Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-06
MIR. CONFER TO MR.. SHORTER.
President Alabama Railroad Commits

President Alabama Railroad Commits
sion.
Dear Sir: I have never written
charge over the name of friend, neith-
err does Mr.. Roden need guidance or die
tation to express his views l was alb
solutely ignorant that he intended let
ter But if he or 1 could get your hon.
orable body interested in freight reform
a great work for Alabama would have
been accomplished. For surely 1t Is
monstrous proposition, that freight rates
should not share the general shrinkage.
In the late national campaign the rail-
roads advised their employees that dol
lar now would buy double as much as
formerly. In all candor, should 1t not
buy more freight? Our rates are practi-
caily the same as fifteen years ago. Is
it fair to force the farmer to furnish all
the cheap stuff? Freight is tax; and
your body was created for the purpose
of seeing that the smallest possible
the state something like $150,000 of sal
aries in the last ten years, and II you
have worked a freight charge with
either underbit, cutoff, or swallow-fork.
no one has 1t in his memory. And IL
Roden and I could aggravate you into
making an s cent rate from Sheffield
here, certainly not over 10 cents. them
you and we would strike congratula-
tons on the first work done for the
state. You will consider this question on
the QUIZ. IL NdSntiilc, zoo 10 Gil
titled to 10 cent rate. then Sheffield.
100 miles, should have an cent rate.
With this rate rthe Tennessee would
become what it should be, factor in
Alabama commerce. AS regards dis
elimination against Alabama merchants,
Of course you understand that while Mr..
Roden may have failed to clearly state
his facts, the discrimination does exist,
and it i'll becomes you, the paid repre-
sentative of the people, to attempt ridi-
cule or mystification of the condition.
You overlook the fact that you are paid
for service, and a sinecure was not in
tended; and however much you may
have become muddled on the question 1t
was originally intended that you should
serve the people. The railroads will take
care of themselves. Other states have
moved, or are moving towards tariff
reform, why should not Alabama? Mis-
sissippi recently secured 20 to 40 per
cent. reduction In tariff rates; Georgia
previously had 40 to 60. Are we obsolete?
It looks a little as IL you had marked
us in the railroad mark, to be their meat
forever. The Alabama Great Southern
arranged their local rates so as to give
the business to New Orleans. Cincinnati
and Chattanooga. The Kansas City and
Fort Scott SO as to build Kansas City.
and Memphis; the Louisville and Nash
vile, st. Louis, Evansville. Louisville.
Cincinnati and Nashville. If you have
the state and interstate rates at hand
bama jobber Is Disseminated against
from to Is cents a hundred, and that
the Alabama consumer or farmer. when
using local rates pays nearly double as
much as the Georgia farmer
Please do not forget that this discus
sion was precipitated by my reading a
statement to the Commercial club Of
Birmingham, that the Texas commits
sion had so arranged rates that the Tex
as jobber had slight advantage of the
foreign jobber, and a statement from the
Financial Chronicle that the Texas farm
err had been saved $4,000 freight on cot
ton alone, and to show you what further
use railroad commission can be, the
Georgia commission now have under adj
visement the complaint from the home
manufacturers of fertilizers that the out
side factory has some advantage in rates.
Please credit the statement that I
am not trying to excite, but to incite
you to change these conditions. 1t
makes little difference whether my
communications are marked" with a.
swallow-fork or an under-bit, but your
conduct should have some characteristic
other than preserving the statu quo.
Worry triily