The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-23

ever before. There were several i'm
plement men on the committee, and
several lawyers, and they eXOnerated US
completely.
When this report was brought in.
the Dill prohibiting exclusive agency
contracts was stricken from the calendar,
because its fate had depended on the
outcome of the Investigation
Il never asked a single member to
vote against that bill, and never did q
thing to defeat it. It made no differ
ence to me whether the bill passed or
not because I knew, and all lawyers
knew, that it was unconstitutional, as
being viOlatiVe Of interstate commerce
regulations, and if it had passed l
would have had another good fee hight
ing it in the courts.
II knew this man Swift, who seems
to inspire these charges. He was mere
during the session, and assisted US in
getting the data upon which to make
our case before the committee. He has
now had some sort of row with the
company, and is trying to get even
But as far as this charge that any
money was; used to influence the legls-
lature, it IS all foOlishness. Nothing OF
that sort took place"
How the Bill Was Killed.
According to the house and senate
journals of the 1903 session Of the legis-
lature, Representative Hill of Russell
introduced House Bill No. 500 on Febru-
airy 18- Mr.. Hill was an implement
dealer, and he has desired to handle
several different makes of farm ma
chinery. But the harvester trust re-
Quired that he enter into a contract to
handle trust goods exclusively. This
made Mr.. Hill sore, and he got up his
bill to prohibit the making of exclusive
agencies or sales contracts in the state
Of Kansas by any person, persons, COM
pany or corporations.
The bill aroused a good deal of talk.
1t was referred to the judiciary com
mittee, and reported adversely on Feb
ruary 20. Mr.. Hill was absent at the
time, and by a suspension of rules, he
managed to get the bill put back on
the calendar on February 23- On Feb
ruary a. the bill was placed on third
reading, subject to amendment and de-
bate On March 2, it passed the house
by a. vote of "A to 6.
In the senate the same bill was in
troduced by Senator Ward. It LAY
dead" until the Hill bill came over from
the house, and then the house bill was
substituted for the senate bill, and sent
to the judiciary committee.
Meantime an "investigation'' had
been ordered of the harvester trust, and
a committee appointed composed OF
Representatives Hill, Godschalk and
jerks. and Senators Ward and Allen.
The committee reported on March 4,
giving the trust a complete and thor
ough coat of Whitewash. 1t was off
claty declared InaI the 1nJefna LlOildl
Harvester company is not a trust and
that it is doing a strictly legitimate
business; that the cost of harvesting
machinery had not increased materially.
and that all the talk about combines"
had been a false alarm. James L. Allen
was chairman of this committee, and
w S. jerks was secretary.
AS soon as this report was in, 1t SEEM
ed to be all fixed up to kill the bill pro-
hibiting exclusive agencies. and on
March 5, Senator Ward moved that
House Bill 500, which had been substi-
tuted for his own bill be stricken from
the calendar and this was done.
That was the end of the anti-harves-
ter combine legislation in the session of