The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-11

on many hearths and places roofs above the family of the poor man and gives him opportunity to always exchange his labor for gold wherewith to give the comforts of life to his wife and little ones. The larger and richer corporations are, as a general thing. the better the service they can give for little money. A telephone or telegraph message for about 25 cents would be several dollars if several different companies owned the lines. Formerly when railroads were a hundred miles or SD long, you had to be changing cars day and night. Now, on account of the larger companies and longer lines, with the rates the same. thousands of miles may be traversed without changing cars, and the cars are made more luxurious to provide for the traveller. The tendency is onward and upward. The railroads depend on the public for their sustenance: they have to please their customers they are a part of the body polite; they are part of the state itself. The men operating the trains are born and reared here. mainly. Here they first saw the light and here the sacred soil of Alabama covers theif dust in death
 There is nothing dangerous or foreign to Alabama in the railroads. They pay more taxes and have more at stake and are therefore more interested in good gov ernment than any other class. Suppose that they all could be taken out of Ala bama at once. The tax rate would have to be doubled on the people at once, and the prosperity of the state would go to where oblivion broods, and in a little while the hum of industry would be heard no more The effort made to have gov ernment warehouses is a thing of the past. The effort to establish a government pledged for slavery is now a part of his- tory. The free silver agitation has come and gone, and there must be something for some people to work on We wonder if the people agitating this movement would like to have men put in charge of their property with power to wreck it. and they put there expected to do so. Alabama owes much to the railroads. Capital cannot oppress our people under our laws if they wanted to.
 Alabama is on the great highway or prosperity with the nations of the earth. It's limitless fields of coal and iron, its vast forests. it's great rivers and rail- roads, it's countless factories, it's broad and fertile fields are drawing the vigoi, brawn and brain of the continent here. It is acquiring a momentum as propof- tionate to Its greatness. and shall few politicians scare away the powers that are building it up? We have the re- sources. God has given us them. We need the capital to develop them. Mag ara's roar was utter silence until a hu- man ear came within it's reach. Alabama will lie prone and prostrate until capital comes within reach to hear the wonder full story. It seems to me that we are on the high tide that will carry the state to great success. Shall we avail ourselves of the opportunity? Shall we invite tho outside world to help us develop our great state? Shall we catch the opportun- ity and treat them right 5? Shall we grasp it or. let 1t go?
 We want no excitement to drive away capital and we want no politicant who maybe never made a thousand dollars in ten years to take charge of $60,vo GOO worth of other peoples property, and let their biased judgment, maybe, become law unto themselves. I hold no pass on any road, have no favors to ask of any one. But I do believe that justice should reign and that right should exist inde- pendent of the thoughts or wishes of any class of men. The east and north has overfiown. Capital Is congested. The es- fects and prejudice of the civil war have worn away. A new era has set in. The tide of travel and traffic has set in towards the sunny south" Here lies the "Eldorado" Here lies the resources that would put Golcondas gold to shame. Here awaits golden opportunities for the hand of labor and it's handmafden, cap ital. Both are necessary to the success ul the other. The field stretches far and fair. Shall we welcome them within our gates? Shall we give them the glad hanu of fellowship or shall we bid them gone, and thus tear down the structure that we seek to build. The old adage that 1t is good to leave well enough alone is still true.
 still true. R. W. GORMAN
 opelika, Ala, September 10, 1902.