The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1883-02-15
SLUSs' AMENDMENT.

senator Sluss eDdeayored to have the fol
| lowing amendment incorporated in the KeI
ley bill:
IL shall be the duty of the board of railroad
commissioners, as soon may be, to ascertain
and determine what rates are reasonable Il
be charged FOR the transportation Of freight
| and passengers, and for hauling cars. loaded
and empty, and for handling, storing and de-
| iivering freight by each of the several rail.
| roads now or hereafter operated in this State
70 and from the several stations and place,
| OF receipt and delivery Of freight thereon.
! and the board may alter such determination
In any particular when in their judgment
such alteration il reasonable; and the board
| snail, when such determination or any alter
alton thereof is made, certify the same TO the
! managing officers OF the several railroad,
operated in the State, and shall have the same
printed and distributed for the Information
OF the people Of the State. The rates de-
termiDed shall in all actions arising in any
court OF this State be taken to he reasonable
compensation for the service for which they
are provided until the contrary is proven, and
all compensation demanded or received by
any such railroad in excess OF the rates 81
determined by the board, shall in any such
tction be taken TO be eXtOrtionate until the
contrary is shown.
In defense of clothing such commissioners
with the powers Of the entire mana. ement
Of all the railways Of the State, he said "he
would like it il every Senator would come
up TO the scratch and vote what he means.
He said the effort being made was to prepare
the Senate to meet the House, not TO say to
the world what the Senate means. A stale
ment that the meaning is not understood
means that you are trying to dodge the ques-
ton. This amendment is offered to a pecu-
liar bill, which has been wonderfully adyer-
tised as the Kelley bill. The first section is
remarkably clear and reads that the commits
sion shall have general supervision. Is that
what it means: or does il mean lot of fine
haired young men who sit on an electric light
tower and utter what is going on? Now |
say TO yon that no man can tell what this pro-
vision mean. General supervision That
is a little taffy thrown out to the people OF
the State. Section II says no railroad shall
charge an unreasonable price for transporta-
ton, etc. The man who finds out what is in
this Kelley bill must find them in deIach-
ments and bring them together with Il mag
net. When they find out what is reasonable
what will they do! Why, notify the compa-
lsture. Remarkable power! Go riding over
the country and report changes expedient.
There is certainty and definiteness that eve
rybody can know what is meant. The peo-
pie can learn their rights from the Kelley bill. |.
Can't they? man comes into the Office of
my friend from Labette and asks what the
railroads can charge. well, they can charge
a reasonable price, well, what is reason
able priceT well, we, ah-the ah-they
the railroad committee had two propositions.
one that would not fix rates and an other that
would fix the rates definitely, but there was
nobody but u jack-legged, one-horse lawyer
from Wichita, who had the nerve TO intro
duce it, and we sat back on our hind legs and
howled like coyotes that we couldn't under
stand it," The Senator proceeded with
this kind OF humorous sarcastic remarks
THE people want law providing COM
nilsson who have the power of fixing the
rate and don't propose to prove recreant to
my trust. The work OF this board is not to
find that man is being oppressed in one
particular part of the State, but they shall
decide what rates are reasonable; not wheth-
err present rates are reasonable. Not TO es-
tablish cast iron rate for all, but one that
will apply TO each road according to its needs
and location and difficulties, short or long
bauls, etc. They expect this thing shall be
conducted on business principles. Here is
law that makes it obligatory on the board to
determine what rates are TO be charged from
each station and TO notify the railroads and
the people that it is reasonable and fixed
rate. The amendment provides that these
rates shall be taken to be reasonable in the
courts. That is definite, is it not! Is there
a man on this floor who don't understand the
provisions OF this amendment I'll answer
for you. No, not one man. II the board l.
not competent to determine what is reasona-
Bile, bow can you expect farmer or ship
per TO do SOP Yet this is the burden you
place upon them unless you let the commits
sion fix the rate. Who has the best facilities!
Snow then, my friends, that's just what
this thing means, to have the arbiters fix
rate. 1t is honest, fair, equitable
and just tnat those men who have the iaeil-
tiles should make the proof Ia the court II
any is to be made there. This ringing of the
on the words msxlnum rates, il
nothing more nor less than 'poppycock."