The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-30
SHALL THEY PASS
That Is the Question Before the
House This Afternoon.
Terrific Struggle Over the Bill
to Be Adopted.
LINES CLOSELY DRAWN
Square Dealers Have Support of
Democrats.
This Faction Is in Favor OF
Stone Law.

of representatives today over the anti
pass bills, which are a special order
for the afternoon session.
The fight has lined UP as a clear is
sue between the Stone bill and the
| Milligan bill. The radical difference
between the two bills is that the Milli-
gan bill permits the issuance of passes
to local railroad attorneys and rail-
road surgeons. any agent of railroad,
and many other classes of favored
people.
The fight for the Stone bill, which is
a strict anti-pass law, and will really
| prevent the issuance of free passes ex-
cept to railway employees who devote
! their entire time to the company, is
! led by Robert stone, the author of the
bill. w. L. Cunningham of Cowley
/ county, who was elected on the Square
Deal platform, is leading the fight for
/ the Milligan bill. There has been a
strong railroad lobby on the floor of
the house this morning against the
Stone bill.
| The Milligan people are making an
! especial fight to line up the Demo-
cratic members for their bill, and are
| trying to smash the alleged alliance
| between the square dealers and the
Democrats on the Stone anti-pass bill
The Milligan bill is an exact copy of
the Hepburn anti-pass law which the
United States senate kindly allowed to
be passed.
The first of the petitions against the
Stone anti-pass law was received this
morning from General Attorney w. r.
Smith of the Santa Fe. 1t was intro
duced in the house by w. A. S. Bird of
Shawnee. The petition Is signed By
1.246 employees of the Santa Fe at To-
peka. and is headed by John Purcell,
superintendent of the Santa Fe shops
here. The petition reads as follows:
Whereas, an anti-pass bill known
q
fore the legislature now in session:
such bill is unfair to the interests OF
the railroad employees. and unfair and
destructive of the rights, interests and
principles of railway employees. there
fore, we the undersigned employees ef
the, A. 7. & S. F. railway company, do
hereby most earnestly protest against
the passage of said Stone bill
Inc friends of the Stone bill claim
that it is the only law which will salts
fy the popular demand for an anti
pass law, and they say that the MILL
gan bill is so broad in its terms that
almost anybody can get a pass, and
this is probably the case.
Simply because this bill was allow
ed to squeeze through the United
States senate does not prove that 1t is
the kind of a law We should have in
Kansas said a friend Of the Stone bill.
1T would rather tend to prove that we
had better look out for it,
The exceptions in the Milligan bill
cover two pages in the text Of the bill
The bill simply provides that after
March 1, 1907, 1t shall be unlawful, di-
rectly or indirectly, for any common
carrier to issue or give any free ticket,
free pass, or free transportation for
passengers except-and here follows
this list of exceptions:
ITO it's employees and their families,
its officers, agents, surgeons, physicians
and attorneys at law; to ministers of
religion, travelling secretaries of rail-
road Y. NJ. c. A, inmates of hospitals,
and charitable and eleemosynary work;
to INDECENT, destitute and homeless per-
sons and to such persons when trans
ported by charitable societies and hos
pitals and the necessary agents en-
ployed in such transportation; to in
mates of the national homes or state
homes for disabled volunteer soldiers
and of soldiers and sailors homes in
cllIdings those about to enter and those
returning home after discharge, and
boards of managers of such homes; to
necessary caretakers of live stock
poultry and fruit, to employees on
sleeping cars, express cars. and to line
men, to telegraph and telephone COM
panies; to railway mail service en-
pIoyes, postoffice inspectors, customs
inspectors and immigration inspectors;
to newsboyS on trains, baggage agents, |
witnesses attending any legal investi- |
cation in which the common carrier is
interested, persons injured in wrecks. |
and physicians and nurses attending
such persons; provided that this pro-
vision shall not be construed to pro-
hibit the interchange of passes for the |
officers, agents and employees of COM
mon carriers and their families nor to |
prohibit any common carrier from car |
rying passengers free with the object of |
poviding relief In cases of general epi- |
demic. pestilence or other calamitous |
visitation"
The penalty for the violation OF the |
MiIligan bill isc a fine of from 800 to |
81, 900, both for the common carrier is |
suing the transportat ton and the per- |
son accepting the transportation.
Where the Stone Bill Differs.
The Stone bin provides that no
passes shall be issued except to en-
ployes of the railroad and the family |
of the employe The penalty is a fine
of not less than s100, and imprison-
ment in the county Jail for not less
than 80 days, both for the railroad Of
fetal giving the pass, and the person
following is the list of exceptions in
the Stone bill:
THE terms of this act shall not be
construed as prohibiting the issuance.
acceptance or use of free passes tick
cts or transportation for the follow
ing privileged or excepted classes:
and clerks in the railway
mail service; news agents, while sell
ing papers, books, magazines fruit
confectionery, etc, on the train: and
conductors and porters on sleepine
cars, to be used only when in the per
formance of their respective duties. |
persons injured in wrecks, and doctors |