The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-02-19
w. f. Brown of Pratt, Stands
by the Railroad Bill
Submitted to the Members of
the Legislature
FOR THEIR APPROVAL
Says 1t EmbOdies All Good Fea-
lures of Former Measures,
And Declares That He Would
Gladly Vote For It.

To the Editor of the State Journal:
Sir-I have seen Sc much nonsense
in print since Governor Leedy has sub
mitted his railroad bill to the members
of the legislature and the public for
study and for criticism, that L cannot
refrain from trying to inject a little
common sense into the discussion. one
says 1.-The governor has abandoned the
maximum rate idea. Another says
1.-THE bill is an entirely new departure: -
Another says, 1t is almost fac sIm1le
of the Harris bill which Leedy vetoed
Another says, 1T is not a maximum
rate bill, but is a commissioner bill pure
and simple And every one of the
above criticisms shows how little the
writer's thereof know about railway
bills, or railway legislation OF any
kind.
In any effective railway law there are
three essential features which must be
observed. First, the commissioners must
be given power to classify the roads
according to the business done, or in
accord with their earning capacity
This feature was recognized in the
Campbell bill, in the senate bills of
1893 and 1895, and was also recognized
in the house committee bill of 1897 but
was wholly lacking in the Harris bill.
And this feature is fully recognized IN
section of the Leedy bill where 1t
says that 1.-The said board shall pro-
coed to prepare a schedule of rates to
be charged for property shipped over
the classificatiOnS to be made of the
said property for shipment, a schedule
being prepared for each railroad dong
business in the state of Kansas" And
this last paragraph as clearly claSsl-
fieS the roads as did that part of the
Campbell, senate or late house bill where
they provided that "All railroads in
the state shall be classified according
to the respective annual earnings of the
said several roads according to the
amount of their annual earnings with
in the state for the preceding year.
This provision of the Leedy bill very
closely resembles the methods followed
by the railroad commission in Texas,
where a, schedule of rates is promul-
gated for each road
The second essential principle that
must be observed is the classification of
property and freight In the Campbell
bill and the senate bills of 1885 and in
the late house BILL the western CLASH
fications which were then in force in
Kansas were made part of the bills
themselves. This always gave rise to
more or less objection, which was not all
together unjustifiable by reason of the
fact that it was not possible in the form
that was attempted, to embody all of
the supplemental classifications into the
law which made some very material
changes in the existing classifications.
though it was argued that the COM
mission could easily remedy this defect
as soon as the law went into effect.
This second essential principle is fully
recognized in section of the Leedy
bill. which provides: THAT until the
revisions provided for in this act shall
be made by the said board of railroad
commissioners the schedules of classifi-
cations of property shipped by freight
in the state of Kansas shall be the
same as were in force December 81,
1897
The third principle to be observed is
the fixing of a schedule of maximum
rates, and the power to change and
revise the same whenever it is deemed
necessary or proper. This principle was
fully recognized in the Campbell bill,
the senate bills of 1895 and in the late
house bill, and this principle was abso-
Iutely wanting in the Harris bill, and
rates were only to be changed up
on specific complaints as is now
done But the schedules OF rates
fixed in the above mentioned
bills were always a bone of con-
tention. Some claimed that the sched-
uIes were too low; others thought they
were too high; while again others
claimed that the schedules raised some
particular rate to or from their par
ticular community. But this princi-