The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-02
TIE POWER or THE PASS.


Roscoe Stubs. James A. EToutman.
and other ''reformers. in the late
I Wichita railroad rate convention-''re-
! formers" who less than two years ago
4 turned down the shipping interests Of
the state and turned the control of the
! Republican state convention over to the
railroad interests-in view Of the prom
1 inence OF Stubs. Troutman ct al,
story told this week by the Kansas
Farmer is quite apropos.
The Farmer calls to mind that a rail-
! road rate convention was held in kan
sas- just % years ago-on January y.
/ 1881. The call stated that it was for
/ the purpose of considering the relations
between the railroads and the people
and ito adopt such measures as will Sc
cure justice between producer. shipper
and transportation comapnies' All
/ farmers, shippers and commercial or
ganizations were invited 10 attend or
send representatives. and 1T was ex-
pected that a state organization would
be perfected.
after the cali was issued" says the
Kansas Farmer. boards of trade and
farmers clubs were organized on short
notice. Almost every town sent dele
gates with credentials from the board
Of trade Farmers clubs were almost
as numerous. The record made by
community in centra! Kansas. may IL
lustrate the method IN which the mat
ter was handled.
1.-TWO town politicians were On train
/ when the above call appeared. They
had no thought but to render null and
void any action that might be attempt
| ed looking to a regulation of rates.
They organized themselves into
board of trade for their town. elected
themselves president and secretary and
certified their own selection as delegates
to the Topeka convention.
'At about the same time a farmers
club was organized at the town and
five delegates were elected to the con-
vention. The farmers meeting was not
| a sham however. but was fairly we'll
/ attended and the delegates selected were
/ genuine tillers of the soil. Immediately
/ after adjournment of the club four OF
! the delegates sought the local newspa-
! per office to inquire of the editor wheth-
er it would be possible to obtain passes
| to Topeka and return. The editor sta
I ted that he had no passes and no com
mand of any, that all he could do would
1 be to write a letter Of introduction,
stating to the proper railroad officials
/ that these gentlemen had been duly
/ elected to the Topeka convention and
were reluctant to either pay their fare
OF walk
1.-The introduction was written, like
wise request for transportation
signed by the four men and sent out
by the night mail The request reached
the railroad official so late that 1T was
| impossible for passes to reach the farm
ers' club representatives by mali. and
telegram was sent to the station agent
directing him to notify the five delegates
that the telegram would be good for
their transportation to Topeka and re-
turn. and ordering conductors to govern
themselves accordingly. The four who
had applied for the transportation were
at the station when the train came in.
The fifth was a little late in arriving
and was compelled to take passage on
the blind baggage to the next station
or remain at home. The conductor ac-
cepted the telegram, but inquired for
the fifth man. The others thought he
had not come. At the next station the
fifth man came in and Joined his friends.
When the conductor came through the
fifth man was with difHculty dissuaded
from paying his fare. He declared en-
phatically that he did not propose to
go UP to a railroad rate convention I'M
der obligations to the railroad. The
persuasion of friends and thoughts Of
economy overcame his scruples, how
ever, and he rode to Topeka on the
telegram with the others. Word got
out in railroad circles at Topeka that
this fifth man must be looked out for
1.-The convention was duly organized
Motions We're made and carried provid-
ing for the appointment of committees
on every possible aspect of the railroad
problem. The fifth man from the cen
tral Kansas town was fortunate. or IN
fortunate, enough to be appointed on
six of these committees. Topeka was
full Of legislators, delegates to the con
vention and railroad representatives. It
was. therefore. made to appear neces-
sary to secure meeting places for some
of the committees in North ToDeza. for
some in the state house and for some
in diverse other parts of the city. The
fifth man was kept so busy attending
his sis. committees and going from one
part Of the city to another that he had
no time to attend the convention.
How many others were taken care
Of in similar ways the writer knows
not.
"The convention lasted as long as the
delegates cared to pay their hotel bills,
passed a lot of resolutions and adjourn
ed. 1t had been managed.
This bit of history is not peculiar to
Kansas nor to % years ago. 1t is worthy
of study as illustrating the readiness of
most people to accept the favor of a
railroad pass. If it were possible TO go
below the surface and find the con-
trolling influences in the proceedings Of
the convention, it would probably be
found that the passes on which many
of the delegates went to and from To-
peka were more potent than their hold
ers would have been willing to admit.
''There is little doubt but that passes
in the pockets of delegates to conven-
lions and in the Doekets Of offlcials