The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-21
READY FOR IT.
Railroad Bill in the Senate
Tomorrow.
Fate of the Carver Bill in
Balance.
ROADS MAY WIN IT.
Now Looks as IF They Have
Upper Hand.
Great Influence Exerted to De-
feat Shippers.

uous efforts to block the passage of
the Carver railroad bill in the senate,
and it now looks as though they may
triumph. The Carver bill passed the
house unanimously by the overwhelm-
ing vote of 112 to o. 1t comes up in
the senate tomorrow afternoon.
Every means within the power of
the railroads has been brought to bear
on this question. Reports received
in Topeka state that the railroads have
instructed the station agents at all sta
tions in Kansas to secure signers to
petitions urging the senators not to
in all parts of the state are urged to
do the same work of securing peti-
tions-
The railroads with their telegraph
service to every nook and corner of
the state are using the telegraph lines
to the best possible advantage.
A copy of a telegram which the
railroad interests are having sent to
senator Porter from Independence and
vicinity has been received in Topeka
today. The telegram reads:
Col s M Porter. senator. Topeka,
Kansas: Believe shippers and railroads
can adjust the rate question without
commissioners mixing in and hope you
will vote against the BILL
1t is asserted that the railroads are
coerclnS ana illuminating all persons
whom they can into sending similar tele-
grams to the senators in Topeka.
The telegraph service being control1-
ed by the same interests, vast quanti-
ties of te4egraphic dispatches may be
transmitted at no cost to the senders
or the four principal railroads operat-
ing in Kansas, three are either partly
or entirely controlled by the Standard
Oil party, or Rockefeller and his asso-
ciates, as well as the commercial tele-
graph lines.
BY pooling all interests, tremendous
power is being welded to defeat the
wishes OF the shippers, and through
them the people of Kansas.
Feeling in regard to the passage of
the railway rate regulation has reach
ed a high point. The feeling on both
being made.
It is asserted that the railroads
have never been so liberal with passes
as they have been during this session
of the legislature. In addition to the
annual passes with which every mem
Der is supplied, the railroads have not
restricted the giving of trip passes. In
this manner hundreds and hundreds
of free passes have been distributed.
At the Santa Fe offices there has
been almost a continual procession of
messengers, pages and others with re-
quests for passes from the mem bers
and not a few members themselves
have been in line. The same liberal
feeling has prevailed at the other
Fe has been more liberal than other
roads inasmuch as the Santa Fe has
assumed the burden of the present
fight.
The shippers declare that the en-
actment of the Smith bill will leave
them in a worse condition than they
are at present under the present rail-
way law.
Discrepancy in Rates.
Wide discrepancies between local
and through rates, made by the rail- |
roads, introduces subject which
railway officials find hard, to explain. 1
Recently the major portion of the
corn crop of the state of Nebraska |
was moved, a portion to New Orleans |
on the Gulf of Mexico, and the re-
mainder more than half way across |
the continent to Baltimore on the At |
lantic ocean for less per hundred |
pounds than is charged for hauling |
the same kind of grain less than half
way across the state of Kansas.
The grain situation in Iowa and Ne
braska has brought to light some |
phases that is of particular interest to |
the people of the state of Kansas at |
this time, while the railway rate regu- I
Iation matter is pending in the legis-
laIure.
The Chicago Daily Tribune says:
Railroad officials, who have their
eyes on the legislatures of western |
alarm lest action be taken to reduce
local rates to the same basis as the I
prevailing through rates on grain.
At present there is a wide discrep- |
ancy between rates fixed by the states /
and the charges on through ship |
ments. Under the strict mileage law |
of Iowa, it costs from IL to IA cents |
per hundred pounds to ship corn from |
the Missouri to the Mississippi river. |
The same grain will be carried to Bal |
timore for export at II cents, or to
Chicago for cents. OF late several |
officials have been called before legis- /
tive committees for their testimony, |
and in every instance this wide dis |
claimed that if the railroads can |
carry corn and oats from Omaha to
Baltimore at II cents it ought to be |
possible for them to carry grain across
the state of Iowa for less than the |
charges now fixed by the state law.
This wide difference between state /
and interstate rates is going to get the |
railroads into trouble on their local |
business said an official yesterday, /
who had just returned from trip to |
a western legislature
Railway officials have a score or more /
of arguments which they always pre-
sent in a suave manner to show why /
rates are never too high
When one line or argument fails an
other line of argument is ready at /
once One railway official will say that |
the railroads made the extremely low
rate on corn from Nebraska across the
continent to Baltimore for the reason
that it had to be done to influence other
business The absurdity of such an ar
gument is apparent to all. The amount
braslxa on the eleven cent rate is con-
servatiVelys estimated in the neighbor-
hood of five millions of bushels. and
there is no one who believes that any
railroad will haul five millions of BUSH
els of corn at loss.
R6Panf1U the T7rinfaN the 1