Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-31
SECRETARY THOMPSON

OF THE COMMERCIAL CLUB TALKS OF THE
 RAILROAD BILL.
 A feeling of disgust prevails among the business men of Birmingham concerning the railroad bill, which is considered as scheme by which the Southern expects to scoop in the Alabama Great Southern, passed by the house of representatives at Montgomery on Tuesday.
 Aside from the protests made against the passage of the bill by the Commercial club es body and mass meeting of business men, individual protests from large num- Der of merchants were made yesterday in the form of private telegrams sent Gov ernor Oates urging him not to sign the bill, as it is an injury, and grave one, for Birmingham.
 Yesterday afternoon an AGE-HERALD re- porter had an interview with MT. N. F. Thompson, secretary of the Commercial club, and who was also one of the com mittee sent by the club to Montgomery to protest against the passage of the bill, con- corning 1t.
 MT. Thompson said: "'This measure has been most carefully planned and thoroughly worked up without letting any one know ot it's real purport. The best evidence of this is the fact that when our committee appeared before the legislative committee on Monday night questions were asked by different members of the
 
 had only one view of it presented them, and that entirely deceptive in its tendency. Mir. Pettus himself, in his opening speech before this committee, stated that he had introduced the bill in good faith and to protect the people of Alabama against foreigners. He further showed from his talk that the lines on which the bill had been urged were entirely In the supposed interest of the citizens of Alabama and that the bill WAS considered general in came along shortly afterward and admitted that the bill was intended to secure control of the Alabama Great South ern Railway company by the Southern, and Mr. Pettus did not protest against that admission. fail to see where any great injustice was done him in the publication of the AGE- HERALD on Sunday last, to which he objected so strongly. He is Q member of the firm that are attorneys for the Southern Railway company by his own admission. He did not explain his re- lation to the bill before the senate or it's intended effect. He did secure its passage by his personal exertions, and, further, was in the lobby of the house when Repre-. sentative Willett's bill was being discussed. These are simple facts, and the public can draw their own conclusions from them.
 'That the bill had not been explained is evidenced by the vote of the ommittee be- fore which he appeared. They had pre- viously made an unanimous report on the Willett bill, similar in all respects to the Pettus bill, and yet after this bill had been explained the committee was tie in their vote to report it.. Even MT. Mcqueen 8 vote against it in the committee after he knew it's effect on Birmingham might have gone far to defeat it. The strong lobby headed by General Shelely and the attorneys for the Southern unquestionably stocked the cards in1heir favor. Another matter also seems to have had a strong effect in the passage of the bill. combination ap- pears to have been formed with the popu- lites, as they held caucus Monday night, it is thought, on this bill, and Bowman and Reese were present at that caucus, and they all voted for the bill with only two exceptions, as 1 am informed. If the farming classes can see how they will be made to pay higher tariff for bringing their products into market by the monopoly this bill will create if it becomes a law, they should feel as much disgust for their leaders who advised them as I feel about this whole business.p