The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-08-22
THE RAILROAD COMMISSION.
Their Powers and Duties-Informa.
tion From Candidate w. ID, May

Held
Tho following points are made by !
w. ID. Msyiield, candidate for railroad |
comm issiOner, In his speeches
The board OF railroad commission
ers Is one OF the most important boards
In tho State. 1t has control OF the
railroads, telegraph and express COM
panies of the State has power to reg
ulste schedules, make and alter freight
rates and help to fix the valuation for
taxation. The board Is OF great inn
portance to the people OF the State and
could be OF great benefit.
The board Is composed OF three mem
bers who hold office for six years, one
to be elected every two years, and each
memS Ger gets salary OF 81 900 per an
mum. These salaries are paid by the
railroads. The railroads not only pay
the salaries but furnish the board an
Office, stationery, stamps, fuel, lights,
pay the salary OF the clerk and give
each member and the clerk a pass over
all the roads in the State. The people
elect these officers and the railroads
pay them. This is wrong. TIE State
should pay them and the term should
be made two years instead OF six and
they should be made to come before
the people every two years, like all
other State officers, and give an &C.
count OF their Stewardship. This would
call forth action.
The people are demanding protec
tion everywhere from trusts and cor
porate power and this State should
have free and independent board to
protect the peoples interest from en-
croachment by these corporations. 1t
| Will be too late to lock the stable door
alter the horse Ia gone and | warn the
people to have this law changed
In this State unjust DETERMINATIONS
are made by the railroads in favor OF
certain towns and cities against others.
This Is wrong and should not be al
| lowed. The commission has the power
to regulate local rates and could pre-
vent it.
Certains portions Of this State are
well adapted to fruit growing and
truck farming and opportunity should
be given for development and exten-
sion OF these by giving rates which
will permit them to be put on the
market on equal terms with fruit and
truck grown in other Southern States.
The fruit growers and truck farmers
Ia the lower portion OF the State can
not sell to the people in the uppcr por-
tion for lack OF proper rates. The fruit
growers and truck farmers Of Georgia
load and ship to the North through
people have to pay. This is not right.
Somebody got u good rate for Georgia
and somebody could get as good a rate
for South Carolina.
In the portion OF the State where
fruit and vegetables are grown large
quantities might be canned profitably
II it could be put on the market but
the local rates will not permit our peo-
pie to compete with outsiders who en-
Joy a better rate.
Roller mills in this State should
have rates which would encourage
wheat growing and enable them to
compete on equal terms with mills out.
side OF the State. But such Is not the
case. A roller mill in Augusta has a
less freight to points in South Carolina
than mill In this State has to the
same point. So 1t follows that our
roller mills are at a disadvantage in
selling to our own merchants. This Is
wrong and Is an injustice which should
be remedied. Furniture factories in
this State cannot compete with factor
les outside OF the State in selling to
our own merchants for the reason that
the factories outside OF the State have
better rates than our factories can get
The result Is we have no largo furni.
ture factory in the State.
What is true OF furniture is true ol
iron works, brooms, shoes, wagons
buggies, soap, rope, canned goods, ag.
ricultural implements, and there Is nc
good reason why we should not have
good rates on all of these. Some South
ern State will take the lead In their
manufacture and why not South Caro-
lima.
The upper portion of South Carolins
cannot raise cotton enough to supply
| nd ha ,,,ill 90 L,,u
other markets. The lower portion oi
the State raises far more cotton than
is manufactured there and the mills In
the upper portion of the State should
be enabled to buy from the lower por.
tion. But such ls not the case. The
rate from the lower portion Of the
State is so high that the mills are
forced to 60 to Georgia, Alabama and
Mississippi because they can buy there
and ship here cheaper than they can
buy and ship from the lower portion o
this State and the farmers are forced
to sell their cotton at less price than
shipped out OF the State and manufac
tured elsewhere. This is an injustice
to the people in the lower portion OF
the State.
Cotton mills should be given the
very best rates for marketing their
products. Such rates, would, with
the best rates for buying, encourage
the milling business In the State which
everybody knows Is to the interest OF
the State.
Wholesaleing In this State should be
encouraged instead Of discouraged 1t
is to the interest Of the State that
large wholesale stores be established
1t would add wealth an1 keep money al
home. We have some Wholesale stOree
In the State but they are not due to
anything done by the .'silroad commits
sion. and have to labor ut q dissdvan.
tage. Wholesale merct ants in Savan-
nah, Augusta, Atlanta, Richmond
Lynchburg, Wilmingtoa and Norfolk
can sell to the retail merchants In
South Carolina cheaper than can the
wholesale merchants OF this State be-
cause they have better rates to points
in this State than our wholesale NOR
chants have. This Is shame and our
merchants should have relief which
would enable thom to compete on equal
terms. Char lesion, Port Royal and
Georgetown should become import and
export cities OF this State. The rates
now In force prevent them from even
competing for the business which prop.
erly belongs to them and drives it to
Wilmington and Savannah. They are
80 completely bottled up" by reason
Of rates that business Ia taken from
their very doors instead OF being able
to command that and invite business
from other portions OF the State.
! | doubt III the parallel of such a