The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-28
WANTS TO HANG ON
LEWELLING DISPLAYS P0PULISTIC
WEAKNESS FOB OFFICE.
Not Satisfied With One, He Wants to Have
Two, and Proposes to be q Senator and
Railroad Com ID Issioner Until the Mex.
Regular Eiection-His Anxiety to Hold
to Vote for a MAXIMUM Freight BILL
He Makes Remarks About an Extra
Sesstou

Ex-Governor Lewelling thinks there
will be an extra session of the legislature
some time in May and he will not resign
the office of state senator till the next
regular election in November. He said
SO yesterday. He will go TO Kansas
City tonight preparatory TO taking his
place on the railroad board next Thurs
day. Regarding the probability OF an
extra session he said:
Il think the legislature viii be recon-
vened some time in May though, OF
course, it is hard to tell. I think Mr..
Leedy himself is not fully determined
upon the matter as yet. He has Just re-
turned from Port Arthur and the ma
jority sentiment of what he hears from
the people by letter and petition win
govern his actions in the matter. IL
was understood when we adjourned that
there would be an extra session II
seems SO far as / am able TO ascertain
that the people in this section OF the
state want another session and want a
legisIa tive freight rate laW-that IS they
want maximum rate fixed by the leg
islaturc for all freight hauls in this
state and while such bill as this does
not. in my judgment, meet the situation
properly, | will vote for X. L Will vote
Tor It because it seems 10 be what the
people demand. l was in favor or the
original Harris bill which conforms to
tbs, recommendation in my message to
the legislature in 1893. / stand now and
stood in ali the fight this winter just
where | stood five years ago. L think a
law giving the board of railroad COM
missioners power to fix schedules aid
adjust rates according TO location and
conditions will best subserVe the inter-
ests of the whole state and be less liable
to estruction by the courts, and in this
declaration I am assuming no new posi-
ton, nor have L at any time during this
session. An Indiscriminate horizontal
reduction of rates would work an inJus-
tice in 2 great many instances and
would scarcely fail to be a disappont-
nient generally. Yet this seems to be
what the people are demanding"
In what way do you mean that the
Brown or Householder bill would be an
;njustice?"
well, it's like this. By the provisions
OF the bills offered this winter the rate
per mile per ton would have to be the
same for all the roads. Take the lines
between Wichita and Kansas City, for
instance The Santa Fe and Rock Is
land roads are direct routes to Kansas
City, having a much shorter mileage
than the Missouri Pacific. Now if the
Missouri Pacific does any BUSINESS from
Kansas City 70 Wichita 1t must haul at
the same ultimate expense to the ship
per as the other roads, and to do this
we must allow that road to make a less
rate per mile than the others or go out
Of business.
Then, again, believe it would be TO
the interest of the state generally TO
have jobbiEg centerS. 1t occurs to me
that a jobbing trade at Wichita, Hutch
inson, Salina and other places would be
of material interest TO the retailer and
consumer in all the territory tributary
20 these places. Now if the same rate
is 10 be made to all the outlying towns,
that is made to these places 1 have
named we'H have no jobbing centers
and dealers all over the state will go TO
Kansas City for their supplies, and the
freight charges VIII eat away the profits.
Continuing the same principle, if the
pool of roads and freight associations is
dissolved and Kansas City has no adj
vantage of the towns around it and in
this state we'd all go to Chicago. Do
you see where it leads top
DO you think the Harris bill as pass
ed and vetoed would have been a re-
lief?"
w ell, II SHOULD nave DSen trleQ ana
then if it failed there would have been
no trouble in getting a maximum rate
bill through
1T is reported that an effort will be
made to prevent you from taking your
seat"
''Oh, that's a part OF politics. It's a
matter of personal enmlty towards me
and comes from one o. two local states
men in Wichita and Harper county. It's
the way of politics. After this stretch I
propose to go out of politics entirely
and permanently. It's tough, mean, dis
gushing"
What will be the policy Of the new
board? 2"
Il don't know anything new. We will
meet with the interstate commerce COM
mission at Ausin, Texas. on the 18th Of
May with view TO securing low rates
to the Gulf I don't know what the 9TH
er members have in view as to future
steps,