The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-23

Il and gas causes the subject of oil and
gas to pale before it" said Senator
! foung. "On one side are the powerful
4 interests, the wealth and the adroit
management of the railroads and man
aged by four or five or six men un-
4 amenabIe 90 to the law. On last Mon-
day the senator from Chautauqua stated
that at last the Santa Fe had been ia
! ken under the control of the Standard
OH company. It is more than ques-
ton of mere railroad legislation nave
been in favor of curbing the trusts anu
have so voted. Here is monopoly OF
/ trust that goes to every city, village
and hamlet. Still we stand here ana
mince matters on this question. 1t is a
| wonder to me that anyone STANDS mere
and OPPOSES a law for the railroad
commissioners to fix rates upon their
own motion. Here is a monopoly whose
annual receipts are three times those OF
the federal government Iheodore
| Roosevelt knew that If he advocated
any more stringent railroad Legislation
that it would never see daylight in the
/ senate. The house, representing the
/ people, passed it. We seem TO be IN tne
same situation here.
There is a sentiment going over the
country that if you do not give the peo-
! pie what they want there VIII pc
revolution, not of arms, but OF ballots.
The railroad representatives SAID
| they would not oppose any bill which
would make adjustment of rates only
on complaint There are 200 items on
I the rate sheets In Kansas ana ZslOO std
lions. Such a law would require that
in each of the 2,10O stations
some one would have to take the re-
sponsibility of making complaints II
we pass this law. we tie the hands OF
the railroad commissioners. If you I'M
tie the hands of the commissioners ana
let them act in the first instance DO
not see that it would be for the large
simmer only but for the small shipper.
I'm referring to the railroad attor-
news / want to say that the senator
from Atchison (Waggener), rallroad
attorney who admits it. has not lop-
bied but has stood uDon this floor an 4
voted on railroad questions as ne
thought he should and if IN ra1Iroau
attorneys had conducted themselves
better I might feel more inclined 10 /
them. I stand for the farmer and the
man in the small store and for the
people, as I am convinced that the
senate bill is what the rallroatls want
Senator F. Dumont Smith said
There is nothing in the argument
that the house passed the house bill. /
There was no alternative for the
house members but to pass that or no
railroad bill. Since then dozens OF
representative have told me that they
are against it. When the railway /
commissioners acting under the SEN !
ate bill changed the rate from one |
point to the other they would have to I
change the intermediate rates. These |
com binations of the milleTs, the job I
bers and the lumber trust have packed |
this lobby to cajole, threaten and de-
feat this railroad bill and the senator
from Johnson (Hodges) in the Ium-
Der business, is in the lumber trust,
for he belongs to a combine which
fixes prices all over Kansas These
big combines can hire attorneys to
look out for their interests. but they
would force the small shippers to each
employ an attorney. These combines
here in the lobby have
sent out kilograms urging others to
send kilograms and letters here to
support the house bill. I have no big
Obbers nor millers' combines in my
district and am looking after the in
erests of the men in my district who
ire small Shippers"
Senator Hodges defended himself by /,
saying that there are no saw mills inl
Kansas and intimated therefore no
lumber trust. I'm southern Kansas
we have a low rate of 3 cents from
common points in Texas and Arkan- ,
starts from Texas and the rate to
Wichita is % cents and the rate to
Kansas City % cents"
Senator Getty said: ct have never 6
been a candidate for office that the
'ailroads did not fight me and owe y
hem. The railroads are fighting the y
same we are-the trusts. The beef
combine with its refrigerator cars is
The nillers' trust and the lumber
rust have a preferential rate. These
Ire trusts that have a hold on every :
louseh old in Kansas
win not the anti-discrimination bill
egulate this?" asked Senator Young.
That bill has been killed by the MILL 4
RS trust" said Senator Smith ,
Yes, that bill has been hung up in :
he house and 7 doubt if it can pass T
aid Senator Getty. After we passed :
hat bill and some senators found that +
t would affect the millers and jobbers
hey said they would not have voted a
or it if they had known that. What /
re the interests asking for this house +
i'll? The companies that have asked p
ne to vote for the house bill are the Y
representatives of three of the largest
umber trust companies doing business r
n Kansas" +
Senator Getty referred to the court of f
and compared the house bill a
0 that law and questioned the constitu- {
ionality of the house bill. If you pass a
he house bill there is little doubt but
hat it will follow the fate of the court
{ visitation bill" said Senator Getty.
Senator Samuel Porter said that no
oard of railway commissioners would
yer exercise an arbitrary power to
ct on their own motion but would re-
uire complaint to be made. IL
Senator Peck defended the senate G;
ommittee on railroads action and work. c,
The statement that the railroads want d
he senate bill to become a law is a *
Mistake" said Senator Peck. "The rail- K
Dads want no new law but the old s;
aW. one MEMBER or the Federation or Fl
commercial Interests teIegraphed to a.
oncordia. and asked the people there If
, build a fire under Peck received II
2 kilograms from this instigation of If
ne man. I went home and attended a %
leeting at which "A people voted that #
aey wished me to support section di
nd for that reason I wish section re- m
aimed. Section 4 as passed by the n
ouse was undoubtedly unconstitutional M
nd I hope we will pass law that will r
tand the test of the courts. The house II
i'll with the amendments suggested