The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-15
1T is THE BILL.
The Railroad Law Hinges on
Section Four.
More Important to Shippers
Than the Rest.
AFTER SENATOR BELTS
Meeting Held to Discuss Topeka
Meeting Held to Discuss TOpeks
Mans Attitude.
He Appears to Have Experienced
Change of Heart.

I
which passed the house yesterday by
the remarkable vote of 112 to 0 is the
important section of the bill.
AS one shipper said today: ut ns
the BILL
This is the section under one guise
or another that the railroad COM
panies will attempt through the SEN
ate to cancel annul or obliterate,
either by amendment or by the sub
stitution of some bill which contains
no such provisions.
The fate of the bill hangs upon the
fate OF the section.
Here is Section Four:
Sec. 4. The power and authority is
hereby vested in the board of railroad
commissioners, and it is hereby made
its duty to supervise all railroad
lrelSnt and passenger schedules OF
rates, tariffs, and cIassificatiOns, and
all rules and regulations governing car
service, the transfer and switching of
cars from one railroad to another at
| junction points, or where entering the
same city or town, all charges made
thefelOf, as well as the rules and reSu-
| iations adopted by any railroad conf
pslny for the operation of its road in
The running of trains. 1t shall Nbe the
duty of said board, from time to time,
to alter, change, amend or abolish any
schedule, classification, rate, rule or
regulation established by the railroad
| company or companies, which the
board, either upon complaint as here
matter provided, or upon its own mo-
tfon, may find to be unreasonable. un-
just, or dfscriminative; and such
amended, altered or new schedule,
classification, or rate, rule or reguIa-
ton shall be put into effect by such
railroad company or companies within
not less than thirty days after receiv-
| ing written notice of the order of the
1 board.
a meeting was held this morning
at which twenty Kansas shippers who
are vitality interested in the railroad
| bill passed by the house met to dis
cuss the bill as It will come before the
7 Senator J. B. Belts. of Shawnee.
who is chairman of the senate COM
mittee on railroads.
Before and since the election, dur
| ing the campaign and since Senator
Belts has assured many shippers in
! Topeka that he favored a railroad bill
such as was passed by the house. Tues
| day a delegation of shippers went to
the senate to see Senator Belts but
found him absent. absent at a very
important time said one of the del
| egation-
| Senator Belts has said that he was
against Section of the bill passed by
the house. Section is the bill.
| Several interested shippers spoke at
the meeting held this morning.
There has been delay in the SEN
ate and distractions placed in the
way of the railroad bill by our local
senator" said Herbert Hackney, re-
ferring to Senator J. B. Belts who is
chairman of the senate committee on
railroads. 1.-THE house passed this bill
by unanimous vote. Senator Belts
hunted up many of the shippers in
Topeka in person before the election
and told US that he was in favor of
railroad legislation. He went before
the Commercial club and stated that
he favored a law which would place
r1f 1af ir7c of in fhai
railroad commissioners. Just yester-
day, however, he told one of the ship
pers present at this meeting that he
was not in favor of a bill which would
give the railroad commissioners pow
er to act on their own motion regard
ing railroad rates.
NJ G. Holman said: At a meeting
held at the Commercial club rooms the |
Texas railroad law was submitted. Sen |
ator Belts was there and he pledged
himself to support such law
1T was about two months ago that I
said to Senator Belts that perhaps we
could not get rates as low as those of
Iowa and Illinois" said H L. Resing, |
secretary of the Federation of CONNER |
cial Interests Senator Belts said then
why not are we not as good as the |
people of Iowa or Illinois?' I said we
were but that the tonnage in those |
states was heavier and that perhaps we !
should not expect rates quite as low |
At that time Senator Belts said he |
would insist on the railroad commission |
giving us as low rates as are in force |
in Iowa and Illinois if the opportunity |
ever presented itself. He told me that |
when he had the contract for a building |
at the Hutchinson reformatory that he
paid more for having the slate for the |
roof hauled from the Missouri river to |
Hutchinson than he did to have it |
hauled from Pennsylvania to the Mis-
souri, river
Mr. Carey, of the Carey Salt company
at Hutchinson said: 1.-The salt rates
from Hutchinson 70 the Missouri river
have advanced from 2-3 cents to II
cents since the salt trust came to Kan |
sas. This advance in the rates on each |
100 pounds of salt has been made in or
der that the railroads may divide with |
the salt trust The headquarters Of the |
salt trust are in Michigan and this |
rate gives Michigan salt chance to |
compete at Missouri river points. The /
salt trust gets part OF this increase and |
the railroads the rest
Mr.. J. S. George. president of the !
Federation Of Commercial Interests,
said: THE railroad bill as passed by /
the house is the outcome of the efforts /
of the shippers of Kansas for the past
two years. Section Four of the bill
provides that the board of railroad
commissioners can change rates on
their own motion In this bill the /
commissioners are given the power to
change schedules. Another impor-
is given the power and must examine
into Interstate rates when an injury
to the interests of this state result
therefrorn These are the two prin-
cipaI provisions which bring the fight
on the part of the railroads against
this bill In this bill we have not
gone as far as the states of Illinois,
- So str &c