The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-25
Paid Nothing in Kansas or Mis-
souri, to Influence Legislation.
SESSIONS BEING HELD.
Joint Committees OF Legislature
Meet at Baltimore Hotel.
Part Of Investigation Is Open
to Public.

sas City Stock Yards company did not
use any money to influence legislation
| in either the Kansas or Missouri legis-
! lature two years ago."
| The foregoing was the answer of Eu-
| gene Rust, general manager of the stock
yards company, to a question asked by
| Representative J. A. Edwards of the
4 Kansas investigating committee yester-
day afternoon. Mr.. Edwards asked Mr..
Rust the direct question If any money
was used to buy votes in either legis-
| lature.
Il might add MIR. Rust said. that
while I was In Topeka the committee
in charge of the bill there invited me
out to lunch, but while in. Jefferson
City had to pay for my own lunch"
| The representatives from Missouri
apologized for the neglect.
The committees from the Kansas and
\ Missouri legislatures which are investi-
| eating charges against the stock yards
company held Joint session Thursday
afternoon 1t the Hotel Baltimore.
| Charles F. Morse, president of the stock
yards company, and Eugene Rust, gem
eral manager, were the only witnesses
| examined. Mr.. Morse explained to the
committees his version of the differ
ences with w. r. Reeme, a former
feedmaster, who instituted the charges
against the company that false weights
were given to customers. Mr.. Morse
| seemed to think that Roome was back
his respects to him.
The committee is made up of the fol-
| lowing legislators: sd- IL.
From Kansas = Senators Hughes,
| Mcpherson county; John T. Edwards,
Greenwood county; George Plumb, Ly-
ons county; J. T. White, Ottawa coun--
ty; H. B; Miller: Usage county.
From Missouri. F. Barry, Rails
county; n. c. Whalen. ST. Clair coun-
ty; Virgil Traughber, Carroll county;
J. A. Sartin. Benton county; D. Swiers,
Christian county.
The committee locked the doors
during it's morning session, but in the
afternoon let the bars down, and from
| then on met in public, as 1t proposes to
DO until 1t concludes its present ses-
sion. which is expected to last until
Saturday.
Have you a charter to do business
in Kansas bluntiy asked Represen-
tative Edwards
I'VE are a Missouri corporation"
admitted Colonel Morse.
You organized under the laws of
Missouri in 1889. but since 1871 you
had been a Kansas corporation. Can
you tell this committee why you
switched 2" demanded Representative
White. The reply was evasive, and the
interrogation said so.-
who owns your stock and how
much taxes do you pay in the two
states. and where is, your business
done?' the stock yards president was
then asked, in reply to which he said;
1--WE have 40 acres in Kansas and
siXty-seven acres In Missouri. We paid
last year in taxes in Kansas $45,079
and in Missouri $22.O5S. About half
our sales are made in each of the two
states"
"You do not mean, that. your quar-
antine yards are divided between the
two states?" prompted a member
from Kansas.
mo; they are entirely in Kansas
was the reply.
lover there you charge 10 cents for
yardage and 3 cents for inspection.
This makes up your 25 cents regular
yardage. Why do you collect that IS
cent inspection fee?" asked Represen-
tative White.
1.-THE government ecompels us to
have inspectors" said Colonel Morse
Eyes. so it does. but the government
pays their salaries, does it not?"
pressed Mr.. White. Colonel Morse adj |
mitted that. After the session Mr. |
White said that was one of the points !
the Kansas legislature would get after. |
Two years ago." he saiG, I'VE passed |
a law reducing the yardage charge to |
Is cents. The Stock Yards company |
carried the case into the federal court |
and had its offices established in Mis- |
souri,. Missouri was asked to fix a like |
charge, but while the house passed the |
bill, the senate killed it. That quaran-
tine charge is Illegal sssa
Colonel Morse said that the yardage |
in so saying he told that the stock |
yards in a way was a railroad terminal |
THE railroads pay you for handling |
their cars, do they not?" asked Repre- |
sentative Edwards.
I'VE get so cents from ten roads for !
each car we handle and on which we |
collect the freight. Three roads have |
their own tracks. We handle, load and |
unload the cattle because the tracks are |
our own property"
F,,r |
yards free, must it not?" asked Mr.. |
Plumb.
Yes and SO they do was the reply !
made by the witness. where cattle |
are unloaded in the stock yards and are |
not sold, and are not fed, no charges |
when we find a market for the cattle |
Many cattle go through there without |
paying anything at ALL We make our |
profit of the yardage fee exacted wheH |
there is a sale. and off the 100 per cent |
profit we make on the hay and corn"
rs not 100 per cent profit pretty |
high?" asked Mr.. Edwards.
1T is not considering that we have to |
furnish men to feed the stuff, to clean |
the pens, to run in the water, to turn /
it off. to pen the cattle and to do every
thing else that is to be done when cat
tie are yarded there
Yours is not an open yard is it: by |
that 1 mean said Mr.. Edwards. that |
you would not let man from the city
drive down there with load of hay
and sell it to the shippers. would your
I'VE could not allow that" was the |
admission.
In repIy to questions put to him. |
Colonel Morse said that the COMPANY
charged % cents for each head of cat |
tie. 10 cents for calves, 6 cents for hogs /
and 5 cents for sheep, these charges |
being as low as or lower than those |
made in any other important stock |