The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-21
NO NOT FOR THEM.
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- Continued from Page one.)
to name these salaries. There was
goiuen opportunity back of the meas
| uIe. But the senate nipped it. The
| STATE inspectors salary was raised to
| Sz'uoO, that OF the chief clerk was not
disturbed and the measure was amend
ed SO that no inspector should receive
more than the former pay and that it
| should be paid from the inspection fees.
w men this bill was under considera-
ton. Senator Hunter, 4 Wellington
miller. urged its passage. But he could
| not get by with it,
] Then came the new bill, which pass
| ed both houses and received the gov
ernor's signature. 1t made the hand
ling of grain In the state almost pro
| hlblt1ve. Where shippers paid 80 cents
a car for inspection under the old law.
| they were caught for $3.50 under the
new Other charges were advanced in
a car of wheat to Kansas City with
out being caught for $2.10 and probably
$500 charges. Grain dealers complain
ed but without results. They declared
4 that they could not stand the pres
sure. But this didn't change the law.
| They pointed to the fact that every
penny of this $4,000 must come off
the farmer. Every man who produced
a bushel of wheat corn or oats would
pay mis- share. But the bill went
through and the governor signed it,
! Then the Grain Dealers association
| got busy. They held a meeting in
which the members said things. They
/ declared they were being held up and
| robbed of just profits to build a mod
ern political organization that would
| menace the state. The officers outlined
| a policy.
Governor Stubbs Backs Up.
| While all of this was happening the
| administration was seeing things.
| From out over the state came a r1Jr11b-
| ling noise that sounded like trouble.
| Statesmen whose business it is to keep
an ear to the grass roots warned the
| administration that there was a war
cloud on the horizon. The Kansas
farmers were objecting to dividing
| their harvest with the state to create
contingent funds and pay extra job
| holders. Governor Stubs took up his
| pen and wrote. Having writ, he sent
the epistle to the Kansas City Board
of Trade. The message was posted on
the floor of the board. In short it
| told the shippers that while the law
mean half the things that might be
expected of it.
| The old law provided that an in
| spection fee should be charged only
law went further. 1t said that the
! maximum rate should hold. If a ship
per wanted an $4,000 capacity car and
| the railroad substituted a 100, 900 ca
pdClIy car, Tie OlQ law cOIl0cIou Oh
the minimum car. But the new law
took it all. The governors message in
short explained that in this particular
the new law is defective and the ship
perS should not observe it.
But this kindly letter didn't soften
the wrath of the shippers. Then the
inspection board got busy. It asked
for conference. But the shippers
refused to confer. To talk it over, said
The shippers, would be to show their
l., 10 h. r,kr
Right wisely they reckoned that if
they told their plans to the board,
that body would commence injunction
proceedings, which would keep their
hands off.
Grain Men Will Move.
While negotiations were in progress
for a conference, the shippers invoic-
ed their assets. They found that at
Kansas City, Kan, there were five
public elevators. 1t was agreed that
these elevators should demand of the
board a surrender of their bonds. Then
these concerns would walk over the
line and engage in business as private
firms
This was not all letter was pre-
pared and sent to the 1900 shippers
which advised them to bill their grain
to Kansas City, Mo. This act would
come under the interstate. commerce
laws Further than this, the ship
pers found that certain section of
the old law had not been repealed.
This section allowed a shipper to elect
to sell his grain by sample and not
by inspection. Shippers are advised
to thus elect. Presto! The $3.50 in
spection fees will be wiped off the
map. The ID inspectors and II weigh
masters will find nothing to do. It
IS advised that after thus absolving
all charges, that the job would be
properly completed. No noise will be
made of the action. When a bill was
rendered to the receivers at the end
of the month, these parties will refuse
to IiQuidate.
Test Law in the Courts.
Immediately this action would form
an issue The courts should decide.
As the shipments were under the in
terstare laws, the case would OF course
go to the federal courts. Sometimes
the busy courts are slow in arriving
at perfect conclusions The shippers
reckoned with all of this. If it re-
Guires the federal court year or
maybe two years to reach the case, sc
much the better. These same ship
pers recalled that in the new law was
provision which specified that all
salaries should be paid for inspection
fees How could the administration
! public servants draw salary under
that law when there were no fees?
Even an ardent and faithful follower
OF worthy cause may have his ardor
dampened by interference with the
monthly stipend.
| The legislature neglected to appro-
| pirate for emergencies in the grain
| inspectors office. With no revenue to
carry on the work, there seemed but
one recourse. Work would stop. Even
| the governors generous compromise
was thwarted Ambitious employees
who dream of brown stone fronts in
| Kansas City, find they are suddenly at
| the end of the line The administra-
| ton struck a snap which it had unwit-
| tirgly placed in the stream.
| But the administration, even with
| the present improved plan, had not
succeeded. In the original bill there
l -. % ~