The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1915-04-30
THE LEGISLATURE
Following is the second letter
written by Hon. L. j. Lewis on
affairs at the state capitol:
PASSENGER FARE INCREASE BILL

PASSENGER FARE INCREASE BILL
This measure. or the proposed meas
ure has been the main topic of discus
sion during this session; the grount
work of this attempt was laid out a.
early as twelve months ago at the time
OF the appointment of Paul H. King
as one of the receivers, to fill vacancy
of the Pere Marquette R. r.
The sagacity and foresight of the
manipulators and bondholders of the P
M. in selecting Mr.. King is patent tc
all; Mr.. King was young man reared
and nurtured under the dome of the
Capitol at Lansing; from messenger
boy in his teens to Clerk of the Con-
stitutional Convention in 1908, had
given Mr.. hing an experience and &C
quaintance with legislative matters
that was state wide; he knew every
politician in the State of Michigan, he
he knew the members of each house
of the legislature, and to impress his
good fellowship upon the present legis-
lature, he was the only man to ad-
dress a circular letter of congratula-
tons to every member of this body the
next morning after the November cleo
holders and manipulators of the
p. M, therefore, l say, made a very
wise and clever move when they call
ed Paul H. King to the post of operat-
ing Receiver of the p M. r. r. and
although he had had no experience
whatever in running or managing a
railroad, still with his energy and econ
omic methods l feel safe in saying that
from the managerial standpoint, Paul
King has proven to be a much better
man that has operated that road in
years, and one who has certainly been
true and faithful to his trust as we'll as
to the people of the state of Michigan.
Paul II. King has conducted a lobby
for the railroads of the State of Mich
igan, such as was never before attempt
ed where the chances of success were
so meagre as were theirs at the COM
mencement of the session; when the
suggestion was first made by petition
of the railroads of the state to the state
Legislature, the members of each
House greeted the proposal with jest
and laughter; but later Paul H. King,
followed by officials of the Ann Arbor
R. r., the Michigan Central, the Lake
Shore, the G. r. e. l. and many other
lines began to make regular and pro-
tracted visits to our Capitol, they talk
ed with one another and with those
with whom they had previously been
acquainted; they applied for proper
hearing before the railroad committees
of the House and Senate; they asked
and were granted public hearings be-
fore joint bodies of House and Senate;
on these hearings they exhibited vol
umes of figures, statements and asser-
tions, illustrated their arguments by
stereopticon views, and supplemented
their own arguments by the arguments
of their general attorneys, their audit
ors and other experts along the line;
all this exhibition naturally would gain
some sympathy for their position and
finally some members became convert
ed to the idea that the railroads of the
State were really poverty stricken and
introduced bills for their relief; think
there were three Bills thus presented,
one of them by our Senator Trip.
The Railroad Committees of both
houses now began to interest themsel-
yes in the necessity of granting the
Railroads relief; they argued among
themselves; it was contended that mas
much as the rate had been cut from &c
to &c in 1907 arbitrarily, without inves
tigation, and to satisfy the political av-
arice of Governor Warner, that the
rate should now be raised, and the rail-
roads placed in statu quo so far as
rate of 21a cents would go; they also
carried the argument further and pre-
scented the club argument ofttimes held
over the heads of the rural members,
that in event the raise were not grant
ed the railroads would abandon their
branch or feeder" lines and leave the
communities heretofore supplied solely
by such branch without communication
with the outside world this latter ar
gument was a mighty good one and
very effective with some of the mem
bres representing northern counties.
The opponents to the raise in rates
answered all these arguments by main
tanning that IL the railroads were in
hard straits" now, it was caused by
stock manipulations, poor management
on the part of the officials, and good
financiering on the part Of Wall street.
In determining whether or no there
was a loss on passenger traffic in this
State It became necessary to separate