The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-08-13
DISCUSSION OF
R. R. COMMISSION
A PROTEST BY A WHOLESALE
GROCER AGAINST ANY CHANGE
IN THE PRESENT COMMISSION
LAWS OF ALABAMA.
Tuscaloosa, Ala. August T. 1902

leaa some to believe that the Wholesale
Grocers of Alabama were waging war
against the railroads of Alabama.
Please conffne that charge to the local
Birmingham association, for I had my
fight against the railroads some fifteen
years ago before the United States In
terstate Commerce commissions when
first entered business fresh from schol-
astic halls of the east. imbued with the
ideas that the railroads were against u.s.
1 soon learned my mistake and ever
since have been a friend of the agencies
upon which our business is so dependent.
Below I hand you copy of letter to
a friend of mine whose name I omit
owing to its being a personal commune
cation, and the party addressed being
DESTROYS of not being drawn into the
controversy.
Tuscaloosa, Ala. July 2Sth, 1902
Dear Sir: Yours of July 25th to hand
BY the way the local association
of jobbers of Birmingham are treading
upon dangerous grounds when they en-
ter upon a fight with the combined pow
er of the railroads of Alabama.
Ten or fifteen years ago I fought the
railroads at this place and carried 1t
to the United States Interstate commits
sion, which resulted in my being CON
verted" never to strike the hand we
were so dependent upon.
Messrs. Beck and Sinnige were here
and spoke in our courthouse (Thurs-
day. in favor of eiecting the railroad
commission by the people.
To make the commission elective
launches it into politics; do We want an
other Goebel affair in Alabama like Ken
lucky? Besides nearly IS per cent IL not
SO per cent of all goods in your ware
rooms at Birmingham emanates from
points outside of our state over which
TINS Commission has no control and any
shrinkage Should there be any from
this liberty-loving elected commission
would have to be met by a raise in in
terstate rates over which they would
have no voice.
If there is one city in Alabama which
the railroads have nursed In its infancy
that place is Birmingham; is the child
now to turn against its mother?
After leaving Shreveport, La, at our
annual meeting l went over into Texas,
where they have a commission elective.
Naturally I visited those met at Shreve-
port: in Dallas, Fort Worth and Wealth
erford I was told Chow true 1 know not)
that that commission took certain
radius and said all towns in that belt
must have same rates, the result Of
which was that several of those houses
had to build warehouses at each place
they intended to do business. Some had
from three to five warerooms at various
places in the state and office force to
keep up.
This would mean a great loss II such
a deal was given rs.
Railroads are well organized to fight
common enemy, had you better not re-
main their friends?
Georgia is more thickly settled and Its
rural districts are better developed and
possibly the commission may help mat
tiers in sisolated cases of moving the
melon and fruit crops but / dare say
the interstate business pays for the de-
f1ciency.
l answered Messrs Beck & Sinnege
and told them that in my candid opinion
they were proceeding in the wrong way
as railroads were large corporations
that they could be approached in diff
ferent way and accomplish more.
Every reasonable request land I try
to ask no other) has been granted by our
two roads here and in ordering goods
from either the east or west I remember
the roads that are identified with our
city.
Was the n-Tuscaloosa train
put into Birmingham through a fight or
by request?
l dare say that the detraction from the
triple daily trains Akron to Birming-
ham this train is run at a loss to satisfy
your city's request.
I believe the state ought to pay the
commission and relieve the railroads,
then to stimulate the farmer to raise
corn, hay, potatoes, etc, commodity
commodity rates to mot from. full tariff
to apply nearest trading center of $500
people. Pardon length of this letter but
l thought l saw danger ahead and l
wished to avoid it.
(Signed) LUTHER IT. MAXWELL,
OF Maxwell Bros.
From the above. letter you can see
where l stand upon the question of
electing the commission direct by the
people.
II the Alabama commission was made
elective would the persons offering them
selves for election be for the peoples
interest or for the salary connected with
the office?
From past experience Of the political
history of Alabama I should say it
would be for the salary.
The man who could Shout" loudest
from the stump against the railroads
would possibly oe the one elected; would
railroads or induce other capitalists To
build railroads in our slater
Mr.. r. G.. Bush puts 1t in a concise
form when he says tariff baking is now
a science which takes years to under
stand.
Georgia's commission is chosen by its
chief executive to be ratified by the SEN
ate. Why cannot our governor do like
wise?
Birmingham wants so many advant-
ages over the balance of the state might
they not (since the negro vote is elmi-
nated) want a majority. if not all. of
own district since 1t has the largest
voting power? If they should effect this
they would encrouch upon territory all
over the state of Alabama and smaller
towns would be overridden, and forced
to buy at high prices from Birmingham.
1t seems to me they are asking the
people of Alabama to do an unreasonable
thing and to come In to help them tie
our hands.
Their emissaries are going over the
state talking about a few isolated cases
Of shipments of produce into Birming-
ham.
1 dare say that II the case mentioned
here of a car of potatoes, Carrolton to
Birmingham, was in a proper manner
referred to our present commission with
the request TO the three lines handling
1t some reduction would be made in the
tariff charged.
A great many people file complaints
with the commission which refer to inter-
state business over which the Alabama
has no control and unreason-
ably complain because the commission
cannot do what the laws of congress ex-
pressly forbid
The abuse heappd uDon orr rraeent