The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-03
NO FREIGHT RATE DECISION;
 NUMEROUS BRIEFS FILED

within the State, excluding from this calculation all freights going through the State or out of the State. That only the intra State freight was in the pur- view of the Commission and from that they were entitled to a reasonable inter- est on their property-citing authorities In other words Alabama gets no credit in the attempts to fulfil the State and United States law guaranteeing reason able returns to it's railroads for the freight on its cotton, because 90 per cent of 1t goes inter State or export. No credit for its vast tonnage of pig iron be- cause 1t goes inter State or export. The same with it's coal and cotton factory products. The only thing left with which to pay this interest is the comparative little freight which our Jobbing centres are allowed to distribute and even this business is being done in opposition to preferential conditions without the State and in consequent small way.
 Tn other words, the present arrange ment of control of local freight and the high local rate and exercised power to direct destination. bringing for local dis tribution the long haul from out the State into the State. and carrying the long haul out of the State, tends to destroy the only thing Mir. Hines. Louisville and Nashville attorney, said. we had to pay with the intra State freight.
 Lower Local Rates.
 'The establishing by the Commission of low local freights on all freights be- tween points in the State, even over two or more separate roads, by combining and reducing locals, increases industrial development, increases consumption with in the State of State products. increases distribution of State jobbers and conse- quently upbuilding of both country and town and in the largest measure increases the intra State freight. This is no imag- mary sketch, but is the experience of the States which have tried it, and we sub init to the Commission that the long haul and high local rate tends to build with out the State, decreasing intra State freight, and the short haul and low local tends to build within the State. increas- ing the intra State freight, and if Mir. Hines, Louisville and Nashville attor- ney, be correct this is the surest meth cd. the only method. of giving the roads reasonable returns. Again, if Alabama, in despite of this immense sum which has gone to the absentee landlord, has outstripped Georgia, and now gives so much more tonnage than Georgia, why do the roads continue the discriminating charges and continue to plead paucity of results and poverty of condition.
 Mir. Hines, Louisville and Nashville at torney, stated that the rates were not made as high as could be-see increase of road and Seaboard Air Line nearly double on classes C, D and F. Also increase on all the roads by substituting classification 2 for 26. Also the advance of local rates { cents a hundred by the Louisville and Nashville-all in Alabama.
 'Mr.. Hines, Louisville and Nashville attorney. statement that If the local rates were reduced the merchant and not the farmer would get the benefit; granting that he is correct, that the laws of com petition do not prevail in the State that the merchants, like the roads, are com bined for extortion, the money would still be in the State serving every upbuilding purpose. Mir. Hines. Louisville and Nash. Vile attorney, overlooked the fact that 1t is the money which goes out of the State which is drastic. MT. Hines stated that if the cotton rate was cut cents a hundred 1t would amount to nothing in Alabama. The State raises 1.1OO,0OO bales. This would make $4o0.0oO annually saved -an amount larger than, the capital of the Avondale mills, an amount which, If in hand. would secure the building of the projected Huntsville. Birmingham and Gulf Railroad. We submit to the Com- mission that 1t is such amounts as thees resulting from over-charges. which, taken | out of the State, are lost-left in the state, WnStner With farmer or merchant. | Is upbuiiding.
 As to Cotton Mills.
 We call your attention to the discrim. l ination against cotton mills, and that high local rates on cotton to the mills is l contrary to the policy of the State which | Ia trying to encourage the location oi mills, and that the advantages of near. | ness to the fields Is destroyed by high local rates We call your attention tc i the Tennesste river. and the evident com l blnations of the railroads crossing same
 to prevent the States use of this grea, 1 public utility-a utility improved by the l General government at an immense ex. | pense, and outside of Mobile Bay, the l greatest public utility within the State | and should be of incalculable advantage l Suppose that the Louisville and Nashville coming. into the State from the North and | going directly through to the Gulf, was l boycotted by all the connecting lines, sC
 that its freight would only be received al | local or arbitrary rates. Suppose thi: | should be extended to the Southern. At
 lantic Coast Lines, Seaboard Air Line | Frisco and Central, not collectively, bu' | individually, realize the condition such 6
 boycott would bring about on that road
 and then you have the Tennessee river | It would destroy any railroad. It has l made this great Mississippi connection
 until, and notwithstanding the immense sums paid out by the government in i'm | proving its channel and making 1t navi
 gable, on account of this apparent boy
 colt 1t is neither a freight carrier nor
 rate maker, and no boat from the Missis | sippi or it's tributaries can deliver freigh
 at Tennessee river wharf and have i
 accepted at a proportion of the through l rate. The excuse made that the opening
 of the Tennessee would interfere with th'
 inter State rates to the Southeast. iron
 the Mississippi. Ohio and Cumberland il not germain to the issue. Our Commis
 sion has nothing to do with those streams 1 except for comparisons sake, but 1t il
 their duty to see that our utilities, wheth
 CT navigable streams or Gulf ports. art
 not only not interfered with or boyootted
 but given the freest scope to develop intrs
 State traffic and business.
 | The Power to Tax.
 ''The power to tax has in every agt
 been the hardest to restrain or break
 The exercised privilege to get from an
 other money soon becomes inalienable
 and the first attempted restrictions are
 regarded as populistic, revolutionary anG
 destructive. This Is the condition of oul
 roads today. and all of them have openly l declared that they are exercising thell l privileged private interest charges within l the law. and an abridgment would be
 estopped by the law. That they require | all the money their high rates bring tc | penses, and no charge can be abated now but the story of history. The roads in summing up their defense for past and
 continued exercise of theri privileged pri- | vata nada rates nlaad the naraaSitv oi