The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-11
HITS THEM HARD.
Railroads Sued on 21 Counts by
Uncle Sam.
Charged With fragrant Viola
tiOns of 2S Hour Law.
CATTLE ON TRAINS.
Evidently No Attention Paid to
Unloading Regulation.
The Fines MayAggregate Eleven
Thousand Dollars.

Twenty-one counts against the rail
roads doing business in Kansas is the
record of the attorney general and
Harry J. Bone, United States attorney,
during the last few days. All of these
counts are on account of the disobey-
ing of the twenty-eight hour law
which concerns the shipping of cattle,
sheep, domestic animals, etc, in the
state of Kansas. No railroad is allow
ed to keep such animals on the road
without sufficient care, feed, rest, wa
ter and unloading, but during the last
few days business has picked up and
as a result the twenty-one counts have
been recorded and will be pushed.
The defendants are six of the largest
railroads of the state and in the case
of the Santa Fe there are twelve
counts against this system. The Rock
Island comes next with four counts.
the Katy succeeded in keeping its
crimes down to two counts and the
Kansas City Southern, st. Louis & San
Francisco, and the Kansas City, Mexi-
co & Orient have but one to answer
for.
AS each count means $500 and costs
Il is up to the railroads of Kansas to
pay over 1900 fines and they will
have to do it in short time unless
is very improbable. In most cases the
railroads kept cattle on the road over
forty hours without rest water, feed
and other necessities. This is twelve
hours above the limit of the law and
the railroads will soon find it out.
The worst case is the Santa Fe.
Twelve different times they have dis
obeyed the twenty eight hour law and
1858 cattle have gone without feed,
or water for an average of forty hours
or twelve hours above the limit. In
three incidents the Santa Fe shipped
cattle from Byars, Okla, to Moline.
Kan, which in itself is a distance of
forty-four hours and thirty minutes,
but when they did get to Moline, they
were unloaded and put into pens that
were paved with mud from SIX TO
twelve inches deep and bedding was
nowhere to be found. There were no
feeding racks and the cattle suffered as
much as If they had been in the slip
perry cars The Santa Fe was also
guilty of furnishing a large number
of slippery cars without bedding or
any sort or feed racks. But the twelve
counts and $4,000 fines and costs to
the Santa Fe will relieve the situation
to certain extent.
The Rock Island with four counts
against them only handled 151 cattle
but the counts mean $500 count JUST
the same and their case will be pushed
They were but a few hours above the
limit which makes no Inference as lar
as the fine is concerned as ~ hours
and one minute is as bad according to
law as so hours.
made from Oklahoma to Kansas City
and in most cases the cars went right
on through. The suffering to the cat
tie can be imagined.
The list is as follows:
Kansas City Southern, Spiro, Ok, to
Kansas City. 25 sheep, 3S hours, 80 min
utes; St. Louis & San Francisco, Mill
Creek, Ok, to Kansas City, 145 cattle,
81 hours, 20 minutes; Kansas City, Mex
leo &, Orient, Elmer, Ok. to Kansas
City "A cattle 40 hours. As minutes; also,
Altics, Ok, to Kansas City, ITO cattle,
81 hours; Missouri Kansas & Texas,
Konawa, Ok, to Kansas City, 73 cattle,
3S hours 10 minutes; Chicago, Rock Is
land & Pacific. Hinton, Ok, to Wichita,
% cattle, 80 hours; also, Minco, Ok, to
Kansas City, 81 cattle, 50 hours 20
minutes; also, Minco, Ok, to Kansas
City, SO cattle, 3S hours so minutes;
also. Verden, ok, to Kansas City, 26
y, cattle, 40 hours 80 minutes; Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe, Clarendon, Tex, to
Emporia, 305 cattle, 80 hours 30 min
utes; also Blanchard, Ok, to Kansas
City, $50 cattle. SO hours 20 minutes;
also. Byars, Ok, to Moline. Kan, AZ
cattle, A hours 80 minutes; also. Byars
to Moline, 60 cattle, A hours 30 min
utes; also. Byars to Moline. 199 cattle.
A hours 30 minutes; also, Lindsay, Ok,
to Kansas City, so cattle, 3S hours SO
minutes; also. Lindsay. Ok. to Kansas
City, 72 cattle. 3s hours 55 yinutes
also Ardmore, Ok. to Kansas City. 100
cattle, 80 hours % minutes; also. Lind
say to Kansas City. 50 cattle. SO hours
55 minutes; also. Stratford, Ok, to By
ars to Kansas City. So cattle 3S hours
3 minutes; also, Purcell, Ok, to Kan
sas City, 11O cattle. SO hours; also, FIT.
Worth Texas, to Wichita, (bad cars,
no bedding. slippery) 633 CATTLE