The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-07
House Refuses to Accept the
Senate Bill.
Want Straight Passenger Rates
or None.
POINTS OF DIFFERENCE
Senate Measure Provides for
Mileage Books.
Ham, of Rocks, Says This Is Not
Satisfactory.

BY a vote of II to IL the mouse
Wednesday voted; to strike out the
body of the senate two cent fare Dill
and substitute the house bill In It's
stead and again place the senate on
record relative to its position on the
two cent fare proposition. The ques-
ton of the rate for passenger trans
portation for the next two years viii
be settled today by the action of the
senate which will decide whether II
will cost two or three cents a mile to
ride. The senate bill provides for two
cent fare when mileage books are used
and it is. necessary to expend $lO-oo
or more for a book of mileage before
this rate becomes available.
Ham of Rocks introduced Dill
earlier in the, session in the mouse
which provided for straight two cent
fare without restrictions or any KIND
When this bill was sent to the senate
that body struck out all after the en-
acting clause and substituted the bill
which had been introduced in the
senate by Brewer and to which had
been attached a number of amend
ments by Senator NoftZger.
The Noftzger amendments made the
two cent fare, possible only upon the
purchase of mileage books containing
from 500 to 1000 miles of rides. For
trips where mileage. book is not
available the fare would remain as 1t
is now. The 1000 mile books are to
be interchangeable is they would
be good on any road in the state.
During the campaign the travelling
men of the state to unit were Tor
two cent railroad bill and 1T was adj
trains and among their customers; in
fact for two months before election
Harris and two cent fare" came in
for more of their attention than the
lines of business represented by them
1t was estimated by the members of
the different orders of commercial
men travelling in Kansas that 80 per
cent of their membership were for
Harris and two cent fare. and the
vote at the polls indicated that they
were in a measure right in their pre-
diction. Politics was eliminated from
the campaign and it was anything for
two cent fare and 1t was whispered
that there would be a powerful lobby
in Topeka when the legislature met to
assist in enforcingetheir demands.
The commercial travellers lobby, IL
arrangements were ever made for it,
has never been in evidence about the
legislature and petition after petition
has been received signed by whole
bin as we'll as thei two cent passenger
bill. Other petitions have been re.
ceived from Representatives of the
travelling men protesting against the
better service and more and safer
trains rather .thanotwo cent fare. x
These protests taken in considera-
ton with the absence of a lobby rep
resenting these interests is taken to
mean that a compromise has been eff
fected between the railroads and the
travelling men and their employers.
The present rate of two cent mileage
is acceptable to them as it is a con-
venience to them to be able to carry
Ire aS he Arm hor
on the road all the time and many of
the men have their homes in the ho-
tells of the district in which they
travel.
hour yesterday Representative Ham
called up the senate two cent fare bill
for consideration and explained his
purpose to strike out all after the en-
acting clause and substitute the house
bill bearing his name in its place, just
as the senate had done with the house
antipass bill.
LAS nearly as I can find out" he
said, this bill which comes to US from
the senate disguised as a two-cent fare
bill is anything but such, and 1 am in
formed by the best legal auth GRITTY that
can secure, that it is unconStituticn-
al even if it should become law. We
don't want this kind of a bill any way
for. it will be of benefit to buta few
Of the residents of the state. Let us
send the senate bill back to that body
with all after the enactfng clause
stricken out and the house bill sub
suituted, and 1T will then be up to them
to say whether the state has two
cent fare bill or not. We have done all
within our power to place such a law
on the statute book and if it is not
done then the blame should rest
where it belongs, on the senate
The members of the house cheered
loudly and followed his lead and one
by one the bands of red tape which
hamper the passage Of bill were dis
posed of and all after the enacting
clause in the senate bill was stricken
out and the body of the Ham two-cent
fare bill was substituted, by vote of
~ for the motion and II against it.
A roll call showed the following vote
on the motion:
For the motion-Adams. Archer,
Bergman. Blaine. Boggs.
Boyle, Brown, Clark, Cole, Cowan,
Cunningham. Curran, David
son. Davis, Dawson. Edwards. Fergu-
son. Fisher, Foley, Fraser, Giants, Ges-
ner.- Grasse, Guyer, Ham, Hart, Has
I1ins, Helmick, Hendricks, Husey,
ingalls,, Jones, Lander. Lehman. Lee
land. Lennen, Leydig. Martin. Mercer.
Miller, Morgan of Hodgeman, Morgan
of Reno, Murphy, Neihart. Oshant.
Peter, Plumb, Pohlmaf1, Price, Rail,
Richmond, Rockefeller,
Roush, Ryan, Sherer, Sipple. Skinner,
Stannard, Stockton, Stone. Stubs.
Sweeny, Swope, Tannahill. Thompson,
Warren, Wells. White, W1lson-72.
Against-Craddock, Enright, Cor
dom Johnson. I<iff, McGillivary. Mitch
ell, Montee. Policy, Westcott' Wheeler
IL.
O'Connor of Leavenworth was ex-
cused from voting on request.
Close Fight IN the Senate.
Two bad -scares were thrown into
he Fitzpatrick crowd in the senate on
Wednesday afternoon on the 2-cent
ARE proposition Twice the senate
came within one vote of endorsing the
lat 2-cent fare bill, which had been
placed at the head of the senate cal
endar.
The first fight was over the house
,-cent fare bill, which had been
1Iaced at the head of the senate CAL