The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-23
HOCH GIVES HINT.
Governor May Call Special Ses-
sion of Legislature.
Writes a Sceathing Letter to
Railroad Board.
HE WANTS TO KNOW.
Demands That He Be Informed
of Boards Intentions.
Then May Know What course
to Pursue.

inst before leaving the city for Iowa
late Thursday afternoon, Governor T.
w Hoch sent a communication " liz
Kansas state board of railroad coiiiiiiis, F,
sioners which is practically coHiiii'iiu
TO that conservative" body TO issue az
order for a fiat 2-cent mile passeAee g
fare in the state of Kansas
The communication to the Doaro
closes with the strong hint that unless
such action is taken by the board WITH
o,,+ anv unnecessary delay, there VIII De
= snecta1 session of the legislature
If Is now up to the board to take ac-
4ion. 1t has been the policy OF the boafo
10 avoid all conflicts with the raliroaus;
The board lodged a clash on the missouri
Pacific track case, and it lodged on tne
ocer+ fare issue The action of the
board has been sharply criticised Dy
Attorney General F. 3 jackson anu
others, and now Governor Hocn ue-
mands that the board make stahu-
In fairness to Frank ]. Ryan, one OF
the members of the railroad commission,
IT should be stated that he was not IN
harmony with G. w. Kanavel ana =. a.
Rvker the other two members OF the
hoard on either the Missouri Paclnc
case or the 2-cent fare case Ryan want
ed the board to issue an order IN Dotn
of these cases.
Board May Change.
If is likely Tlat the aCIlOIl Ol lIle SON
error will be inclined to persuade the
board of railroad commissioners that
the people demand more decisive acton
and less lodging of important issues
The action of the board is due to the
opinion of G.. F G.rattan, the attorney
who holds that 1t would be better poncy
for the state to await the actlon OF other
states before ordering 2-cent rare;
Governor Hoch appointed Grattan. and
he is now obliged to take issue with
him on the most important decision to
be rendered thus far
IT has been claimed by the majority
members of the board Of railroad COM
rnissioners that in addition TO Grattan's $
opinion they are sustained in their re-
fusaI to issue the 2-cent fare order by
the actions of the senate lodge IN
making a compromise deal with the
railroads and accepting the mileage
hook plan instead of fiat 2-cent fare
Senator Fred Dumont Smith notified g.
w Kanavel by letter some time ago
that the Legislature had pledged its faith
that the mileage book law should re-
main undisturbed for two years. the
majority members of the board say
that they have been advised that they
have no right to interfere with this al
legged agreement between the senate
lodge and the railroads.
The testimony of other members of
the legislature is. however. that the real
agreement was that in accepting the
mileage book compromise, the legis-
lature merely checked up the 2-cenr
road commissioners for investigation
and action.
None of the members of the board of
railroad commissioners were in Topeka
yesterday afternoon to receive Governor
Hoch's letter. Neither was G. F. Grat-
tan the attorney for the board. The
railroad commissioners are supposed TO
he taking their vacations during the
latter part of this month. and Mr.. Grat-
tan went TO Mcpherson to bring his
family to Topeka
Governor IIoch's Letter.
Governor Hoch's comumnicat ton was
as follows:
To the Board of Railroad Commission
ers. Topeka. Kan.
Gentlemen: In my biennial message
TO the last legislature I recommended
1.-The appointment of a committee early
in the session to hear arguments for
and against the proposition to reduce
railroad fare in this state. Following
this recommendation. said: Let
both sides have a full and fair hear
ing that the interests of the travelling
public may be subserTed without arbi-
trarily doing that which may be un-
Just to the transportation companies.
A reduction of railroad fares is sure to
come. It is only a question whether
or not that time has arrived. 1 have
given the subject much thought and
study and believe that with the aboli-
tion of the free pass and the stimulus
to travel which a reduction of fare
would create. the companies WOuiu
not be serious losers by the reduction,
while the public. of course. would be
immensely benefited"
We should be fair always to corpor-
ate interests while compelling corpor-
ate to be fair to the people. Had the
legislature followed my recommended
ton and appointed a committee early
in the session to consider this matter
a reasonable decision might easily
have been reached before the end of
the session. This recommendation for
q careful investigation of the subject
made by me at the beginning of our
last legislative session was practically
the position taken by Governor
Hughes of New York after the legisla-
ture in that state had acted contrary
10 his wishes. But our legislature fail
ed to follow my recommendation and
passed a bill which never fully re-
ceived the approval of my Judgment
and which 1 reluctantly permitted to
become law 1t was compromise
providing for two-cent mileage book
which reduces fare to those who need
the reduction least and withholds II
from those who need it most R1+ 7
consented for it to become a law NOT
as a permanent solution of the prob
lem but as Temporary expedient ex
Meeting the board of railroad commits
sioners of this state to make the in
vestigation which the legislature had
failed to make. and for the further
reason that I understood the question
as to whether q two-cent passenger
fare would be remunerative and not
conf1scatorv would be immediately
test ed in Missouri Iowa and Nebraska.
but since then the railroad companies
have nut the tWo-cent fare into opera
ton in these states and I am assured
nv highest authority in these states
that while the question is pending in
the courts a decision is not likely to
be reached very soon, perhaps not for