Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1897-04-07

L udC uHIIOrulCy Is desired IN congress
ional and state legislation on the sub
ject of rates, to the end that the pub
lie regulation of rates may be practi-
cally reached by the active co-opera-
tlon between state and interstate COM
missions"
A lively discussion took place upon
the second resolution, which was
adopted by vote of "a to 7, in the fol-
lowing form: THAT it is within
the power of congress and the
state legislature to delegate the power
of reasonable regulation of rates to
boards of commissioners, and to make
their acts and findings upon questions
of fact, after fair legal opportunity
TO be heard, as conclusive and binding
as the findings and acts of other admin
istrative office rs"
1t was SO decided, Mr.. Chairman, by
the great National meeting at Wash
ington, but still 1T is said that the
power of legally controlling railroad
corporations does not lie within the
legislature. / want to say that the
cry that is going up from the lobby
that is pressing in from all sides is in
the interest of railroad corporations.
l want to say that l want to see rail
road corporations have the same rights
that individuals of the state have and
make the corpora tions no greater than
the individual and upon this basis was
based the conclusions of the Iowa
commissioners. Their work has been
so satisfactory that there is strong talk
of giving the com missioners control of
the express companies and public roads
within that state. Less than fair and
and reasonable rates if fixed by the
commissioners will be struck out and
set aside by our courts. The railroad
commissioners should stand between
the people on the one hand and the
shipper and the corporation on the
other and judge as to reasonable rates.
Nor should the shipper be required to
make individual complaint. We find
that is exactly what the railroad peo-
pie of the state of Kansas are demand
ing and wanting us to do. Hundreds
of miles of railroad were built in the
state for purely Speculative purposes.
There was no demand for the roads at
the time but they came before the leg
islature to day and say that they ex-
pended their money in this specula
ton, it is the duty of the legislature to
stand between them and the people
and give them the advantage of the
people of the state. Now then l be-
lieve that placed the conditions fairly
and believe that l have good authority
to the effect that this legislature has
the right and power to create commits
sioners and give them power to fix
reasonable rates, to stand between the
people or the shipper and the ra ilroad
corporations and decide what is right
and just and reasonable. l realize the
fact that it is possible for a road doing
a large volume of business to do the
work of transportation cheaper than
one doing small volume of business
So there must be a proper classical
tion of the roads.
Now gentlemen, you will find by ex-
amining the report of the board of rail-
road commissioners of this state hat
| where the Santa Fe earns $1,000 per
mile, there are other roads, which only
earn from six to eight hundred dollars
per mile. In order to do justice to the
road doing a small volume of business.
you must classify your roads into pro-
per classes. The bill that is before
| you does not do that there is not a sim
gle line or section in the Harris bill
that authorizes the board to classify
the roads-now mark that point. If
you would have a law that would give
relief to the people of this state such
as the people are demanding, you must
give the railroad commissioners power
to classify the roads and l DEFY any
man to point me to the section in the
Harris bill that gives that power to the
commissioners. Now then first class
| ify the roads, next you must give the
commissioners power to fix the rates
then you must give the commissioners
power to classify freight and defy you
to point out anything in the Harris
bill that gives that power to the COM
missioners- 1t is not there. It was
there but the senate struck it out. Now
then to illustrate, if you pass the Har-
ris bill as it now is and a shipper comes
up with a complaint, and you reduce
the rate, if it is second class to saw
sixth class rate and your commission
ers have no power to fix the classifica-
tion, the railroads by simply changing
or re-classifying the freight, defeat the
efforts of the commissioners to fix the
rate. You may give the commission
ers power to fix rates and keep from
them the power to fix classifcations,
and want to say to you that your law
will be null. Again, what will be the
result under the operation of the Har-
ris bill; you give the commissioners
power to regulate the rates only upon
complaint of a shipper or some indivi-
dual Now, gentlemen, live in Prat tt
and will say that a shipper living in
my town may say to the railroad COM
pany If you don't show me some favors
l will make complaint. There is Sec
tion in this bill relating to rebates