The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-10-15
COL. FALKNER'S
REPLY TO Mr.. Conner
Regarding the Georgia Railroad
Commission Law.
He DEFENDS THE RAILROADS
says Mr.. Conner Has Had Taste of Dis.
elimination and Tells Some Stories
Applicable to Complaints Against
the Railroads of Alabama

montgomery, October H.-(Special Col
onel j. M. Falkner furnished The Age-Her-
aid representative very strong and spicy
interview tonight in reply to the article of
b. b. Conner, of Birmingham published
yesterday, in which the Alabama railroad
commission law is assailed, and the Geor-
ga law defended. In regard to the Conner
letter, Colonel Falkner said:
Having just read with some interest the
communication of b. B. Conner in the Biz
mingham News of October Is, 1 desire to
say that feel no interest whatever in the
georgia railroad commission law as ap-
piled TO the state of Georgia. l would not
even suggest how the people of Georgia
should regulate their internal affairs
No one believes stronger in local self-gov-
.ernment than | do; but as a native citizen
of tho state of Alabama, [ shall most
earnestly protest against the placing of
what Is now known as the Georgia railroad
commission law upon the statue books of
Alabama. L have read the reply of Judge
Atkinson, of the Georgia railroad commits
sion, to my interview heretofore published
in the Birmingham News; but l am led to
believe that in securing the testimony of
Judge Atkinson the parties who are advo-
eating this measure have not furnished the
best evidence on this subject that is OBJ
tainable. If one wanted to know how bad
it hurt to have tooth pulled he would
not be fool enough to ask a dentist, but
would certainly go to the fellow at the
other end of the forceps. Judge Atkinson
is not the one who has had the tooth
pulled. If Mr. Conner will call on his
brother, H. M. Conner, president of the
Central of Georgia Railway company, he
will have a more competent witness than
Judge Atkinson as to how bad 1t hurts.
ausp OF the troubles
II feel very sure that everybody WHO has
been il any way interested in the railroads
of Georgia would De deh.lt to know that
the Richmond Terminal was the cause OF
all the troubles which the Central of Geor-
gia and other railroads had and which re-
suited finally in their going into the hands
OF reeeiN ers, etc, and that all these disas-
tiers were not attributable to other causes.
IL is difficult, however, for plain citizen
to understand how the mere manipulation
of the stock of the Central of Georgia or
any. other railroad company, could in any
way decrease the earning capacity of the
roads alluded to. Judge Atkinson does not
so into details to show how all these great
losses are brought about at he instance of
the Richmond Terminal, nor does he state
in his article that In 1882 tnere was gen.
eral reduction of freight rates all over the
state of Georgia, made by the commission,
amounting to more than 20 per cent. When
liilS IdCl 10 AnOWH II is NOT ulIIlcull TO I'M
derstand why quite a number of railroads
in Georgia were not able to meet their
fixed charges and operating expenses, and
consequently were finally forced into the
hands of receivers 1t may be that the
conduct of the Richmond Terminal contrib
uted some Way toward this end but with
the revenues of these great industries very
materially cut off, it is not very difficult to
understand that just what did happen was
inevitable.
ut is well known fac THAT about the
time of the establishment of the railroad
commission of Georgia, and for a number
of years thereafter, there was great activ-
ity in all commercial circles, and there was
much prosperity throughout the whole
country During this period, by reason of
the large amount of business done, rail-
roads were able to meet their OBLIGATIONS:
but when the reaction came, resulting in a
general depression of business throughout
the land the railroads were tine first to feel
this depression, and with their revenues
materially decreased it simply became i'm
possible to meet their fixed charges and
operating expenses, and the result was, as
was nevita ole from the beginning a re-
ceiver closing out sale and finally a
Grange of ownership.
Ascertain the Trouble
II think, before we undertake to pre-
scribe remedy, we had better find out
what Tic tlOuule is. NO Ek1llful doctor
would prescribe remedy until he had
diagnosis of the case and found out what
the real complaint was Mr. Conner states
no specific trouble between the railroads
and the people of Alabama, and is like a
young man whom once knew. On arriv-
ing at the age of q his father gave to this
young man his blessing and several hun
dred dollars to start him off In life. He in
vested a considerable portion of this money
in horse and buggy, silver watch and a
new suit OF clothes, and started out to
hunt partner for life. Being in town one
day. he took his horse from the buggy
hitched him to a swinging limb, and while
engaged in doing some shopping a runner
came and announced to him that his horse
was sick. He rushed down to his horse
and found large crowd standing around
One of the men told him that Mr.. Robert
son had a sick horse on yesterday just like
this one, and he had better find out what
MIR. Robertson did for his horse. So he
rushed around the corner and asked Rob-
ertson If he had a sick horse yesterday,
Robertson replied in the affirmative.
what did you give him?" asked the
young man.
Robertson replied: II gave him pint
bottle of laudanum."
Without further question he rushed to
drug store and got pint bottle of lauda-
mum and rushed back and drenched his
horse with It, In a short time the horse
died. Mortified at the result, he rushed
back to Mr.. Robertson ana said:
Didn't you tell me that you had sick
horse yesterday and that you gave him a
pint bottle of laudanum?"
Mr.. Robertson answered that he did.
"Well." he said, II gave my horse pint
bottle of laudanum and he died.
| Mr. Robertson replied: $50 did mine
81 am afraid that my friend. Mr.. Conner
| is acting with much haste and with as
| much zeal in this matter and with the same
| indiscretion as the young man did in trying
| to cure his sick horse. The attempt has
! often been made to get remedy that will
| apply to everything and heal all the ills that
| flesh Is heir to.
| "At the time the Georgia railroad commits
| sion law was first agitated, the idea seemed
l to be to find some one remedy that would
| be sovereign cure for all complaints aris-
| ing out of the transportation of men and
! things and is not unlike the cure of a GER
| tain doctor who once lived in Alabama, who
| thought that he could compound medicine
/ that would cure any disease known to man.
With this end in view he took small guam
| tity Of all the medicines that he knew of,
| mt them together In a vessel, and COM