The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-22
IT'S WARMING UP
Senator's Have Tilt Over Two
Cent Fare Proposition.
Gilbert Charges That Things
"HaYe Been Fixed"
WILL KILL THE BILL.
Request for Board to Inyesti :
gate the Prelude.
Resolution Passes Senate Never
flnI1ee ;Kk, d.. II osorffr
WILL KILL THE BILL.
Resolution Passes Senate Never
theless With Big Majority.

| tor Gilbert of Brown that he believed
that things had already been fixed up
to prevent the passage of a two cent
fare bill in the senate at this session
and that one of the "fxers'' was the
resolution which was considered and
passed requesting the board of rail-
road commissioners to make an in
vestigation of the cost of passenger
| transportation in the state and report
their findings to the legislature. This
resolution was offered by Senator
Porter of Montgomery few days ago.
He explained it then and also today. as
being resolution for the purpose of
providing the legislature with all
available information on this passen-
ger fare proposition so that it could
act 1ntelligently on it. The resolution
was considered by the senate railroad
committee last night and the first &C
ton taken on it was a vote to report
| it adversely. This was reconsidered
and the resolution was reported with
ali amendment fixing the time when
| the railroad commissioners should
| ton at January %, next Monday.
| When the resolution came up for
consideration in the senate this morn
| ing there was a long and rather
spirited debate over its merits in
| which the temper of a few senators
was aroused and which also showed
their temper on the two cent far pro-
position A couple of senators in
sisted that the adoption of the resolu
ton would mean the shifting of the
responsibility for two cent fare legis-
lation on the hands of the members of
| the board of railroad commissioners.
! when this responsibility should rest
where it belonged, with the members
| of the legislature.
Senator Getty started the fight on
the resolution as soon as it was taken
II
board of railroad commissioners to
make an investigation of this sort ard
in so short time.
This question of a two cent fare
has been checked up to the legisla-
| ture and let us face the proposition rs
we should and not attempt to shove It
off on three men in the basement. If
1 believed that a two cent fare was
unreasonable I would vote against IT
| no matter how the railroad commits
sioners reported and I would vote for
| it if 1 believed it to be equitable no
matter what their report was"
Senator Stewart explained the &C
| ton of the railroad committee on the
resolution last night afidAsafd that it
had been recommended for adoption,
not for the particular guidance of the
railroad committee, but so that the
members of the legislature could. be
given such information as the rail-
road commissioners were able to fur
nish. He said that it was not the
intention of the railroad committee to
shirk it's responsibility in this or any
other matter.
According to Senator Porter, the
father of the resolution, he had in
troduced it for the purpose of getting
all possible light on the proposition.
at was not introduced as buncombe
proposition" said Senator Porter, "or
anything of that kind. 1t was intro
duced in good faith to have the rail-
road commissioners shed what light
they could on this interesting and
| complicated proposition"
1t was Senator Young's idea that all
possible light should be thrown on the
subject but he was against the ques-
ton at issue because he thought it
was the duty of the railroad commit
tee to obtain this information and in
form the senate on it. The commit
tee had been created for this purpose,
he contended and he thought that IL
the resolution was adopted there
would possibly be conflicting reports on
the proposition and the senators
would be at sea as to which one to fol-
! low.
Senator Smith expressed the opin-
| ion that the resolution should be pass
ed so that this information could be
furnished to the senator's. He said
| that the senators were not committed
to vote in line with the suggestions of
the railroad committee or any other
committee
Senator Tucker chairman of the rail-
road committee, took the same view
as Senator Smith. He said that the
railroad committee had taken steps to
get this information for its own use
| but that it had not felt justified in re-
fusing the members of the legislature
! the same information in view of the
| fact that a resolution had been pre-
scented requesting that it be furnished
| and so the committee had acted IA
vorably on the resolution.
| Another crack at the proposition was
| taken by Senator Getty. He said that
/ the members of the board of railroad
| commissioners were new to their posi-
| lions and that it was absurd to think
| that unframed men could make such an
| investigation as was demanded in the
short time allowed. suppose they
/ should say he asked, that two cenr
rate is not reasonable? Am 1 to un-
derstand that we would have to follow
| their conclusions? I think not. 1t Is
an effort to shift responsibility"
1T doesn't take the seventh son of q
seventh son. said Senator Gilbert, ito
tell what the report of the railroad COM
missioners would be on this PROPOSE
/ will simply be bolstering up the idea
/ that no legislation along this line can
be adopted this year. The senators
II mean to kill two cent rate bill, and
/ they do not want to take the RESPONSE
bility for 1t. They want to shove II
off on the railroad commissioners. You
will find at the bottom of this resolution
! some railroad attorneys. The commit
/ tee on railroads ought to assume the
i responsibility that is trying to be
/ thrust on ether shoulders.
/ IF we should pass such two cent
| rate law, which we probably won't, for
! it has been fixed already that we shall
| not pass 1t, why we should do it on our
! own responsibility"
/ Senator Simons thought that the res
olution should prevail because the
members of the legislature should have
all the possible information on the sub
| ject.
| vote was taken on the resolution and
l Ii nassed with only five tnrs