The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-15
HOW IT WAS DONE
w. Y. MOrgan's Story of Defeat
of Utility Bill.
Says 'InsurrectiOn'' Was Result
of D0mineering Methods.
HIS HOME RULE PLAN.
Contends That 1t Was Best for
the People.
Willing to Make 1t the Issue for
Next Campaign.

The fight in Kansas for state control
of public utilities, led by the governor.
is over and lost. Its friends declare that
it will rise again and submerge all of its
new and old opponents in the flood of
public opinion. This happy event is
scheduled for two years hence, so at this
time discussion of how it happened,
and not future events, is more in or
der.
When the story of the defeat of the
public utilities bill is told the names of
two men loom up above all others in
connection with that historic three
weeks battle-W. Y. Morgan, the
Hutchinson editor, whose generalship
outlined the campaign of opposition, and
John w. Davis of Kiowa county, whose
forceful eloquence and logic on the fir
ing line kept the administration on the
defensive and in the end resulted in the
defeat of the administration measure.
All the kings horses and all the kings
men could not put the utilities bill to-
gether again after it had been shattered
on the first day of the fight by Nor
gan's motion to send 1t back to COM
mittee to be revised into a home rule
bill.
Here was a niche upon which the op-
position could rest it's feet and it never
retreated beyond this point, even though
was brought to bear. AS Morgan was
the man who planned the fight against
the BILL his memoirs as they relate to
the occasion will be of interest. Here
is what the Hutchinson editor has to
say editorially in his paper about the
defeat of Governor Stubbs' pet meas
ure:
Causes of the Insurrection.
1.-THE so-called 'insurrection' in the
legislature was a natural result of
n In in q al n n
know that many of the 'administra-
ton leaders in the house were op-
posed to the policies they were forced
to champion and the coarse dago- driV-
ing tactics in vogue by the administra-
ton. Parliamentary rules were dis
regarded, fairness in debate refused.
and any member, Republican or DEM
ocrat who presumed to differ from
the powers was denounced a OBJ
structor and his rights denied him. |
All of this was calculated to make |
plain Kansas legislator feel that it |
was time to stand up for his rights |
or to lie down like a thirty-cent piece.
The climax came with the so-called |
administration public utility bill
"In common with most everyone 1
had supposed that a bill regulating
public utilities in Kansas would have
something to do with railroads, ex-
press companies and other common
carriers, I supposed it would regu-
late or restrict the issuance of stocks !
ana DOHQS, 0AISLu Tile pOWSI VI rate |
regulation. provide for physical valua- |
tion of railroads. and help the rail- |
road board or the state in regulating
the common carriers and meeting |
their suits in the courts. This ad- |
ministration bill did absolutely none |
of these things. 1t was a clear case
of trying to obtain goods under false
pretenses.
The Meat in the Cocoanut.
And this was the goods SO sought to
%aH r,H,s1 %T7a HI
cd of electing railroad commissioners
from vote of the people to appoint
ment by the governor. That was the
milk in the cOcoanut. That was the
one point on which no concession would
be made. That was in direct opposition
to the Democratic platform and in just
as direct opposition to the Republican
platform, for the election of the rail-
Republican pledge of few years ago, !
carried into law, and no man from
Governor Stubbs down had ever Sug-
gested such a change until the provis-
page bill regulating city utilities.
Administration Methods.
aside from this change the admin
istration bill contained nothing but reg
ulation of city utilities by state board
at the expense of the state. The pro-
posal was to take from the people in
the cities the rights they had to grant
franchises and control their own light, |
water ana gas companies, ana give InaI
power to the state board, subject to
review by the courts.
II do not believe a dozen members of
the house really favored the bill, at
any rate not many more. But the pow !
er of the administration was exerted |
to its fullest extent. Every member |
who was interested in a coming appoint |
ment, every member who had a special
interest in an appropriation bill, every |
member who had received favors or who |
wanted favors, was begged, threatened |
and bulldoZed. Appointments and ap-
preparation bills were all held back un-
til the last days of the session so that |
the whiLH could be used. Many good !
men who really did not favor such a |
measure, were Influenced into standing |