The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-11
MogRILL,s THIsTLE-HUNTERs

tion ever. for a moment, contemplated
the figure they cut in selecting board
of railway commissioners. TO conserve
the commercial interests of Kansas.
Hardly. unless such commercial IN
terestS were commercial Considerations
also. From the makeup of that Doaru'
as also from the character OF its md
ings. it was doubtless concluded thas
as the people of Kansas seemed prli-
cipally devoted TO agriculture anu pro-
hibition they had no commercial III
terests to look after, except such as
vould he abundantly cared for by the
Missouri town AT the mouth OF the
Kaw. Whatever may have been true
at that time or whatever the donlinat-
ing influences in the selection or the
hoard that the commercial interests OF
Kansas. and every town of Importance
in the state was ignored no one can
DENY. Two Of the commissioners
were chosen from county towns which
never, in all their history, had case
of freight rate discrimination, and the
third member was taken from Topeka,
n town VIGOROUSLY owned and run by
railway influence and officials; town
a few citizens of which have managed
TO direct and control the Santa FeI
system for years and still does so yet
Notwithstanding It is in the hands OF
n court. Topeka wanted 4 railway
-
commercial interests safe. What are
the commercial interests Of the MIS-
souri, river towns. or the wholesale
trade of Salina, or the jObbinS and
livestock Grade of Wichita, or the
salt trade of Hutchinson. or the oil
trade of Neodesha, or the traffic OF
eastern Kansas coal fields, all amount
to, compared to the unprotected ana
exposed commercial interests of To-
peka? Absolutely nothing. There
was but one thing for a business
administration to do and that was to
| elect a Topeka man to be railroad COM
missioner and then TO select two others
as far removed from any commercial
| town as possible TO keep him company.
| 1t NAV have seemed a little rough on
| the Missouri river cities which were
| promised a commissioner. and on the
| hog trade of Wichita, which was prom
! iSed another, not to say anything OF
| the other traffic interests of the state:
but. as the stump declaration had
| gone forth. all over the prairieS, that
sentiment must be relegated for two
years, while political favOritism and Of
fetal corruption in high places was
| being cleaned out, TO give q business
administration room according TO It's
strength, it became therefore neces-
sary to concentrate the dominant
forces and far-reaching influences at
the Capital, even if Atchison and
Leayenworth and Kansas City kicked
and Salina and Hutchinson, Wichita
and Neodesha We're each entailed in a
case of bellyache. When it came down
| to a cold matter of business from
| which all prohibition sentiment was
| eliminated, anybody could see that in
the absence of the right kind of COM
| missioners, centrally located. directly,
as it were, under the eye of the con-
trolling political power of the state
somebody might have slipped in and
stolen railroad or two together with
| their general offices and all; or. what
! would have been even worse, the old
Pop Dunkin of Pumpkin legislature
| might have broken into the state house
and by one fell enactment knocked out
every railway in the state. and thereby
utterly destroyed all hope of any pres
ent or future commerce.
SO the entire board of railway COM
missioners, the one chosen to protect
the railway interests at Topeka, as
also the other two, pitched their tents
at Topeka, where they held the fort
against all the traffic associations and
freight combines of the continent. 1t
has been a lovely and an assuring
sight. governor. They never, in all
that time. took any chances by listen
ing to a case or making an order. Com
mercial towns having grievances had
too much consideration for the amen
tiles of the strategic situation. No
body wanted that board TO pass upon
4 case of theirs Kansas business
men had cut their eye-teeth and were
too smart 10 embarraSS anybody. much
less the creatures of "buSiness adj
| Il, 4 ,yo-s. o..
way interests. They would have been
there holding the situation securely
down vet we suspect. had not his EX-
cellency or the official of some leopard
lied railway minated that it was re-
| ported that somewhere on the right-of-
way of some railroad. Russian thistle
had made its deadly appearance. An
: outing surely had been earned, fur
: Tough was due these faithful guardians
of the states railway interests, which
involves the states commercial inter
ests also. a special ear was fixed up
2 and filed up. and the Overworked
: board being got aboard proceeded Il
= heard. The ride which followed. bur
:. for the anxiety OF the board 10 finC
that thistle would have been pleasant
: even if tireSome. One cannot eat
u drink and ride eternally and forever
/ Neither could that board. But they
; made Il good sIagSer ~ il.
: However we note with unfeisnel
pleasure their safe return 10 Topeka
and 10 the scenes of their labor