The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-23
Crowd of -Four Hundred Hear
Them on Freight Rates
BOTH HAD FOLLOWERS
Conner Insists Local Rates Are Too
High, While Smith Says Necessaries
of Life Are Cheaper to consum-
ers In Ala. Than In Ga.


In another forensic combat last night
John " Smith, president of the Alabama
railroad commission and B. B. Conner.
nominee of an organization composed of
shippers and consumers, thrashed out the
knotty problems in the freight rate ques-
ton for the enlightenment of 400 Birming
ham voters and dog fair was the
result.
The sight of crowd of 400 voters OBJ
liberated all memories of the famous De-
catur and Cullman frost and the two
much heralded champions got down to
business and let the audience have facts
and figures straight from the shoulder
Through the swords had been whetted to
the sharpness of a razor edge the gladia-
tors avoided personalities and the wounds
inflicted were only skin deep.
Both sides evidently had learned the
advantage of having somebody along to
''whoop things up and the public jury
was evenly packed When Mr.. Conner got
in a real sharp thrust lusty yells rose
from an hundred threats and when Mr.
Smith returned the blow his followers
raised an equal storm of applause.
The debaters having learned the pub
lies inaptitude for digesting large clusters
of figures studiously kept tables and rate
sheets in the back ground and put the
propositions in plain English.
W. II. Kettig was chairman of the
meeting.
The Contentious.
AS in Decatur. Mr. Conner insisted that
the rates were too high and should be
adjusted according to the Georgia rate,
or at any reasonable rate. He went over
the fight of the shippers organization
for an elective commission, and attacked
monopoles in severe terms. He sought to
show that the state is being dominated
by railroad influence, and pointed out
what he termed the evils of the private
car anr railroad passes.
Mr. Smith insisted that the rates from
outside cities into Alabama and to local
points al miles from Birmingham were
cheaper than from outside cities to points
within Al miles of Atlanta, Ga. He ex-
planned that barrel of flour shipped from
st. Louis to Birmingham cost "a cents
freight. From St. Louis to Atlanta, he
said. ii was GO cents. The local rate to a
point within Al miles from Birmingham
was "a cents. From Atlanta to point In
Georgia Al miles out it was 1879 cents.
Adding the two. the rate to point in
Alabama to the consumer was rs cents
while in Georgia it was 7S1a.
These two ideas were foremost in the
debate, but both speakers brought in
several subjects on the same line which
proved highly entertaining.
The Order of Debate.
Mr.. Conner opened the debate in
speech of one hour and Mr.. Smith follow
ed in one hour and thirty minutes. Mr.
Conner then concluded in thirty minutes
This arrangement was the reverse of
that at Decatur. according to agreement
In opening his speech Mr.. Conner gave
history of the fight for an elective
railroad commission and the several at
tempts the shippers have made TO get
| the freight rates adjusted on what he
termed a more reasonable basis He lost
no time in plunging into the points at
| issue and took up the little circular, now
| known as the Eighty Percent circular
which has caused so many denials and
| affirmatons between himself and Mr.
| Smith. He said the figures on this circu-
lar were correct and that the so per cent
| increase referred to the figures on the
circular itself He said at the time that
circular was filed with the railroad COM
mission another accompanied 1t showing
| that the average increase on all articles
of freight were 20 per cent higher than
those in Georgia.
You know that those two papers were
on your desk in the railroad commission
office more than a year ago." said Mr.
| Conner, turning to Mr.. Smith, land there
was no chance for a deception, and the
| two circulars always accompanied each
other.
! This literature is not new and I wish to
say it was not prepared by myself. The
committee prepared it in waging fight
for an elective commission and we have
used the same figures and arguments for
this campaign.
Tombstone Rates.
Talk about this so sper cent increase"
said Mr.. Conner, there is one article on
which we pay nearly 400 per cent increase
over Georgia. The article / refer to IS
tombstones. Can you deny that?
"Ah. my friends he said, with a pecu-
liar smile, these high freight rates follow
you after you're dead"
Mr. Conner created considerable amuse-
ment by his references to the claim Of
Mr.. Smith and the commission that they
had secured a reduction in rates on GER
tain classes of freight Tex nero motu."
He twisted this Latin phrase into all
kinds of shape and his peculiar pronun-
citation brought forth much laughter The
expression is law term meaning "of his
own accord >or ION his own motion"
Mr. Conner never gave the translation bur
contented himself with having fun out
of 1t. He was referring to a former speech
Of Mr.. Smith in which he used the term
claiming the credit for securing lower
rates before Mr.. Conner had appeared
on the scene"
Iron and Coal Tonnage.
Mr.. Conner anticipated Mr.. Smiths ar
gument and said that he would attempt
to show that by cutting down local