The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-08-02
CUMMINS' PLAN.
Iowa Senator Would Fix Up the
Hepburn Law.
Shut Railroads Out of the Min
ing Business.
TAKES A FIRM STAND.
Government Should Settle the
Vexing Rate Question.
Would Adopt English System of
Regulation.

/
!, which was poked full of holes by
| recent decision of the supreme court.
Mr.. Cummins' bill will be for the pur-
pose of shutting railroads effectively
out of the business of coal mining di-
rectIy or indirectly, by prohibiting
them from hauling coal from mines
owned by them.
Under the decision of the supreme
| court it is possible for a railroad to
carry coal which comes from a mine
owned by a corporation in which it
/ has shares of stock 1t is the purpose
1 of the Cummins bill to shut this off.
| The supreme court decision allows a
railroad to mine coal and transport the
coal so mined, providing it is sold to
another party before the shipment be-
/ gins. Senator Cummins says there is
no way of preventing this, and that it
! is for the states to say whether rail-
/ road companies shall be allowed to
mine coal. over this, the federal gov
eminent has no authority.
! 1t is likely this question will be up
again in the next regular session and
| that it will attract no small degree of
attention. Mr.. Cummins is member
| of the senate committee on interstate
commerce.
AS governor of Iowa, Mr. Cummins
was responsible for great deal of
| important railroad legislation. tnclud-
! ing the anti-pass law. Now that the
| tariff bill is practically out of the way,
save for the final voting, Senator Cum
minis is looking into railroad matters
with view to formulating bills on inn
portant phases of them. He is con-
WINGED that this government should
! take hold of the railroad rate situation
and settle it with something like per-
manence by establishing a general
schedule of rates for the whole coun-
try.
He would adopt the English system
of railroad regulation in this respect
to the United States, making impor-
Il fTan i As-,,1
here. Having a rate once fixed by the
government it would not be increased
until the railroad company had made
showing to the commission that an
increase was necessary. Senator Cum
minis is aware this is an advanced
proposition but he says it or some
thing like it has to be taken up before
there is anything like a satisfactory
settlement of the rate question.
Just what changes should be made
in the system for the administration
of the interstate commerce laws,
Senator CupTninss- says he is not yet
yet ready to say II He thinks the law
should be modified ia a number of
details. One thing that should be done
is to give the commission authority to
inquire into the proposed increase of a
rate on complaint of a shipper. Now
it is necessary for the rate to go into
effect before complaint against it will
lie.
1t is already becoming apparent that
the proposition to divide the powers Of
the interstate commerce commission,
so as to leave that body quasi judicial
powers and take from it the admins
ratiVe powers leaving the adrnfnistra-
ton to the department of commerce
and labor, is going to encounter for
midable opposition in both houses Of
congress next winter. Many believe it
would weaken the enforcement Of the
law. President Taft has been looking
into this question, and it is quite gen
orally expected he will advocate some
thing like it. Nevertheless, it looks
as if such plan would have a hard road
in both houses
Countrywide demonstration in favor
of womens suffrage, when the petition
for the voting power is presented to
congress this winter. is prophesied by
who is niece of the late Susan b.
Anthony and relative of Congressman
Dan R. Anthony of Kansas.
''AlI over the country will be felt the
strength of the equal suffrage senti-
ment this winter said Miss Anthony.
I'VE intend to present to congress a
great petition, to which a mi1lloa
names will be signed 1t is planned to
have thousands of women from all
ington, where we will have a monster
parade through the streets. Simultane-
ously, in all the other large cities of
the country there will be immense
be orderly. When the presidential cleo
ton of 1916 comes women will asst ia
eIecting the president And by that
time every other nation in the worl1
will have women at the polls because
this country will be the last to give
way"
Colorado has a new statute regulat- |
ing campaign expenses and methods of
raising funds. which is approved Nv
Governor Shafroth as a means of puri- |
flying elections by shutting off contri- |
buttons from corporations and restrict |
ing the amount available for expedit- |
ure. The plan is to appropriate from |
the state treasury sum based upon IS |
cents for each voter, and to add an as
sessment upon each candidate of 40 per
cent of the first years salary of each |
office Under this plan, the contribu- |
ton of the state next year will be $65-
portion to the vote cast by each. Half !,
of this sum goes to the managers of
the state campaign. and half to the
county committees Thus each party |
receives a state fund of about So, 600 |
aside from the assessments of candi-
dates.
In Nebraska the total funds available
to the two state committees do not ex-
coed $4,000 each. Yet Nebraska. with
out the woman suffrage of Colorado
polled 5000 more votes in 1908 than did I
the latter state.
Kansans in Washington: F. NJ. Mar
tin of Russell H. A. Judson of Wich-
ita, S. D. Sutton of Weir City.
Dwr"wOH~