Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-01-21
various Recommendation.


A consolidation of boards is recommended
so as to have all the pera. institutions
under charge of the board OF directors for
penal institutions, and all of the charitable
institutions under the supervision Of the
state board of charities"
Reform of the insurance laws for the pro-
lection of insurers is urged.
District ownership of textbooks, while not
urged upon the legislature, is strongly rec
commended.
AS to the Kansas City stock yards, Gov
ernor Leedy suggests that 100 per cent
profit above the price in the Kansas City
market is sufficient on the sales of grain and
hay, and recommend an enactment to that
effect, The statutes should provide that
the live stock sanitary commission should
have such control of the stock yards owned
by the above named company as shall be
necessary to the enforcement of the laws
you make, If this recommendation COM
mends itself to your Judgment"
Mortgage Legislation.
Governor Leedy's recommendation az to
mortgage legislation is as follows:
"a great deal of complaint comes from
over the state in regard to mortgages made
and executed In this state, which have been
made, as 4 rule} to companies organized
under the laws of our state for the pur-
pose of loaning morey. These mortgages
are sold in the East and in many cases the
party who struggles through and pays his
loan hnds that he has been swindled, and
in order to clear his title he must again
pay the amount err lose his home Section
$3.50 should be so amended as to require
every assignment of mortgage, or note se-
cured by mortgage, to be placed on the rec
ords in the county where the real estate Ia
located This, in great measure, will guard
against any recurrence of these swindles,
which are unjust and work great hardship
to the people of the state. Such an enact
ment win enable the debtor to deal directly
with his creditors without the Intervention
of somebody who preys upon the necessities
of both"
Commissioner Breldenthals recommend
ations as to the changes in the banking laws
are commended to the attention Of the leg
islature, and strict state supervision of
building and loan associations and of loan,
trust and investment companies urged.
A State Railroad Proposed.
IF the corporations will accept such Just
and fair regulation, subject to review by
the supreme court of the state, we'll and
good, but, in the future as in the past,
they flock under the protecting wing of the
federal courts, where justice to the people
deof and dumb also, then advise the peo-
pie of the state of Kansas to seek for Justice
out of court In doing SO can only point to
one route by which 1t can be obtained, and
that Is for the states west OF the Mississippi
river to build road of their own to tide
water by the shortest and most direct route,
which will put them in 4 position 10 COM
mand the situation without getting into any
complication with the railroad COM
panies or with the federal courts We
have at Galveston now harbor that
can be entered safely by the largest ships.
The federal government has expended
100000 in creating an outlet In Galveston
bay and providing n safe harbOr for term
inal point. In order to get to this harbor
there are no mountains to tunnel and no
large rivers to cross and no engineering
difficulties in the way. 1t is practically a
plain upon which road cannot only he
built, but can be operated as cheaply as any
where IN the world. At the present value of
labor and material a road can be built for
from $4,000 to $4,000 mile, and 1t would
be as unjust to the people OF this generation
to ask them to support railroad
bonded at $4,000 a mile as It would
have been to the people of a preceding gen.
Grafton to haul their grain ana merchan-
disc on the turnpike of that time, after they
had been parallelled by railroads, No doubt
the owners of stock In the turnpikcs of that
day claimed that they had vested right to
fair interest upon their investment, but the
railroads did not consider he interests Of
the turnpike owner in any way. They sim
ply superseded the turnpike, and If the rail-
road company of the present time do Eot re-
duce their capital to basis upon which
railroads can be built now, then the people
nil 1fa Of nt-f n t-sl1l Of
these roads as they did the turnpike
Arguments for n State Road.
1T the states OF Texas and Nebraska would
Join us In the building of a line to Galveston
the expense of building such road would he
merely nominal, when compared with the
vast sums of money that would be saved to
the citizens of these states through the
lowering of freight rates; In fact the over
charge above what Is reasonable and fair
charge on grain upon the crop now existing
in the state of Kansas would pay Ill the
charges of completing such a road, were the
state of Kansas TO undertake 1t herself
Such a road, when completed would place
the people of this state In a position Of inde-
pendence in the matter Of transportation 80
far as the railroad companies and the fed
cral courts were concerned, and do not be-
lieve that such move would be injurious to
the IdllIOdu COIlDdlllGS III tue lOlb ulL
The lowered rates of freight would at
tract a great and constantly increasing
business by drawing tranic In that direction,
and the decreased rate at which the rail-
roads would be compelled to carry freight
would be made up in the volume of business.
The state of New York, by completing the
Erie canal and keeping the tolls at a low
rate, has caused the commerce OF the COun-
try to flow in that direction, so as TO make 1t
the great commercial metropolis of the
country, but this did not retard the
building of railroads, which do business
in competition with it; In fact, the
finest railroad in the world, with four
tracks, was built for the purpose of COM
petlng with this canal for business. The
total amount of money expended by the
state of New York upon the Erie canal, ac-
cording to recent publications. has been
S116,000,000, and the receipts there
from have been S132 100000 If the
state of New York has prohted so vastly
by pursuing this course, I think 1t would be
policy for the West to quit taking their ad-
vice on commercial affairs and begin to
follow their example. And elsewhere,
where II has been necessary to compete
with water transportation In the carrying
of freight, railroads have never hesltated
TO eTner into that competition. The haul
from Chicago east to the Erie canal 10
greatly reduced, because water transpOrta-.
ton makes 1t necessary. The hsul from st
Louis TO New Orleans IS also made at low
rate in order to compete with water trans
portation. These railroads that do business
at n very low rate and in competition with
water transportation are in as good condi-
ton financially as railroads which do not
have to compete in such way. Therefore,
II seems to me that It would be wise for this
legislature to ask the legislatures of Texas
and Nebraska, whose state laws have been
set aside and annulled as ours have been, To