted legislation that was supposed by the people to be for the purpose of securing their rights and controlling these corporations.

After 11 years of weary waiting the people are now told, by this commission in its tenth annual report, just issued, that the law under which they were acting was defective, and had been held by the court of last resort as inoperative and unconstitutional. Thus, after 50 years of effort in this direction, we find that practically nothing has been done towards the control of corporations; that the question has been avoided and delayed as much as possible through the courts, and finally, at the end, we find the will of the people thwarted and the corporations resting upon the bosom of the supreme court with the same feeling of confidence and security that an infant reposes upon the bosom of a wet nurse. If the congress of the United States pass an amended law, the torpid snake of litigation will again begin begin to crawl slowly through the mazes of the law toward the court of final jurisdiction, and if the leaden heel of justice is as slow, and if the meditations of the court are as great, and if they shall ponder as long over the constitutionality of the law in the future as they have in the past, posterity will have arrived in time to hear their next decision, and the existing generation will have ceased to take interest in transportation matters on this earth, because they will by that time have been transported beyond the jurisdiction of the court. Therefore, it seems to me that if relief is desired by this generation, they cannot wait upon the slow evolution of the federal congress and federal courts, but must seek relief without resorting thereto.

I therefore recommend that the legislature pass a maximum freight law that will be fair to corporations and just to the people. I believe also that the board of railroad commissioners should be clearly vested with the judicial powers of a court and given the

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