The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-10
Not a Proper Man.

The Breeze.
 l Columbia. Ala, April :, 1904 The most important matter confronting the people of Alabama today is that of | selecting a proper man as head of the | Railroad Commission.
 | The law gives to the Commission abso- lute mandatory power to regulate the | railroads of the State. That such regu- | lation. or supervision, Is right and neces- sary is not disputed; but that 1t should be administered with wisdom, justice and moderator must be acknowledged by all fair-minded men.
 I The railroads of this country have not always been free from just cause for cen ture; at the same time they have ever been the subject of persecution and prose- cution by the public generally. Very | few who have occasion to travel think it | wrong to beat the railroad out of their | fare If it can be done; and everybody knows that as soon as $10 COW Is killed | by a train her value instantly becomes $30. The railroads have to fight those and | similar abuses in self-defense.s It is not | too much to say, regarding matters of this character. that if the people would be fair and honest. the railroads would | be just.
 The question of freight rates Is one that few people understand Compara- l lively few are directly interested. Where dozen merchants pay the freight in the l first instance. hundred consumers repay 1t in the end; and the consumer rarely benefits by a cheap rate. for merchants | do not hesitate to "equalize' rates with | competitive points and pocket as profit the difference in their favor.
 In the mass of evidence that has been presented to the public during the dis cussion of freight rates in Alabama there | is practically nothing to show that the | railroads are unjust In the matter of charges as compared with other States. | or that the Commission has failed in It's duty.
 MT. B. B. Conner made many state | ments and claims against the railroads in
 the beginning of his campaign which have | been shown to be without foundation. On
 the other hand, Mir. Conner stands charg-
 ed with very grave irregularities in his | personal business transactions with the | railroads. The whole affair Is fully set
 out in the supplements issued with The Breeze last week and again today. This | alone ought to be sufficient to deter any
 honest man from voting for him.
 The railroads in Alabama have equal l rights under the law with other corpora
 tions and business enterprises. They
 should be made to conduct their affairs l in a lawful manner and without discrim-
 ination or injustice toward any person | or section: but they should also be pro-
 tected in their business and legal rights
 the same as the individual or other cor
 poration.
 Alabama is more prosperous today than ever in her history. Have the railroads operating in the State had no share in
 bringing about this condition? The raIl-
 roads have their money invested: they
 pay taxes and all fixed charges for tho
 privilege of operating. and they are justly | entitled to earn fair percentage of profit
 In their business. All this hue and cry about exorbitant and unjust freight charges has been raised by one man-Mr.
 B. B. Conner. The people at large have not found fault, but Mir. Conner wanted to
 be President of the Railroad Commission. and as he had no good excuse-no popu-
 lar wave on which to ride into office, he proceeded to crate one, and now 1t threat
 ems to engulf him.
 | It Is not contended that railroad ser
 vice and rates in Alabama are perfect,
 for there are evils to be corrected. It
 takes more than a day-or a year-to regulate all traffic matters as they are
 called to the attention of the Commission
 but the good work Is going ahead satis- factorily to all except a few whose loca- tion Is against them.
 MT. Conner, In our judgment is not
 suitable man for this important office He
 Is an able business man, but he has shown
 himself to be an extremist on this ques- ton; man with hobby, which prevents
 him from seeing both sides of the matter. ] In that high position he could, and if he
 carried out his declared intentions would.
 do great injury to the business interests
 of the State. There Is nothing in present conditions that demands the radical l changes and strenuous measures threat
 ened by Mir Conner. Alabama is all right. Let us keep her in this conditio
 by letting Mir. Conner severely alone. Ala l bama don't need him In her business-lt.