Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1905-03-02
About the Rallrsad BuIs

cheap notoriety certain vculdibt
politicians have been industriously
trying to work upa disturbance ir
the Republican party, The mspns q
bring about this il the Systematic
MISREPRESENTATION Of tho cOntehts q
the railroad bill % passed BY the
house. and % amended BY the senate.
The house passed . railroad bill
few days ago and 1t wss sent over
to the senate. While the bill in the
main was q good bill and IN . general
way met the approval Of the people
Of the state. 1t omitted some very
material and necessary provisions
which the senate thought should DO
added. No sooner did the wholesale
sa
jobbers' trust, the lumber trust, the
coal trust and the millers' trust learn
OF the purpose Of the senate in max
ing these additions and amendments,
than they organized vicious oppcai-
ton to any more stringent reguls-
tions being added to the bill. They
prepared blank petitions at their
headquarters in Topeka, and sent
them all over the state. II 10 never
difficult to find somebody in every
community. who will take q petition
around, and procure signatures to
the same. The senate took the house
bill, amended 1t In one or two minor
particulars, but added some very inn
pCrtant additional sections to the bill
and passed 1t as thus amended unan-
imously.
The principal objection which these
Federated" trusts make to the
changes made by the senate is in re.
gard to the manner Of enforcing the
law. In section Of the house bill is
this provision:
at shall be the duty OF said board,
from time to time, to alter, change,
amend or abolish any schedule, Clas-
SlaCatiOn, rate rule or regulation es-
tablished by any railroad company
or companies which the board, either
on complaint as hereinafter provided, or
@pO" its OOn motion, may find to be
unreasonable, unjust or diScrimina-
tive"
The senate amended this clause to
read as follows:
ut shall be the duty Of such board,
from time to time, to alter, change,
amend or abolish any such schedule,
classification, rate, rule or regulation
established by any railroad company
or companies which the board. upon
complaint as hereinafter provided, may
find to be unreasonable, unjust, or
disCriminativs."
twill be seen that the only SubstAn-
.ial difference in these clauses 10 that
the house bill provides that the board |
shall act either on complaint or, on
''ltS own motion," while the senate
bill provides that the board shall act
nPon complaint being made. Prob
IDLY the provision In the senate bill 10
preferable. The railroad commission
Z quasi judicial Organization, and
: not to be required upon ''itS own
notion" to organize itself into de-
isctive organization and 60 pssking
round here aud there for iniorma.
ion, and when BY meAns Of such
Methods II finds evidence, then to
lass iudicially upon such evidence.
there is no danger that men cannot
70 found to make acomplaintn when I
yer and wherever the railroads may !
dept any rules, rates or regulations
'hiCh are not reasonable or just. It
) easy enough to see a, glance that
be objection Of these "iederatedn /
rustS to this provision Of the senate r
msndment-is mere prstext for their
pposition 10 other sections added BY
10 senate which afford relief to the
sOpls generally, and really take il