The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-28
GOOD-BYETOPASS
Senate Will Enact n Stringent
Law.
This Is Evident From Trend of
Debate.
WON'T BE MAKESHIFT.
Lines Drawn as Tightly as by
Stone Bill.
Substitute Offered by Senator
WRggener Is Killed.
WON'T BE MAKESHIFT.

Politicians might as we'll kiss their
railway passes goodby The senate is
acting today very much like a body of
men who have determined to hit the
! free pass and hit it hard.
| Perhaps the senate will enact a
| measure which will be a close match
for the Stone antipass bill enacted by
| the house. Indications were this morn
ing that such would be the course.
There was no direct opposition to the
antipass idea. 1t was conceded by ev-
| erybody that some sort of a measure
would have to be put through. The
J friends of the free pass were simply
trying to inject amendments into the
bill under consideration so that the
lines might be as lax possible.
One amendment offered, to the eff
feet that the law not apply to rail-
road attorneys, railroad surgeons and
railroad immigra ton agents was simp-
ly overwhelmed. That was an index TO
the general sentiment of the senate.
The senate is acting on the antipass
law more as the house acts The fac
tional lines are not so closely drawn;
the leaders of the railroad and
"antirailroad'' crowds talk together
about amendments. and there seems to
be disposition to hammer out the
kind of law the people want. or
course the socalled railroad influence
may be seen cropping out here and
there. but the atmosphere is more
clear.
w. j. Black general passenger agent
of the Santa Fe. watched the progress
of the debate closely. n. H. Loomis
of the Union Pacific. Paul Walker of
the Rock Island, J. H. Richards of the
Missouri Pacific. and several promin.
ent passenger and traffic officials of
the various roads were present during
the discussion. There is also large
crowd of general spectators on hand,
and at times, when the house runs into
a dull place in it's programme, the
house members come f1ocking in, and
fill up all the available space in the
senate chamber.
Took Up the Senate Committee Bill.
1t was decided to take up the senate
railroad bill, which is practically the
same as the Stone bill.
Senator Smith moved to amend the
first section by striking out the words
land their families" The section as
embodied in the original Dill is as
follows:
AFTER the 1st day of March. 1907, il
shall be unlawful for any railroad
company to issue, give or offer to is
sue or give, any free pass, ticket, or
transportation, in any form, to pas
sengers for use upon its lines within
this state. except to its employees and
their families; and after said date 1t
other than employees and their fam
lilies to solicit, accept or use any such
free pass. ticket, or transportation"
Speaking on his amendment to eX-
clude the families of employees from
receiving free passes, Senator Smith
said:
'SThis amendment opens up the
whole thing. If you are going to have
an antipass law, have one which shuts |
off discrimination. The burden of car
rying people free must be distributed |
among those who pay fare. My objec-
tion to the free pass is that it is dis |
elimination"
Senator Waggener said he was op-
posed to Smiths amendment. ''The |
of the railroads. he said, |
'have a contract with the railroads en- /
titling them to free transportation for |
themselves and their families. BY |
passing this amendment you will dis
turb all these contract relations"
Senator Getty. the next speaker, was /
to the amendment. 1.-The OBJ /
iect of this class of legislation" said |
Senator Getty 'is to put the railroads |
out of politics. Why then prohibit a |
railroad from issuing free passes to its
mean real employees. not
straw employees or fake employes-or
to the families of these employees? My /
position is this: I am in favor of ex-
empting employees and their families.
linesmen and express agents.
and railway surgeons but not railway
attorneys
The chairman of the senate railroad
Geo. E. Tucker then
senate committee bill, or the Stone bill
would satisfy the most radical and he
did not think the families of employees
should be excluded.
Waggener's Substitute Killed.
A substitute to the entire bill was
moved to substitute his own antipass
bill, which he said he would amend to
a bsolutely eliminate all political trans
portation.
This substitute was defeated by a de-
cisive vote.
Senator Smiths amendment was de-
feated by a vote of about 25 to 10.
Senator Smith moved that the date
for the taking effect of the act be
changed from March 1, 1907, to January
l. 1908.
Senator Tucker amended it to take
effect March Is.
AS a compromise Senator Getty sug-
zested the date be stricken out and
the state paper. This compromise was
accepted by both Smith and Tucker and
adopted.
Senator Porter of Montgomery pre-
,ented substitute for section of the
pill to allow passes to be issued to local
attorneys, local railway doc
ors and immigration agents.
IF you adopt that amendment" said
Senator Smith. you should change the
title of the act to read. An act to au-
horize free passes for this amendment {
cts in everybody. A railroad can have ]
LII the immigration agents it wants.
Senator Porter's amendment was
0eaten decisively. r
Senator Noftzger offered an amend
nent to the bill changing the bill to
conform with the exceptions in the {
Hepburn law passed by congress
'I propose this in good faith for this
'eason," said Senator Noftzger, that