The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-15
MR.. B. B. CONFER REPLIES
TO CAPT. J. N. FALKNER
Saws Statements of Latter in Recent Address to
the Citizens are Erroneous Conner
Presents Figures

as, in Georgia, heavy penalties are at
tached for the violation of the orders OF
the Commission, and the State itself De-
comes the prosecutor to recover the
penalty, thereby relieving the citizens OF
the burden of entering this unequal con-
test. Captain Bragg, the only Commits
sioner the State ever had in sympathy
with the people and the purpose OF the
law declared 1t ineffective. For twenty
years our Commission and commission
law have been VIGOROUSLY worthless. ana
for twenty years the local freight rates
of the State have been handled without
reference to the wishes or interest OF the
shipper, and at a price wholly in the dis
erection of the carrier.
The Gadsden Convention mentioned by
Captain Falkner was dominated by Mr.
George Jones, Captain Falkner's assist.
ant l.. and N. Attorney. Nearly all OF
the twenty-six delegates voted by him
were reported to have been selected UNI
der his influence and had free passes
to and from said meetings furnished Dy
him. and to shoy how unreasonable Is
Captain Falkner's claim that the Gads-
den vote represented the will of the COM
mercial and industrial men of the State,
1 challenge him to publish the names and
business of the twenty-six delegates man
ipulated and voted by his assistant l..
to answer whether, to still further pack
that convention in the railroad interest,
if the L. and N. agent here did not apply
to the President of the Birmingham Com
mercial Club with prepared list OF
names in which there was seven railroad
attorneys, and ask their appointment as
delegates to the Gadsdeh Commercial
Convention. The City of Gadsden had
fifteen delegates, entitled to seven woes
The delegation was composed Of thirteen
citizens and two railroad attorneys, and
in the final vote that delegation stood
thirteen citizens for and two railroad
attorneys against the motion to elect
Railroad Commissioners by the people
and give them proper power.
II the people will bear in mind that
Captain Falkner and his assistant rail-
road attorneys are paid to represent the
railroad, and seem to have nothing in
common with the people who bear these
burdens, little weight will be given their
appeals and advice. and when Captain
Faulkner parades the courtesy, kindness
and liberaiity of his employer, the L.
and N Road, the people should again
remember that they are given, not to
the people who bear the burdens and pay
the freight. but to those who can be used
as tools to control the politics and poll
cies of the State and it's executives; to
control not for the purpose of securing
fair play and the equal rights of proper
ty, but to control unrestrained the long
exercised right of ownership of local
freights and of tax-fixing without arbi-
trstion of representation.
Captain Falkner's attempt to individ-
ualize and locaize the complaint of over
| charge is futile. The discomfort Is as
widespread as the evil itself. The prog
| 90 ha agricultural o0yYntina have
been checked for years, and almost with
| out exception they show decadence. The
| cotton factories by discrimination lose
| the advantages of nearness to the fields.
| and the interior merchants are brought
| in contact with conditions only approx
| imated in the land of the absentee land
lord. Ireland.
| CAPTAIN Falkner's claim that the rail-
roads, as public carriers, are not crea-
| lures of the State, and should not be sub
ject to State control and espionage. is
certainly without due thought. and could
| only emanate from a partisan employee.
| Every thinking and unbiased citizen and
| every advanced State not only holds just
| the contrary, but holds that for neces-
| sity and for the safety of the citizens II
| should be fully understood and exercised
| For further information on this important
subject, / refer to Senator Morgans let
| ter of August 9th, recently pubhshed IN
| the daily press.
| Captain Falkner's claim that Com
mission elected by direct vote of the peo-
pie and vested with sufficient power to
secure equitable freight rates, would be
destructive to the railroad interests Is
| without foundation, as Is strikingly
| shown by the prosperous condition of the
| railroads in Georgia, Illinois, Texas and
| other States where they have had an
effective Railroad Commission for years,
who have prevented extortion and unjust
discrimination. The people of Alabama
are intelligent and conservative, and can
| he relied on to elect an intelligent and
| conservative commission.
| adv. b. Is. Conner.