The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-18
ALL TOWNS ASKED
To AID RATE FIGHT
MAYOR MYERS APPEALS
no OTHER MAYORS TO JOIN HIM
IN THE CONTEST.

Rates Discriminating In Favor of
Atlanta Would Damage other
Cities PrOpOrtiOnateIy With Sa-
vannnh and the Mayor Thinks
These other Towns should Aid In
the FiEht-NOt Fighting Atlanta,
but the Discrimination In Favor
of That City Against All other
Points In the Stnte-Letters and
Interview In Morning News Sent
Broadcast Over Georgia.
Mayor Myers is making an effort to
interest the whole state in the freight
rate fight. Other cities as well as
Savannah are vitality interested in the
matter. the Mayor says, and it is only
fair that they should do their part
in preventing Atlanta from securing
rates which seriously cripple the inter-
ests of every other town in the state.
In order to get the officials of other
cities besides Savannah interested in
the fight against rates discriminating
in favor of Atlanta, alone, the Mayor
has decided to write to the mayors
of a hundred cities and towns in GeOr-
gia, calling their attention to just what
is happening. In order to clearly set
the matter before them, Mayor Myers
has ordered 100 copies of the Morning
News of Sunday, and win enclose in
each letter the interview which was
published with him on that day That
interview clearly sets forth the Mayors
position in the matter, and shows that
all towns are interested equally with
Savannah in preventing the proposed
low rates for Atlanta from being put
into effect, unless similar rates are
granted at the same time to all other
points.
The Mayors Letter.
Following is the letter. which with
some variations. is being sent to the
Mayors of all the principal towns of
the state:
Dear Sir:
/ beg to direct your attention to the
enclosed clipping from the Savannah
Morning News of Sunday, 18th inst. A
casual reading of this will acquaint
you with Savannah's position as re-
CARDS the recent discriminatiVe freight
rates granted to Atlanta. 1t will also
be apparent that you have a common
interest with this city in securing the
postpOnement of the date on which
these lower rates are to go into effect
until your town can secure the benefit
of them in common with Atlanta.
Our sole contention in this matter is
that Atlanta should not be granted
special privileges in the shape of low
er freight rates of which other trading
and manufacturing points, such as
your town and ours are deprived Of
even though we be assured that some
time in the future we will be granted
them. You and your business men are
well aware that once such an adVan-
tage is conferred upon the business in
terests of Atlanta. they will not be
slow to avail themselves of them at
the expense of other trading and man
ufacturing points, such as your town
and Savannah. As we have stated in
our petition and protest, in this mat
ter Savannah stands for equal rights
to all the cities and towns of Georgia,
and special discriminative privileges to
none. Ia such d contest we believe
we will have your hearty support.
l would accordingly request that you
use your good influences to acquaint
your interested business men with the
exact situation and enlist their inf1u-
ence TO the end that all cities and
towns may be put on exactly the same
basis as Atlanta before the lower
freight rates established by the COM
mission are permitted to go into eff
feet. Very respectfully,
Herman Myers. Mayor.
Savannah's Work Already.
Savannah has already done much in
the fight against the proposed low
rates for Atlanta. Every other city
and town in the state will be proper
tionately damaged the same as SaVan-
nah, and the Mayor, while not be-
grudging the work and expense that
this city has already gone to, wants
the support of other towns in the fight.
In his interview on last Sunday, a COPY
of which he is sending to the various
towns of the state, he pointed out that
ATLANTA was quietly raising a large
fund to get those rates into effect. So
Tar as Savannah is concerned, Mayor
Myers does not propose to let the
rates go into effect even for a day, un-
less Savannah IS granted at the same
time the same rates. He thinks other
cities and towns should take the same
stand, as they will be damaged the
same as Savannah in proportion to
their manufacturing interests.
1t is not fight against Atlanta. the
Mayor explains in discussing the mat
ter, but it is a fight against discrimi-
nations in favor of Atlanta to the
detriment Of almost every other point