The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-26
Senator MOrean'S Reply to Johnston
Letter Demanding RetraCtiOn OF Proof


operator and very close friend, says, in his
letter to Colonel John of December 16, two
days before 1 spoke in the senate, that
Governor Johnston owned with me in the
thirty-three hundred and ten acres of
land, sold to the Sloss-Sheffied Steel and
Iron company, a one-fourth interest"
Now, If you will state the price per acre
that you paid for this land and the price
for which you sold 1t, 1.-The plain people,
will understand whether 1t was profit or
patriotism that moved you to assist in
forming that syndicate that Mr.. Maben SO
cordially refers to.
Echos of Limestone
I think I need not refer to any of the
other many proofs that have come out,
without any efforts of mine, to prove to
1.-THE plain people" that you are into this
project for creating new and dangerous
trust, to the same extent that you so
graphically describes in stating your de-
votion to silver, when speaking before the
people of Limestone county. In that burst
of emot ton you said that you were "a silver
man, from tail to snout''
Mr.. Maben applauds your zeal in "the
organization of a company in New Jersey
chat would do so much for the state of
Alabama: and General Rucker takes up
the refrain and severly rebukes the legisla-
tors of Alabama for their narrowness of
conception as to the value of great cor
poratio In his letter to Colonel John he
says, 81 will state, too, that it was neces-
sary to have a New Jersey charter onl be-
cause Alabama legislators have been too
narrow to admit of larger capitalization
than $1O,OOO,oOO in their state"
/ have not observed that you, as govern
or, have ever recommended to the legisla-
ture of Alabama an increase of capital
stock for great corporations, above $1OOO0,-
600. You, evidently, thought that 1.-THE
plain people, would take alarm at such a
proposed combination of water grandeur
and monopoly in those fictitious persons
under whose charters you have so greatly
prospered in your fortunes. You preferred
to combine great properties under a New
Jersey corporation, and bless the state
with another vast monopoly that you
thought your successor could never con-
troll, and would, therefore, be secure.
1t was just at this point that 1 felt 1t
my duty, as a senator, in advocating
measure for the repression of these trust
COInDludllOHS, 4NS" ccieOJ
dodge, to cite some recent instance of the
evasion and attempted notification of the
laws, in order to shelter these trusts
against the powers of the courts. There
are few states, if any, that are not cursed
with this bold and desperate assault upon
their sovereign powers and the pockets of
their people, which has become an epidem-
&c disease among the high HERS in specula-
ting on the soil, the labor and the produc-
lions of the people of other states.
was assailing this class of patriots, who
are SO highly applauded by Mr.. Maben and
General Rucker. could have found in
other states, like instances of this danger
Gus movement but found the governor of
Alabama leading a corporation chartered
by the state, in which he is. or was a large
stockholder into a combination with other
corporations, to abdicate their powers and
duties into the control Of a foreign corpo-
ration, contrary to law, as it is settled, ex-
pressly, in the case of the Central Trans
portation company VS.. the Pullman Car
ccmpisy. 1ss U. s.. p. 49,. and the Addy-