The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-18
CRACK The WHIP.
w. Il. Smith HurIs Defiance at
Railroad Committee.
Can Not Keep Company At
tOrneys Away From Topeka.
MR.. STONES PASS BILL
Cuts Off People Exempted by
Hepburn Bill.
A Lively Debate Before the
House Committee.
MR.. STONES PASS BILL

| want ", III Spllo OF any law you pGOplG
can pass here in the Kansas legislature.
L II do this under the Hepburn bill,
simply by taking those attorneys to
| Topeka by way of Kansas City, and
making it an interstate journey. The
federal law allows US to issue passes to
| our local attorneys, and it would be
! useless for any state to try to interfere
with that arrangement"
This is the defiance which w. r.
Smith, general attorney for the Santa
F'e railway. handed to the railroad COM
mittee of the house in it's session Thurs
day evening
Judge Smith was trying to prove to
the committee that it should not recon-
mend the Stone anti-pass bill passage,
because the Stone bill prohibits the is
suance of free passes to the local at
torneys" of the railroad company in all
of the principle towns of the state.
The Stone bill also prohibits the is
suance of free passes to local surgeons
of the railroad companies, to sheriffs
and county attorneys. to Y. M. c. A.
secretaries and to officials of railway
organized labor. Representatives of all
of these disbarred classes were on hand
last night to plead for exemption. All
were able to advance the most plausi-
BILE arguments in their own behalf
Mr.. Stones idea is that if the bars
are let down to local attorneys and 9TH
ers who do not really devote much if
any time to the service of railroad COM
panies, it will enable the Santa Fe to
fill up the state with fake local attor-
neys,' who will merely be politicians
whom the railroad company wants to
favor. Judge Smith asserted in his
argument last night that there are only
40 local attorneys employed by his road
in Kansas, that they are not appointed
because of political influence, and that
one-third of them are Democrats. He
did not say whether the same condi-
tions would be likely to prevail after
the enactment of a general anti-pass
law.
Two bills were offered for the con-
sideration of the committee One was
by DR.. Milligan a Santa Fe surgeon,
from Anderson county. The other
bill is by Robert stone of Shawnee.
Robert Stone made an able speech
in behalf of HIS bill. and the anti-pass
proposition in general. He said s..
''It is generally admitted that rail-
roads should not discriminate in the
matter of freight, and haul freight for
a less rate for one man than for an
other. 1t is now coming to be the be-
lief that it is just as bad to discrimi-
nate en- passenger rates, and haul one
man for nothing, and another at an
expense. 1t costs the company some
thing to maui a QeaQ neaQ passenger,
and the pay passengers have to pay
that cost. Then there is the incidental !
political influence of the pass. OF
course we believe that a member of |
is right, even if he does have a pass
in his pocket. 1 had pass at the last |
session, and voted for the railroad law |
and many others did the same. But
there is prejudice against passes
and nearly all believe they should be |
This bill which I have |
prepared follows the Hepburn bill |
but eliminates some of those who are !
allowed to receive free passes under |
that bill. ] want to warn you that you |
will be approached by great many |
people asking that the bars be let |
down, and free pass privileges extend /
ed. / hope you won't do it. This bill |
has been carefully considered, and |
ought to pass just as it is
Dick Hayden. probate Judge, rep
resented the sheriffs, M. r. Mays rep |
resented the Brotherhood of Railway !
William Hutton represent |
ed the conductors, Mr.. Schumacher !
represented the Railroad Y. NJ. c. A, /
MI Roric of Junction City and county |
attorney of Geary county represented |
the local attorneys, DR.. Millfgan the |
of Cloud county and DIR. A. B. Jones |
of Trego county, three members of the |
legislature and also railroad surgeons, |
argued for the committee, making eX-
geons.
stone made talk before the com
mittee in defense of his bill after each |
of the excluded had had his say.
Some of these exceptions that have |
been asked for sound unreasonable he |
said, but if you begin to throw down |
the bars you will soon have room to
drive wagon through the bill. If we
begin making exceptions there is no
place to stop
"TeI me- said NJ. c. Policy of Re-
60
is the real necessity for passing an anti
pass bill?"
Il will answer that by asking you a
question: said Stone. Would it be
right for a railroad company to haul |
your freight for nothing and charge me
for mine?'
Policy objected to the question and
refused to answer.
The primary purpose of the bill" |
continued Mr.. Stone. lis to prevent dis
Grimm alton. The secondary purpose is
to do away with the political influence
the pass Yields. The representatives Of |
the local attorneys for the railroads
say they are not in politics. That may |
be true but as the matter stands a
be politicians. The railroads furnish
plenty of passes to real politicians. But
If we make an exception of the rail-
road attorney in this bill will it not be
possible to put politicians in their
At this point w. r. Smith. general at
torney for the Santa Fe took a hand. !
Mr. Stone do YOU think for min |
ute.'' he asked, that the Santa Fe or
any other railroad would discharge the
ocal attorneys upon the passage Of this
bill and hire politicians? Don't you
know that political attorneys are not
worth a cuss?''
This shot at Stone. while it created
much merriment hit Smith just as
hard as it did Stone.
L notice. replied Stone that the
Santa Fe paid a big salary to take
political attorney off the supreme court
bench and make him its general attor-
ney''
The Santa Fe is not opposed to the
! MI ler.