The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-13
UP TO STANLEY.
Kansas Cattlemen Present
Grievances to Governor.
Full Explanation of the Freight
Rate Troubles.
AN EQUITABLE CASE
Claimed by the StOckmen But
the Railroads
Seem to Have Neglected to Rec
OgniZe It.
AN EQUITABLE CASE

The Kansas Cattlemen's association
which is attempting to induce the rail-
roads to adjust the freight rates re-
Gently advanced, has presented the case
to Governor Stanley.
The document was fled with the gov
ernor today by J. W. Robson, of FL
dorado. president of the association
The statement follows:
1.-THE stockmen of Kansas believe the
car load to be equal or equally equit-
able with the 100-pound rate, and much
more convenient for the shipper and
more humane to the animals, for the
reason that it requires no delay in
weighing, no long stands between long
railroad trains in hot weather, and less
Jamm1ng and losing of stock in switch
ing, and saving the inaccuracy of
weighing cars while in motion, and less
cost in switching to the railroad COM
panies.
In the history of our past expert
ences with boards and courts, we have
been able to establish the equity and
justice of our requests. Some four years
ago the railroads put in the 100-pound
rate in lieu of the carload, giving as
a reason the desire for a different
method of bookkeeping, saying they
did not desire extra compensation for
doing the business in this way, but
their own weighing system soon after
demonstrated to themselves and others
that it did increase the cost to shippers
and the board of railroad commission
erS gave an order restoring the carload
rates, which was obeyed, and remained
in force for some time until a change of
administration in the state, when the
100-pound system was again put in
force and again taken to a, new board
of railroad commissioners, who granted
a. similar order as the first, which the
railroad companies neglected and re-
20 oh flnn ion
of the proper time to put in force such
order, the State Live Stock association
procured a temporary injunction from
the district court of Lyon county, which
was never heard on it's merits, but put
on appeal to the supreme court, re-
naming there until the board of rail-
road commissioners was legislated out
of Office, and a new court elected in its
place.
THE supreme court decided that the
board being legislated out of Office car
ried all its orders with it out Of the
courts, leaving the StOckmen without
any hearing or decision on its merits
The car-olad rate remaining in force all
this time and up to the first of Decem-
Der last, when the railroads again put
in the 100-pound rate, which is in force
to this time, and increasing the cost to
ship our cattle to market by about 20
percent, when we had every reason to be-
lieve and hope for, from the new i'm
proved machinery and the increased
facilities in handling, and volume of
trade offered beyond the capacity of the
roads to handle, that we were entitled to
a reduction in place of a raise, and we
sincerely regret also that in the midst
of this prosperity to the railroads that
they should have abolished the feed
in-transit and pasture rates, increasing
to US the cost of bringing our stock cat
tie from the producing ranges to our
feed lots by a still greater percentage
than the movement of fat cattle.
I'VE find ourselves with a railroad
law which is unadjudIcated in the high
er courts, and leaving our status in an
uncertain condition at the present time.
I'VE find on viewing the tariff sheets
that the railroads do not practice the
principle of hauling the 1O0-pound rates
of different classes of stock or cOmmO-
dities at the same price per hundred.
For instance, cattle is one price; hogs,
which are worth less, at a one-third
greater price, and horses and sheep still
greater, thus showing that the cost of
hauling to the roads is not regulated by
them in proportion to the weight haul
ed, but more nearly to the amount
| placed in the car, thereby demonstrat-
ing that the direct cost of hauling is
by the carload rate, which in capacity
of weight is never loaded to the capac-
ity marked on the car by more than
one-half to three-fourths. The rail-
roads contention that overlooking and
manning of stock was frequent when
carload rates were in vogue is refuted
by the fact that the dead and manned
animals have been less during the last
| two years while carload rates were il
vogue than at any time when the 100
pound rate was practiced.
1--WE hope in the near future that the
courts may determine our rights and
give the stockmen of Kansas relief in
some equitable and just manner to the
| shipper"