The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1906-05-17


N Kansas Legislature Of 1885
Webb McNall says I'M letter printed
recently During the Inst few months,
I'VE HAYS read d great deal about The In
terestso o. the people Arkansas and the
! dcings Or the railroada and Board 81
Railroad commissioners Itseems to me
| ID view Ok what has taken place In Kan
sas Ii times past, there has bsena great
deal OF dust thrown and somsbody d try
lingto hocdwink the people. Let me
| give an iilustratIon: In 1885, I was q
member Of this Legislature. Game 70 the
Legislature as Representative from
Smith county upon platform Of my
Town making, In favor Of maximum
freight rate bill, Assisted IN the election
Of Capt. J. B. johnson, a Speaker Of ths
House, was appointed as chairman on the
Icommittse on railroads, committee con-
sIsting OF seventeen members. !. N.
| simpson was the second man on the com
mittec. Al. w. Smith Of Mcpherson
county was q member Of the committee
and was made chairman Of the committee
on state affairs. J. NJ. Simpson intro
dnced ! maximum freight rate bill. II
was referred to the committee on rail-
roads. supported the bill and believed
In the bill. / was honestly seconded in
my efforts by J. NJ. Simpson, A. W..
smith and others. We reporteda bill
favorably from the committee on railroad.
we could obtain majority vote In the
committee Of the whole house to recon.
mend ito passage and did so. We were
unable to obtain slxty-threc votes, the
same being a majority to paps the same
through the Legislature and for this
reason every daily paper in Topeka, every
daily paper in the state, every daily paper
10 the city Of Kansas City, Mo, opposed
the bill and amongst other thlugstb not
only stated, but presented the statistical
Information, and the same was true, and
was convinced against my wishes Of
that fact, that eight per cent. Of the en-
tire freight traffic passing over the rail
roads Of Kansas was the only traffic that
we could control by an act Of the Kansas
Legislature. What / mean by this 10,
freigha that is shipped from some one
point In Kansas to some other point iD
Kansas and that ninety-two per cent. OF
the traffic upon the Kansas railroads was
traffic that was shipped from some point
In Kansas to some point outside Of Kan.
sas or from some point outside Of Kansas
clear across the state to some other state,
Tho same being nlnty.two per cent. Of the
traffic passing over the railroads Of Kan.
sas. II this was true at thai time, II is
true at this time, and II was true at that
time. The same being admitted to be
trus, then II we had any kind Of rail-
road law, aud wanted board Of railroad
to enforce the law and
they did enforce It, it would affect only |
eight per cent. Of the traffic Of Kansas.
Then sssadfe Mat this dust business that !
las been raised and thrown IN the eyes Of
be people, is upon an eight per cent
,asis. That statement being true, the
thing that we are Interested In
8 to uphold the hands Of the president a.
o congressional law, so that The inter-
tate Commerce commission will have
abundance of authority to enforce the
provisions of the law, after the same Is
passed, 20 that the same will apply to
linety-two per cent and not run wild
lpon an eight per cent. basis Again, 1t
d said 10 the democratic state platform, |
hat Mr.. Click was governor at the time
he passenger fare was reducsd from four
o three cents per mile. All Of the facts
we're not stated in this platform concern
ng this same subject matter. Both
branches of the legislature we're over
republican and passed this
aw that Mr.. Click approved"
WEBB McNALL.