The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-18
Carr Taylor Is Having Troubles
of His Own.
Railroads Determined to Clip
His Wings.
HE MEETS OBSTACLES.
Denied the Privilege Of Summon
ing Witnesses.
Has to Pay StenOgrapher Out of
His Salary.
IL MEETS OBSTACLES.

Powerful influences seem to be at
work to battle Carr Taylor, attorney
for the state board of railroad COM |
missiOners, in the hard fight which he
is making to secure an equitable read |
justment of freight rates in the state
of Kansas
Mr.. Taylor is denied the right to
subpoena witnesses for his rate hear
ings, and is denied sufficient assistance
to properly prepare for the vastly inn
portant cases which have been started
before the board under the new rail-
road law. Mr.. Taylor was finally
obliged to hire a stenographer for the
states business and pay for her serv-
ices out of his own pocket.
OF course the members of the rail-
Iroad board get very indignant when it
is intimated that their sympathies are
with the railroads in this important
crisis in affairs. But the people of the
state have pretty good idea where
certain members of this board stand,
and they are not going to forget
about it.
But the fact remains that obstacles
are being thrown in the path of Mr..
1aylOr at every turn in the road.
somebody is trying to shut down on
his "pernicious activity as they shut
gong after the corporations in Wash
Ington. Somebody wants to make Mr.
Taylor's work less effective, and thus
relieve themselves from an embarras-
sing position in which his aggressive
work is placing them.
A rev days ago, in open session of
the board OF railroad commissioners,
| Mr.. Taylor asked permission to trans
Ter the hearing of the salt case to
Hutchinson, the center of the salt
, produc1ng district. Mr.. Taylor stated
to the board that it would save a
great deal of expense to witnesses in
the case to have the hearing at Hutch
1nson- The board and railroad attor-
neys are at no expense in going there,
able one The law specifically pro-
, Vldes that hearings may be transferred
to other towns in this manner appar-
emily for the express purpose of saving
the expense to which witnesses would
5 be put in coming to Topeka But the
board refused to transfer the salt case
/ to Hutchinson.
Then Mr.. Taylor asked the board for
[ permission to subpoena witnesses from
Hutchinson in the salt hearing. To this
T request Mr.. Robson said nothing. Mr..
Whe' tley grunted disapproval, and Mr..
Walker remarked:
I'VE don't want to use uD our li&tle
contingent fund for suInmoning wit
nesses.'
The boards contingent fund is IS. 600.
and of this sam, only about 81, 900 has
f been used so far this year. It is, pro
= Vided that the contingent fund NAV he
: used for paying mileage and fees to
q witnesses. That is what the fund was
. supposed to be for. Evidently the board
does not want to use it for that pur-
pose.
1t certainly is a queer situation when
the attorney for the state board of rail-
road commissioners is not allowed to
use the states money for the purpose =,
paying witness fees in cases-hrought to
= break down the tyranny of freight rates
under which the state has been laboring
for years.
Mr. Taylor has a very heavy cores
pondence, and is put to a great deal of
v work in fixing up evidence for the trial
f of the rate cases. As originally drafted,
A the appropriation bill carried a provis-
q ion for a rate clerk for the board of
railroad commissioners. In the last
) night of the session, the railroad in
e 6uence succeeded in getting this rate
f clerk cut off the list. This left the at
j. torney for the board entirely without
assistance in getting up his cases. The
= board hires a secretary and a stenog-
e rapher but the secretary knows nothing
e whatever ahnut rate work and is en-
r tirely unqualified to be of any assist
n ance IN the trial of rate cases.
i A short time ago, Mr.. Taylor asked
8 the board to allow him to have the ser
l. vices of a stenographer, to be paid fol
J. out of the boards contingent fund. Ih'
board apparently agreed to this, bu
= when the voucher for the first week
-, nav for this stenographer came before
the state auditor it was turned down
The auditor gave 1t as his opinion tina
= such bills could not be paid out of th'
= contingent fund. 1t was a strange rul
II ing. and is generally attributed to th'
" influence which Geo. w. Wheatley hai
II with the state auditor. Mr.. Wheatle.
IS is from Mr.. Wells district, and Mr.
Wells is one of Mr.. Wheatley's enthusi
astic hackers for denomination as mem
g Der of the board Of railroad commits
J sioners.
BY this novel it seems that some on
sought to still further hamper Car
,e Tavlor's fight on the railroads by de
Drivine him Of sufficient help in tn
nreparation of rate cases. But Mr.. Tay
ior was not to be bafHed in this man
,s ner. He continues to employ a stenog
rapher for his own use, and it is un
o derstood is paying that stenographe
a ont of his own pocket. This is certain
VS. Iy a remarkable state of affairs, whei
< a state officer, doing more than an
N / other state officer to secure the enforce
e. ment of laws, is obliged to hire his ow'
clerks.
as carr Taylor is not the kind of ma
= to be easily turned aside in his deter
az limitations. There is a good deal of bull
h dog in his makeup, and If he takes
fs / notion that he needs more help, he
T. likely to get more help, even if he sac
7if7ces his whole income as attorney c
the board to accomplish his purpose
Mr. Taylor is up against the combine
| attack of all the railroad attorneys an
y y exDert rate men in the west, and h
~ / certainly deserves the most sincere an
llS enthusiastic backing which the state c
- Kansas can give him.