The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-24
AGAIN, The PASS.
House Committee on Railroads
Reports Pringle Bill.
It AbOlishes Free Transports
tiOn i'm Kansas.
TO REDUCE THE RATES
Would Make Two Cents Per Mile
Legal Charge.
Lively Debate on the Bill Is
Anticipated.
TO REDUCE THE RATES

Here is news for the railroads, news
. for the people of Kansas, news for the
) egislature-wonderfu news:
The house committee on railroads
has reported favorably on Pringle's
anti-pa bills
After having this radical measure
bound. gagged and closely confined
y ever since Jan. 10, the committee has
at last allowed it to burst forth with
the official o. X stamped upon it in
indelible letters.
This Pringle bin is the one which
prohibits the issuance of free trans
! portation to anybody except railroad
4 employees; prohibits the use of free
transportation by any public official;
/ and makes a horizontal cut of one
third in all the passenger rates of the
state. Instead of charging 8 cents a
mile. railroads will be allowed to
charge only 2 cents
The bill is now on the calendar of
the house. and will probably be given
a speedy hearing before the house.
There is said to have been a faction
/ of the railroads committee which op-
posed the bill to the last. but no mi
nority report was made. 1t seems
likely that the bill will pass the house.
whether or not the pass graft shall be
cut off, and the people be given the
benefit of low rates.
| Probably the Pring1e bill would
alive had it not been that the house is
rather too anxious to throw things
into the teeth of the senate since the
senate cut the heart out of the house
railroad bill. The anti-pass PROPOSE
ton is a very nice and artistic way
for the house to twist the knife around
in the senate.
There are likely to be some amend
ments proposed to the anti-pass bill
when it comes up on the floor of the
house The author, J. T. Pringle. has
consented to an amendment making
the reduction of one-third in rates
apply only to roads which have a
gross earning of $4,000 per mile.
There are only two Kansas roads
two are the Santa Fe and Rock Island.
1t seems certain, however. that If the
Santa F'e and Rock Island put in the
reduced rate. the other roads will be
Mr.. Pringle says:
II am willing that the amendment
should be made for the reason that it
is possible that by making this reduc-
ton apply to the smaller road Dis, we
would make a fatal constitutional
flaw in the bill. We must not put
vent road from earniE1gsa a. reasonable
income
There is also esome talk of an amend
ment which will make the law take eff
feet on January l. 1906. which will give
all the members of the legislature who
hold annual passes the right to use
their transportation until it expires.
The members do not get passes after
January l, 1906, anyway, and it would
probably give the bill more show to
pass if the January 1, 1906, provision is
added
The Pringle bill makes it unlawful
for a railroad company TO give any
passes, mileage, or reduced rates;
makes it unlawful for any person ex-
cept employees of the road to accept
free or reduced rates, and contains the
fn1 ct
public officials:
Amy person holding any office of
profit or trust under the laws of this
state or of the United States, where
such person is a resident of this state,
or any delegate to any state or district
convention, who shall accept, use or
travel on any railroad pass, free ticket
or mileage book, for which he has not
paid the usual compensation required
to be paid by the public in general, or
who shall violate any of the provisions
OF this act. shall be guilty of a mis-
demeanor and upon conviction shall be
fined any sum not less than $50 nor
more than $500, or by Imprisonment,
not exceeding six months, and upon
conviction thereof such person shall for
felt his Office, and in the absence of
any other provision of law for the re-
moval of such officer, the district court !
of this state may declare such Office
vacant
Primary Election Law.
The committee on elections has in
troduced the official primary election
bill 1t is a document of thirty pages,
and has been printed ready for distri-
button. The house has made it a spe-
cial order for next Tuesday morning |
at 10 o'clock. Tuesday is the last day
of the. session, and it seems strange to |
try to push such an important and
radical measure through at such a late |
day.
The bill provides that city primaries
shall continue to be held under the |
Crawford county system, except thatl
people must register to vote at the !
primary. Primaries of all parties are
held on the same day at the same |
voting place. Different poll books |
and ballot boxes are used for the diff |
ferent parties, but the same board
counts all the votes.
The delegate system is provided for
throughout in the primaries for the |
selection of county, congressional and |
state officers.
Passed Anti Cigarette Bill.
This morning the house passed the !
Clark bill prohibiting the sale or gift |
of tobacco or cigarette papers to per
sons under Fl years of age. The vote /
was 81 to II. Several members made /
speeches against the bill on the ground I
that n is too high for the age limit. /
They though that a boy after reaching
the age of 8 is able to decide for him
self whether or not he shall smoke.
~~R