The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-13
DO NOT DISTURB THE
RAILROAD COMMISSION
Continued from Page Nine.)

S
we fly. stagnaticn. agnation--starva-
ton. starvation. As an illustration, we
win take the county of Jefferson. See
what the railroads and the people have
accomplished by leaning on each other.
Statistics show that in 1876 the. property
of Jefferson County was assessed at ST.
952,64O, while in 1901 the assessment runs
UP to the marvellous figures of sA. 1851
The people, the railroads, the industries,
by united efforts. accomplished the above.
Let 1t be this way all over the State.
LET THE COMMISSIONERS ALONE.
The Vernon Courier.
The Montgomery Journal. in an editorial
on the question of an elective Railroad
Commission, has the following to say:
The Journal yesterday afternoon pub
lished an interview with Hon. Charles
Henderson of Troy. who was enroute
home from Gadsden, where he had at
tended the meeting of the State CONNER
cial and Industrial Association. In his
interview Mr.. Henderson urged that the
Railroad Commissioners should be made
elective and charged that undue infiu-
ences were brought to bear on the asso-
citation at Gadsden to defeat the resolu-
tfon declaring 1t the sense Of the associ-
alton that the State Railroad Commission
1
| derson does, unintentionally no doubt. in
| justice to a large body of the Association
who differ with him and his friends as to
| the proper action to take in this matter.
| 1t Is wrong TO assume that they were in
f1uenced by other than the purest and
| highest motives. Perhaps many of them
who voted against the resolution thought
| 1t was question purely political and
one calculated to draw the business men
| of a business organization into politics.
and for this reason opposed 1t. Perhaps
others were of the opinion that the prop
osition was entirely wrong and that to
endeavor to carry out such a scheme
would not only force the business men
into politics, but the railroads of the
State as well in order to protect their
property.
| The business men of the State are tax
payers and they understand above all
other classes of people what a Commits
sion when brought into politics means.
| Those men who could abuse and proclaim
| against corporations the loudest and long
est would get elected, and such a Com
mission, composed of anti-railroad mate
rial, would proceed to take every railroad
| In the State by the throat and the result
| would be-what? Would ii not mean
bankruptcy for the roads? Corporations.
| like individuals. for they are not any
| thing but a collection of individuals, want
| as little interference with their private
| business by outsiders as 1t consistent with
j the public good, and capital is just as SEN
| sitive in the hands of the few as In the
\ hands Of the many. A war on railroads
| at this time would stop railroad building
| in this State and II would set the State
/ back ten years. If there was any neccs-
sity for such a war the matter would be
different, but there is none. and the re-
| lation of the people with the railroads
| were never so pleasant and agreeable as
they are today. 1t should also be added
! that Alabama was never SO prosperous as
today.
1t is to be hoped that the action of the
business men at Gadsden In refusing to
be made party to a war on corporations
will have "a good effect all over the State.
| Such a war would be most unfortunate.
1t would injure the State and retard its
, growth and progress. Can we afford such
| a war? We think not. Alabama is in its
infancy in railroad development. We
should invite, rather than retard railroad
| development
The Evening Tribune. Huntsville, Ala.
In referring to the interview with Mr..
/ Hender son. the editor has this to say:
Il We have no desire to make other than
a very courteous reply to Mr.. Henderson.
However we feel that a reply should be
made to an insinuation that undue in
fiuence was brought to bear upon the as
ISOLATION at Gadsden. When a body Of
gentlemen are charged with being con-
trolled by undue influence, the best de-
Tense to SO vicious charge
to their give doing in'e' essnty re %hat
was done. We therefore feel that ac
President of the as ociation. 1t bee mes
| our duty as well as a pleasure to defend
| the association. The writer was chair
| man of the Committee on Resolutions.
Tho resolutions directing Railroad Com
missioners to be nominated by the peo-
PIE. elected by the people, raid by the
state, and that arbitrary power to fix
equitable freight rates be granted them
was offered by Mr.. - of AnnistCn.
However. it was very clear that Mr.,
Conner of Birmingham, an embryo poll
tician. was behind the deal. and that Mr..
Conner had a knife up his sleeve for the
railroads. AMI good deal of sugar in hls
! pockets for the dear lovely, long suffer
ing pc 1ple. In other words, we obse we'd
that Mr.. Conner aJad about him the pre-
monitory symptoms of being candidate.
that he suspected that he was an undis-
covered Moses. who would suddenly de-
velop ard dazzle the eyes of the pol tical
world with his brilliarcy. Mr.. Conner l.
now in a ate Of political incubation, but
when Matched, he will belong to tat
class of politicians who rely for success
more upon thY ignorant rrejudices of the
people than thsir intelligent patriot 'm'
he will be a typical rocr mans candi-
date, and it will be very poor excuse
CT n man who will support him. The
Committee on Resolutions was c. i.
Lane. chairman; Me S. Kyle of G I'd
, cen Conner Tthbctts Jones Mr. Ttb-
} belts Of Mob le. collector of the port. sug-
gested that the resolutions be refer, Cd
back to the house without report. and
, without a d ssenting voice this was done
, Was there evidence of undue influence ir
thaty The debates on the resolutions