The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1897-06-11
THE HARRIS RAILROAD BILL.

! by various senators and representa-
tives against what they are pleased tc
term, THE Harris senate railroad
bill'' is calculated to place Senator
Harris in false light before the peo
pie of Kansas, and it is time that the
history of the bill be made publicI
The bill as it went to the senate was
not the Harris bill at all, but a com.
promise measure which a majority OF
the committee on railroads ordered
prepared in lieu of the Harris bill. the
Ryan bill, the Farrelly bill and the
numerous other bills before the COM
mittee.
On the second day of the session,
Senator Harris introdaeed his bill, it
being senate bill No. 131. This bill in
sections was a literal transcript of the
Iowa law. Section 10 was one of these
1t provided:
"Section 10. The board of railroad
commissioners of this state are hereby
empowered and directed to make for
each of the railroad corporations do
practicable, subject to the limitations
and restrictions herein contained, a
schedule of reasonable maximum rates
and charges for the transportation of
freight and cars on each of said rail-
roads, and said power to make sched-
ules, shall include the power to make
classification of all such freights, and
it shall be the duty of said commits
sioners to make such classification -
In section 15 it was provided:
"Said commissioners whenever they
have sufficient reason to believe that
any common carrier is violating any
of the provisions of this act, shall at
once institute an inquiry in the same
manner and to the same effect, as
though complaint had been made"
ection % provided in establishing
rates no reduction should be made that
would prevent the roads from making
six per cent on the assessed value of
it's property for taxation for the pre-
ceeding year, not including interest on
bonds or dividends on stock,
All of these sections of the bill were
vigorously opposed by the railroads.
Their representatives appeared before
the committee and argued against the
section which ordered the commission
els to make Il maximum rate. They
said it gave the commissioners too
much power. They We're equally op-
posed to the clause which allowed the
commi ssioners to make rat without
a complaint being filed. as they said it
would enable a corrupt board to bleed
the roads. Section % they said meant
practical confscation.
In the committee the bill was attack
ed almost as vigorously as it had been
by the railroads. The majority of the
members were demanding maximum
rate to be made by the Legislature.
Senator Harris took the ground that
no Legislative maximum rate had yet
stood the test of the courts, but that if
the board of railroad commissioners
were authorized and rexuired to make
rates, as provided in his bill, they
could at all times keep within the re-
quirements of the courts and in a very
short time schedule of maximum
rates would grow up which would rest
upon a solid basis.
The discussion was carried on in the
committee until Feb. 9Th, when the
of the committee showed the
following proceedings:
"Senator FOrney moved that the
committee prepare, and report for
passage, a maximum freight rate bill
in lieu of the Harris and other bills
now before the committee. On roll
call, the motion prevailed by the fol-
lowing vote: Yeas-Household For
ney, Lewelling, Helmick, Hanna: total
gve. Nays-Harris, Johnson, Nor
sow, Fulton; total, four.
"a subcommittee, consisting of
ChairmanHarris,a and Senators House
holder and Johnson, was appointed
to draw a maximum rate bill and re-
port to the full committee. "
Again, on Feb. 18th, the minutes
show:
''The chairman stated to the COM
mittee the progress the the sub-com-
mittee had made. A motion was made
that the chairman be instructed to pre-
pare bill, taking the Iowa law as a
basis and inserting a maximum rate
which would give a 20 per cent reduc-
ton on coal, a 15 per cent reduction on
live stock, and ten per cent reduction
on all other classes of freight, from
the present distance tariff. Those vot-
ing for the proposition were: Harris,
Forney. Householder, Hell
mick. Hanna. Those voting against
were: johnson, Morrow, Fulton"
The bill thus ordered was reported
to the senate, and printed as senate
bill No. 524. That it was not the
Harris bill, but compromise meas
ure, cannot be doubted by any candid
man who is familiar with the facts at
tending it's preparation. 1t was not
the bill Senator Harris wanted, but
believing it to be long step in the
right direction, he gave it his cordial
The senate struck out the
maximum rate, and the bill went to the
house. Here Representative Hackney
offered section 10 of the Harris bill as
an amendment, but the house refused
to adopt it.
In view of these facts, the efforts
to make little cheap. political capital
against Senator Harris because of the
bill, as it goes to the governor, is not
more radical in its provisions, is: un-
just to him and ought to be resented.