The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-02-08
KELLEY.s RALLRoAn 80.

RELLEYss RAILRoAD BTLL.
II viii be seen by nference 10 our
Topeka SPECIAL correspondence thai a
majority Of the senAt. committee on
railroads hay" agreed Ia fepot; the bill
introduced hy Senator Ha,Iis.n Kelley,
Of Crfi-y county This looks Ia. re like
railroad legislation than anything which
has reached Us from the capital, and We
hope ali hnDcomlr. efforts 20 make cap
itil out Of The rAIlrnsd question. honli
any exist, will ,,e thrown. aside. and one
ahiIed sfIsEl be m1si.- 10 pa~s ine ill.
We express rliis hair' br.-aus'-. n the ars'
place, We i..ar DIVIDED ,-,uacaIs on this
sui .a,t will fritur Az ay the ppurtuniiy
TO do something for ihr subsiaGtial
benefit of ths. people Ne should loox
upon the failure g. pax :, g,n'i s'rttEd
law at he present se~siDs a. almost
calamity THE pe"pl- hntr hUSr. IN
every possible way. That they vast such
law. IL would be la tbc benefit af the
railroads themselves I,B have decisive nc
tion this winter, aud we believe all
reasonable railroad men are of this
opinion. In The second place We have
great confidence in The Judgment and
good sense of Senator Kelley, and be-
llevc him "a man not only well posted
as TO the requirements of the situation,
but actuatrd by desire 10 do justice TO
all concerned He Is FARMER. and has
been for many yenrs, and is a man who
has done sensible work in every position
where he has been cagled upon Go dis
charge public business. Besides the
reasons mentioned his law has been
tried in Iowa, a slate situated. IN regard
Ia railroad matters, much the same AZ
Kansas is, and We should Judge that law
pie in that state would answer Kansas
very we'll No bill that Ih1 Legislature
can pass in the lime left for considering
IL, will he perfect. This bill of Senator
Kelley's, we are inclinedito think, is bet
ter than any thai can now be perGeciel,
and future legislatures can make amenf-
ments when they are needed.
The Kelley bill is modelled after what
is known as the Vincent bill, OF Iowa.
1t has proved very satisfactory Ia both
the public and the railroads after trial
Of several years During the Excitement
soma years ag,i in Iowa and some other
states on the question of railroad legis-
lation, an extreme law was enacted in
that state which was offensive and fool
ISL in its provisions. anti the people suf-
fered more than the railroads in at
| tempting To enforce il, The same was
true, we believe, in the experience of
Illinois. This law was discarded and
the Vincent bill substituted, aud
since matters have been running much
more tremendously Senator Kelley's
bill is very stringent. Il provides for a
board Of three commissioners, who shall
have general supervision ni railroads
In the state, operated BY steam
or otherwise, and aii express companies,
sleeping car companies and all other
corporations doing business in this state.
| 1t provides for the election of three com
/ missloners by the executive council IL
provides for AN annual report from all
railroads similar Ia thar called for in
most OF the bills. The commissioners are
TO be paid an annual sal lry OF 81 600
each, which is 10 be assessed against the
railroads, and they are Ia give a bond of
1 $4,000 each. The bill does not fix ar.
bitrary rates or eharges, but specifically
| provides against extortionate or unreas-
enable charges and against all discrim-
nations, and eDacis severe penalty
therefor. In short, it constitutes the
railroad commissioners kind of arbi-
irstion committee between the people
and The railroads, T. whom any citizen
aggrieved can complain without cost and
have his case and all the facts thereof
fully Investigated without cost 10 him.
sell, and Ii his complaint he just and the
commissioners demand of the railroad
TO correct IL, il is hardly 10 be supposed
they will refuse To do so. With the NOR
al power Of public opinion behind
them il is believed they can do more 10
right The wrongs OF the people, equalize
l tIuacCitEtl NuSA ~
J vent determinations than any mere ar
bitrary enactment This has been
the result in Iowa, where
7 II has been tried Tar several years. Out
of 1903 complaints To the commissioner
} last year 81 were complied with by the
railoads when so brought to their knowl
edge by the commissioners, aud only
six had to DO appealed, This bill maJ
/ not bans sweeping in its provisions Al
!. some tllat have been introduced but i
seams Just and fair To all concerned, anG
that after all is the kind Of law we al
2 want and the kiBd of one which viii
stand the test of future trial
We have some fears that In the multi
plieity of measures before the legisla
ture there is danger that sll may fail
There are forces at work in and out o
, the legislature TO bring about just sucl
: a result, and viewing the situation in al
its lights, we believe the best thing ths
can now be done is to take uR the kel
ley bill ana pass il.