The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-24
Merits of Senate and House
Utilities Measures.
Attorney General Not Fighting
Either of Them.
DAWSON SPEAKS UP
He Is a Student of the Wisconsin
Way.
Davis of KiOWa and the Party
Platform Pledges.

Platform Pledges.
The house Judiciary COMMITTEES re-
ported today on the public utilities bill,
and the house sent the bill to conference.
This bill bears the house caption, but
embodies in toto the provisions of the
senate bill. It was sent to the judic-
larry committee instead of to con-
ference committee so that a report
might be made upon its legality; and
the members of the house are also very
anxious to see just what sort OF
measure the senate has dished up to
them.
An effort has been made to make it
appear that there is a contest among
the members of the administration as to
the respective merits of the two bills.
This is largely based upon the fact that
Attorney General Dawson has been free
in his praise of the house bill, while
Chairman Dolley of the Republican
state committee has said in a pronun-
ciamento that the house bill Will have
to be vetoed by the governor. Attor-
ney General Dawson denies that he has
had any controversy with anybody upon
this subject. but he talks freely of the
respective merits of the bills. In an
interview today he said:
THE house bill and the senate bill
either one of them becomes a law the
state will have a genuine public utili-
ties act. Neither one of them will
amount to a picayune if the legislature
does not come forward with plenty of
funds to do the work which a public
utilities commission contemplates.
Two years ago it was considered
political virtue In Kansas to be a dis
ciple of Robert M LaFollette and the
Wisconsin idea of regulating and con-
ILL Ill q hnf q
disciple of LaFollette on this subject
now than l was two years ago because
I know more about 1t.
THE Wisconsin utilities commission
selected by Governor LaFollette was
composed of man trained as rail-
road manager, a civil engineer of large
experience, a professor of political
economy of many years experience,
financier of noted ability, and a train
ed lawyer. These five men comprised
the commission. They each received
salary of $4,000 a year and were ap-
pointed for six years. Such appoint
mentS could not be made in Kansas
because the legislature could not create
an ONCE, the duration of which eX-
tends over a longer term than four
years. The house bill provides for four
year terms. The senate bill provides
for one, two and three year terms, and
for terms of three years after the
first The Wisconsin commission has
76 employees. This includes engineers,
statisticians, rate experts, accountants
clerks, stenographers and many 9TH
ers. Thirty-three of these are on the
payroll Of the utilities commission ex-
clusively. Forty-three are employed by
the utilities commission and the tax
commission jointly, so that when the
state pays it's EMPLOYEES to inspect
public service property for purposes of
taxation they inspect the property like
wise for the adequacy of the service
furnished to the public by the utility.
Aside from the weak feature in the
senate bill regarding the commission
ers the merits of the two bills depend
absolutely upon the amount of money
which the legislature will furnish to do
the work. If the legislature is to be
stingy and appropriate only $4,000 or
$40 900 year for this business the house
bill is UNNECESSARILY a better bill than
the senate bill. If the legislature will
appropriate $4,000 or more year, I
think the work outlined by the senate
bill may be safely undertaken and that
on the whole it is the Ter bill.
For motives which are not appar-
ent to me very skilful political ruse
has been attempted to create a dis
trust for the house bill by fastening
it's authorship upon a radical stand
patter. But Speaker Buchanan, who
appointed the judicial committee of
the house, is not a standpatter. Only
three or four of the members of the
judiciary committee could be classed
as standpatters. There are fifteen
members and not less than ten of
them have been and now are identified
with the progr essive movement in
Kansas politics; and it is not a COM
pliment to either Speaker Buchanan
or to the ten or twelve progressives
on the house judiciary committee to
circulate the idea that this bill is the
work of one standpatter so clever and
adroit that he was able to fool the
whole committee into a unanimous re-
port in favor of a bill of his drafting.
There is, however, only one class of
men entitled to have an opinion on
the merits of the house utilities bill,
and that is composed of the men who
have taken the pains to read the bill.
'Am fighting the senate bill Ger
tainIy not! Three-fourths of the SEN
ate bill was originally written in my
office when attorney for the state
board of railroad comm issioners, by
Ernest Hogueland, my assistant. 1
approved of his work so much that 1
Incorporated it in my report to the
governor. Unfortunately, the state
printer has not been able to print that
report 1 am attorney for the people
and il does not seem unreasonable
that when attorneys for public utili
ties companies are being consulted,
and when politicians are being con-
suited, that the attorney for the people
might have some ideas of value in the
shaping of a measure Of this import
ance This spirit of intolerance of di-
yersity of opinion is detrimental to the
public welfare and it may be neces-
sary for us to lay aside other meas
ures for the public good for the pur-
pose of correcting that disposition