The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-23
Attorney for r. r. Board Makes
Annual Report.
Covers a Wide Field of Activity
in the Courts.
FOR LOWER RATES.
Suits Against Express, Railroad
and Pullman Companies.
Status of the Two Cent Passen'
ger Fare Case.

John S. Dawson, attorney 1or the
state railway board, today filed his an
nual report with the governor. Mr..
Dawson has served in this office year
and five months and during that time
has raised what had always been con-
sidered a figurehead place on the edge
of oblivion to one of activity and i'm
portance. Dawson has been busy all
the time on the job. He has taken
part in court cases in Texas, Nebraska,
Oklahoma, Chicago and Washington.
From the beginning he has made con-
stant and successful war for lower
passenger and freight and Pullman
rates. In his report he covers the
following subjects: Express rates, two
cent passenger fares, reductions in ex-
press rates, interstate express rates,
the Missouri Pacific reorganization,
Galveston rate case, Colorado coal
rates train service, miscellaneous
cases, one cent fares for state troops,
official correspondence, proposed gen
eral freight rate advances.
Two Cent Passenger Fares.
The railroad board attorney S find
ing on this subject are of general IN
terest and are reproduced as follows:
u found that in the federal court
there were pending thirteen suits by
the various railroads of Kansas against
the board, the attorney for the board
and the attorney general, seeking to
restrain them from enforcing the or
der of the board of railroad commits
sioners reducing the passenger fares
in Kansas to two cents mile. ABOUT
that time the two cent passenger law
was nullified by the federal court IN
Missouri, and the railroads were clos
ing in upon Oklahoma to put qu1etus
upon the two cent fare in that state.
1 need hardly say that this subject
gave me no small concern, for our two
cent passenger fare in Kansas was and
still is merely the result of an order
reducing the passenger fares in KAN
sas to two cents a mile and providing
in it's terms that it shall cease to have
any force or effect at the conclusion
of the litigation between the railroads
and the state of Nebraska. Such a
case was then pending over the valid
ity of the Nebraska two cent passen-
ger fare law.
mo one in official authority in Kan
sas was able to advise me what prog
ress was being made concerning this
litigation in Nebraska, and it oc-
CURED to me that matter so vital
and important to the people of Kan
sas ought to have some attention from
this state and 1 thought that perhaps
the state of Kansas ought to help the
state of Nebraska to maintain the
validity of the Nebraska law. With
that in view 1 went to Lincoln to con-
fer with the Nebraska authorities but
1 soon saw that Attorney General
Thompson of that state was fully cap
able of maintaining the rights of his
valuable service to the state of Kan
sas, and having assured myself that
the Nebraska case was pursuing an
orderly way through the courts and
that therefore the order of the board
of railroad commissioners was in no
danger of coming to a sudden and un-
expected termination, 1 came home.
81 have devoted much time and
study to the subject of two-cent fares
in Kansas. President Ripley of the
H.
company will be ready to show that
the tWo-cent rate does not pay. Some
of the operating officials of the Santa
Fe and other Kansas railroads have
privately expressed the hope that the
tWo-cent fare will be continued. My
own Investigations lead me to believe
that the railroads will be in no hurry
to try conclusions with the state of
Kansas on the two-cent passenger rate
unless the profits of the railways from
the freight rates in this state are pared
too closely by the legislature or by the
board of railroad commissioners. In
other words the two-cent passenger
rate is perhaps only moderately prof
table, while the freight rates are
highly profitable. and a determined ef-
fort to materially reduce the present
revenues of the railroads on freight
business will be followed by similar
effort on the part of the railroads to
upset the two-cent fare.
Meanwhile the thirteen cases con-
cerning the two-cent passenger fares
In Kansas are sleeping on the dockets
of the court by consent of all the par
ties"
Dawson's fight for reduction in ex-
press rates is well known and he gain
ed concessions that will save the state
S125.0O0 per year. He has the follow
ing to say about the Missouri Pacific
reorganization:
'The BOARD also authorized large is
sues of bonds to procure funds for the
rehabilitation of the properties of the
company. I am advised that the funds
have only been partially procured ano
il is likely that it will take several
years to bring the Missouri Pacific lines
up to the general standard of the best
Kansas railroads, but this work is go
ing on in baIlasting, bank widening, II
cross drain and tile drain work, and II
the laying of heavier steel have
competent man who goes over the Mis-
souri, Pacific railways in Kansas from
time to time and whom l am paying
out of my contingent fund to keep ms
advised of the progress that is being
made by the -1issouri Pacific, and
am much pleased not only with the worl
which is being done but with the ap
parent good faith of the management
of the company. At present there IS h'
reason to doubt that the Missouri Pa
cific will within a few years become one
of the great railroad highways of this
part of the country and be as profitable
a property to It's owners as Ihe Otloi
Pacific or the Santa Fe.
Dawson makes report on the Calves
ton rate case and the Colorado Goa
rate case as follows:
The Galveston Rate Case.
Before took charge of this office \
had been decided, at a conference be
tween YOUR excellency and the board O.
railroad commissioners and the officer;
of the Southwestern Shippers Traffic
association, that a suit should be insti