The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-17

yr erchand,sing etc. The railroad men would claim to represent $60,0 ,0G0 of tax able prop psrty-one-ffth of the values of the state. Granted this true, he claimed, the people, the shippers and consumers nearly paid the tax
 Mir Conner said that MT. Culp or the Southern had this morning said to him that all persons were alike-all trying to get the best possible for ourselves. He seemed to agree to this He said that a railroad was a public service privately owned.
 Getting down to the case before the commission, Mir. Conner said that hls side had assumed in the petition presented 10 the commission that the freight rates in Alabama are high, which he would un- dertake to prove by comparison. The state had the right to equalize these rates, and the commission sitting today vas thus made the most important body in the state. The power Of the commls- sion, he asserted, was limited by state law, guaranteeing to the railroads req sonable return ca their property. The pc titioners did not want to abate the rail- roads, but merely desired to show that they were being discriminated against. Left to either side, they might go too far.
 Discusses Reasonable Charges.
 
 of what he considered reasonable charges" He said to illustrate that the Central of Georgia railroad had paid $2,- 12O.00O for the line from Montgomery to Eufaula, or about s25.O00 per mile, at a public sale, whereas 1t had cost only about s5OO0 per mile to construct the road. The road was not worth near so much as was paid for it except that 1t formed a connecting link and was thus made valuable Since it's purchase other iines had been constructed, and had thus les- sened the value of the original line. It was not right he claimed for the people to be taxed in freight rates on the cost or the road to the Central of Georgia.
 Mir Conner declared with emphasis that there was no such thing as competition between railroads in Alabama. He said that if he should go to MT. Culp or MT. Compton for a cut of cents on ship ment of 100000 bushels of corn, that he would be told that interstate commerce prevented this cut
 "I tell you it's combination pro claimed MT. Conner. "The man who makes a rate makes it as high as he can, and he is valuable to his company according to the rate he can get.
 Continuing. MT. Conner said that any man who can make a rate on any com
  ness. He cited several instances, stating persons and conditions.
 Speaker Grows Defiant. If was just here that the speaker grew rather defiant in his remarks.
 "We come to you for rate made by law and justice" he said. "lf there IS semblance of injustice in what is given us I warn you now that this shall not be Tk ta flaof xra 20 down here to court (pointing toward the Supreme Court room), or it may be that we will go to the United States Su- preme court, or possibly to Judge Jones court"
 MT. Conner intimated that If in the courts he did not get what was deslreu he would go before the people.
 Reverting to a discussion of rates, the sneaker said that it had never been tound how high a rate would satisfy man II left unrestrained. He said that ms sioe was not asking for an experiment. put that the other side were making experi- ments s'You had as well tell me that l will have to have guide to go to Bir- vnineham as to tell me that this commis- sion needs a guide to fix just rate in Alabama"
 MT. Conner said that the rates his peti- tioners were asking for had been tried In Georgia for twenty-two years. They were not an experiment Georgia goes for ward: Alabama don't. The railroad peo- ple tell you that conditions are different | in Alabama and Georgia. They will pos sibIy tell you of much greater tonnage l in Georgia. Are we verse off than was | Georgia twenty years ago? If they have l improved. can't we improve?' Mir. Conner hesitated to illustrate with bear story at the expense of MT. Haiden | Miller. his old friend and then nrociainned