Strike bulletin. (Clinton, Ill.) 1913-1915, 1915-03-17
TACTICS OF $50,0OO
LOBBY H|NDERP|.ANS
FOR RATE INCREASE
LeRnlators Resent Acts Of Lo6byists
and Threaten to Defeat Rail.
road Measure.

JEFFERsoN CITY. March TIE ex-
tensiNt railroad lobby IN Jefferson city.
who's. object has been to promote legls.
lati"n tor higher passenger tatrs ami
u hi'h. II Was estimated last night hy
member "f tile legislature. had oct tn"
and attempt To defeat the general tail-
road htll The nous" amendment pra-
hibiting an increase in rat.s until IL.
Puhio service Commission has made
phy steal valuation OF all railroad property
in the state. has left tibet roads in much
worse condition than they wer. b.for.
the fight for Increased rates started
Under the old Law the Public Service
Commission could have advanced rates
hiii as amended. the commission canno,
incr"as. rates. The valuation would take
from five to seven years.
Three Cssrses Opes 70 Lsss,.
The lobby has Its choic. OF three
courses II can attempt To have the bill
rr,on-idercd In the house today. II can
attempt To amend the senate hiil and send
| Il to the house. u can fight the hous.
hill IN the senate and attempt 10 defeat
any railroad legislation.
Ih. rushing defeat OF the railroads
yesterday Mas du.. according To one OF
IN" d.mocratv leaders In the house. to
TIA. sending Of thousands OF t.legTams To
| n-h.is OF III. legislature. the lobby main
tanned at the capitol. and the publication
III the 81 Louis Republic yesterday II an
editorial assuming that tn. Public service
Commission would accept the amrndm. I
| adopted Wednesday, authorizing the C"m-
mission to put into effect 2l-c.nt rate.
the commission TO put into effect the ad-
| Nanced rate.
senator william H. Phelps who has
been counted an active opponent Of the
| railroads since he served his connections
with tn, Missouri Pacific several years
ago ~ also credited by som. members
with having a hand In the defeat Phelps.
| during the debate "Wednesday afternoon.
| several timrs called Repres.ntatiNe Lee
| to the cloak room, and IL" returned to
| his sat to ak pertinent questions OF the
Ipro-railroad m,mb.rs
| TIL. cost of the campaign for increased
| rates has been enormous. member of
| thu house last night estimated that the / :
me mh.rs of the legislature had received
| an average of 200 kilograms es' h. Thsss
were signed 10y constituents OF tn" mem.
| ber-, and urged them To vote for Increased
rates II tht railroads paid the tommet-
oial rat. of these messages the cost MAJ
approximately Ho,ooe
! in. railroads hasr maintained an aver
age II fiNs representatives at the vapi-
tai since tn. legislature convened low
est innate ON the hotel eSpcnSts alone of
th.S, r.pr.ssntatlAez would be- s. daN
This wuuld make this itsm fl5e0H Mueh
OF the time there have been other repre-
srntatiNcs Al the capital s"metim"s hs
many a. 30 or 90 The eNpsnse Of bring
ing all these men Ia the capital and main
tanning them is estimated at least at an.
other $500
In addition to this petitions from ncarlv
every county In the state have reached
members Members stated on thte floor
| that tn. railroads had hired automobiles
and sent men to seour the various conh-
| ties to Obtain the signatures OF men VIII
were thought to have special weight with
| the representative from their county.
| In addition to Ibis there has been Tor
| nearly a var an eNtenstv" advertising
| campaign conducted In the country ptess
= urging the necessity uf higher rates
Tes~srsa. change N"s~..
several members last night said that
n-arls every member believed the tel.
! grams an unfair scheme Of the railroads
] to infiunce them. and that many votes
we're recorded against the railroads be