The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-03

trary action of the commissioners in
suspending the operation of the law. be-
cause it is demanded by the corpora
tions. AS well suspend the laws against
stealing or highway robbery! The inter
state commerce law is all right and the
people demand it's enforcement to the
letter The long and short haul clause
reads as follows:
Section 4. That it shall be unlawful
for any common carrier subject to the
provision of this act to charge or re-
ceive any greater compensation in the
aggregate for the transportation OF
passengers or property, under substan-
TALLY similar circumstances and condi-
tions, for shorter than a longer dis
tance over the same line, in the same
direction the shorter being included in
the longer distance; but this shall not
be construed as authorizing any COM
mon carrier within the terms of this act,
to charge and receive as great compen-
sation for shorter as for longer dis
tance: provided, however. that upon ap-
pIica ton in the commission appointed
under the provisions of this act, such
common carrier may, in special cases,
after the investigation by the commits
sion, be allowed to charge less for long
er than for shorter distances for the
transportation of passengers or proper
ty: and the commission may from time
to time prescribe the extent to which
such designated common carrier may
be relieved from this section of this
act.
The accompanying illustration shows
the freight rates on grain and fiour
from Kansas. Missouri and Illinois
points to FIT Worth. Texas. 1t is Wen
known Ft. Worth is the great grain
distributing center of northern Texas
and many thousand cars of grain and
flour from the north are annually ship
ped to FIT, Worth.
The rate of freight to Ft. Worth, on
flour from all points east of the Kansas
state line including St. Joseph and Kan
sas city is 81 cents per 100 pounds. Most
of the Illinois and Missouri points noted
are several hundred miles distant from
Kansas through which the grain ana
-four must pass on its way to Ft. worth,
if shipped over the Rock Island railroad.
We ask the citizens of Kansas how do
you expect your Kansas millers to
compete with St Louis and other east
er.n naillers for this Texas trade with
freight from nine to fifteen cents per
100 pounds against them The Kansas
millers are simply forced TO ADJUST
! themselves to conditions beyond thelr
control and let the farmer (Jones) pay
the freight. What of the many million
bushels of corn grown in Kansas every
year. for which the grain dealers are
seeking a market in Texas as we'll as
elsewhere? How can they compete Tor
this Texas business when Illinois ship
pers, several hundred miles to the east,
have a freight rate on corn OF only zz12
cents per 100 pounds and consequently
have from to 13 cents the advantage?
Is it not adding insult to injury to have
this corn and -four go past our own
doors and supply markets which Kansas
should supply? But what can the grain
dealers do? The grain dealers. like the
millers, adjust themselves to conditions
they can not control, and let Jones, (the
farmer) pay the freight.
Now, what do the farmers do to re-
lieve the situs ton? Nothing, absolute
| " nothing. They simply aggravate It
/ Instead of cooperating with business
men for the purpose of obtaining whole
some laws, and for the purpose of en-
forcing good laws.-if there are such
they simply accomplish their own
thralldom by remaining passive. The
| interstate commerce law is good law
and the commissioners commit an out
rage upon the Kansas people by rel1ev-
ing the railroads from the operation or
! the law. We insist that the ten congress
siona1 delegates from Kansas shall
bring such pressure to bear upon the
interstate commerce commissioners that
lthey will refuse to grant railroad COM