The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-11-18
Commission and the courts to pre-.

vent it,
The railroads resisted the reduced
fertilizer rate and the case was taken
to the United States Court where it
should have been adjudicated and
settled, but instead majority of this
Board entered into a trade with the
railroad corporation as follows /:
"That the railroads will Immediately
have Withdrawn the pending bill in
the United States Circuit Court in
Equity, and will agree to put in op.
Grafton the reduced tariff on fertili-
zers," ETC. At the request of the
railroad companies the commissioners
will take up at an early day with the
traffic managers of the several rail-
road lines the consideration of the
entire freight traffic rates with a
view to ascertain whether there are
not some other articles upon which
they can consistently with their off,
cial duties grant raises of rate, or 80
revise the entire tariff as to do justice
and equity to all I"
Commissioner Thomas protested as
follows:
lst That it is unjust and illegal to
select fertilizers out of lot of ana
lagous commodities and reduce it be-
low it's kind
End That he had resolution on
file in the Office to readjust the whole
tariff for twelve months past, but the
resolution had been ignored
3rd That this proposition. how
ever, it might be covered up in words
was trade and that he was not
authorized no, willing to make any
such trade in favor ofoue commodity
against others, but that justice ought
to be done by the board to the rail
roads and people on a consideration
of the whole schedule, and he refused
to be party to any trade whatever.
w. A. HENDERSON,
Chairman
The trade between the co commission
and the railroads stripped Of all it's
verbiage is simply this: You work
the fertilizer rate whether it is just
or not, and we will raise rates to
recoup you When you agreed to
recoup the railroads you acknowl-
edge that you had made for them an
unjust and unreasonable rate, else
why agree to pay the railroads to
work it !? The fertilizer reduction pre-
cludes even the consideration of a
reduction of che rate on cotton, be-
cause the majority of this Board
under the terms of the trade with
the railroads are committed in a
written agreement to raise of rate,
thus you exclude the farmer from a
reduced rate on cotton % which he
is justly and legally entitled. On
page 12 in Georgia's Railroad Com
missiouer's report, 1885, the Com
mission says: "That the people do
not read think, and observe how this
great octopus. the Southern Railway,
is getting its hold on our industries
farming, manufacturing, jobbing,
fruit raising, mining, etc., and suck
ing their life.blood."
This great corporation whose attor-
ney in suit with the State said that
the capitalization of the Southern Rail-
way was larger than the whole taxable
property Of South Carolina is stretch
ing its tentacles into this State ::aud
has pretty we'll gobbed up everything
above COLUMBIA
If rates are to be made 10 this State
by the Railroad Commission trading
with this monster corporation outside
of the Law, then God help the people
Not orly the farmer but every other iu.
dustry iu this State will soon be taught
the rule put by Wordsworth into the
mouth of Rob Roy
''The simple rule, the good old plan,
That be shall take who has the power,
And be shall keep who can."
Uuder what law have you gentlemen
authority to cut rates of any railroad
below the cost of service and con6scate
the property? Under what law do you
6ud authority for trading away the in
terests of The great fertilizer manufac-
turing centre Of South Carolina, and
turning it over to few little interior
mills who can't supply the demands Of
even the Piedmont section. You gen
,lemeu have yourselves done that which
the law iustructs you to prevent, that is
the reason why [ have published pro-
test after protest against rate which |
know to be uujust. unreasonable, dis
criminative and illegal.
Fifty per cent. of the fertilizers in
this State are sold in the Piedmont Sec
ton. To all that section there was 2
IL, Nc en- 49, .or So.