Show ANOThER WHACK AT STATE LAWS Judge Smith McPherson Up Upholds Upholds Upholds holds Contentions of the Railroads MISSOURI ACTS NO GOOD HADLEY LOSES OUT IN BITTER BITTERLY LY L Y FOUGHT CASE Kansas City CIt March Smith McPherson in the federal court here to today today today day decided that he has full Jurisdiction over both the thc maximum freight and the passenger fare tare cases In Missouri In other ether words ho he holds In favor of the railroads and against the state on tho the question of jurisdiction Last year the th legislature passed the two cent law and a minimum freight law re reducing reducing reducing existing freight rates about 25 2 per percent percent percent cent All Al of the main line railroads In Missouri joined in an application for an injunction last June from the thc federal court at Kansas City to prevent the stat officials from enforcing the laws Mean Meantime Meantime Meantime time a truce was arranged between the railroads and nd the attorney general under which the roads were to put the law in force foree Fought Both the Laws The freight law was passed in 1903 and fixed rates on many man commodities In car carload carload load Joad lots on a It cent a a mile basis The enforcement of that law was tied up by b the federal court and a master took testimony testimony testimony mony to determine the fairness of the rate In 1907 with the case still pending the legislature passed a new law with more reasonable rate schedules for live livestock livestock livestock stock The railroads went Into court with an amendment to their first bill enjoining the enforcement of the old law They asked the court to enjoin the new freight law because passenger earnings are In Involved Involved involved In the same class with freight earnings in making up the total receipts Attorney General Hadley Hadle fought the amendment denying the right of the fed federal federal federal eral to enjoin him or Interfere with the enforcement of the criminal statute Decision of McPherson The railroads agreed to give ghe the law a test for three months and asked Judge McPherson to give them that much mu h time to see how the laW aw would affect their revenues For seven months the railroads have sold tickets at 2 cents I Now comes the th court ourt with a decision hold holdIng holdIng Ing lag that in Jn enjoining the state officers he be Is not riot enjoining the state Itself that he has a perfect right to go Into the question of or whether the rates fixed by br the statutes are remunerative Frank Hagerman attorney for the rail railroads railroads railroads roads said today after the decision was I rendered that he did not know what the I next steps of te tie railroads would be I |