The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-12-16
Row in the Railroad Com
mission.
,ahonas Makes Some Serious
Charges Against his Eel
low Members and
the Secretary.

low Members and
the Secretary.
Below is given in full Railroad
Commissioner H R. Thomas reply to
the statement of Chairman Evans,
published few days ago The row
in the commission, Judging from the
tone of Mr.. Thomas communication,
seems TO be further from settlemnt
than ever. Here is what Mr. Thomas
says:
In discussing the fertilizer rate, I
have confined myself entirely to the
records have proven by Comm;s
sioner Evans letter in letter book.
page IA, that on May % he commit
ted himself and Commissioner Viii
born to fertilizer dealer to reduce
the rates on fertilizer, and on Sept 4,
he called the railroad officials and the
fertilizer people together to discuss
the rate (page 33, minutes), when
the majority Of the board were al
ready committed | denounced this
as trifing. / have proven by Mr.
W. A. Clark, president Columbia
Fertilizer Mills, and one of the chief
bene6cisries of the reduced rate,
that the rate fixed by the board gave
the interior fertilizer mills an advan.
tage over the Charleston factories in
the territory above Columbia, of IS
cents per ton. (See State papers,
Nov. 81 } I have proven by the pub.
lished account sales of our secretary,
who is president ofthe alliance ex
change, that be absorbed from my al
lance brethren this Is cents ton,
in territory above Columbia, selling
hi. Columbia goods to them at the
Charleston price. with the Charleston
freight added (See published State
papers, Nov 81 l referred to j. j
Mayer, Prosperity, Saluda Alliance !;
T. L. Paysinger. Newberry, Hartford
Alliance T. S. Blair, Silver Street,
Ethiopia Alliance; S. B Crotwell,
Newberry, johnson Alliance I saw
Secretary Duncan making this rate.
denounced our secretary's taking
advantage of his official position to
make rates for him, to sell fertilizer
at IS cents a ton above his competi-
tors as an outrage wish it we'll
understood that | do not charge Sec
retarS Duncan with absorbing IS
cents too for himself. for don't
know whether he got it. the Alliance
exchange or the interior mills; it is
not my province to inquire, out | do
know the farmers did not get it.
Commissioner Wilborn's resolution
to reduce rates north of Columbia
proves that he now regards the rate
I, in the Piedmont territory as a dis
criminative rate have proven that
Commissioners Evans and Wilborn
have entered into trade with the rail.
road AID the trade was this /: You
work the fertilizer rate, and we will
recoup you by raising rates on other
articles at the request OF the railroad
companies (See Evans reply, State
papers, Dec Against this pro
tested. The commission try to hide
behind Attorney General Barber,
who says "It seems to me to be a
method of settling what might be-
come vexatious litigation in a manner
advantageous TO the people of the
state, for that reason l advised it's
acceptance Gen. Barber did not
advise this trade, because the rate
was just and reasonable as the law
requires, but to avoid the expense
of the vex2tious litigation brought
about by Commissioners Evans
and W'ilborn fixing rate which
Commissioner WiIborn now acknowl-
edges was an unjust and discriminate
i've rate. In my speech. Nov. 20,
in quoting the trade between Con-
missioners Evans and Wilborn, l
said: eff, at the request of the rail
road companies etc." when shonld
have said: "At the request of the
railroad companies, etc." Commis-
sioner Evans says: "Would any
honorable man SO falsify the records,
etc F." The following letter will ex-
plain my misquotation, which does
not affect the meaning in any way
Columbia, S c., Oct. 81, 1896.
".Hon. w. D. Evans, Chairman
Board of Railroad Commissioners {:
!, .stDear Sir: Gen Henderson
fgave me the copy of my protest be.