The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-16
SIXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF R.
 R. COMMISSIONERS IS BEING HELD
fcontInued from FK.h Paas.l

fcontInued from FKsh Paue.l
 
 and become leaders in thought, as well as action, in solving the great problems of rairoading in the United States. Time forbids that I should cover many of l these points. and I shall therefore con- 1 fine myself to only a few of the great est importance. The impression which | once prevailed In some sections, that the sole duty of a railroad commissioner was to make war upon the railroad with this
 Jurisdiction. has done much to delay the
 harmony and mutual cooperation of the l people and railroads in the development 1 of the great resources of our country. It | is A gratifying fact that railroad com- l missloners are fast coming 10 understand that they occupy quasi judicial capaci- ties and that it Is as much a sworn duty 1 to protect the railroads from injustice 1 and oppression, as it is their duty to see that the people have their rights, and that the railroads shall practice no in- justice or oppression.
 "The various problems which confront you are deserving Of the cloest and most conscientious study. The chairmen of the various committees will read pa- pers upon the subjects assigned to them, and 1t Is so be hoped that these papers will be listened to with profound in- terest and fully discussed by the mem- bers of th.s association. The papers on grade crossing. legislation, uniform class ifieation rate making, and assessment of railway properties, and safety appliances, especially, hould be discussed at length, and all the light secured which is pos sihle in the short time allowed in this | meeting.
 Trusts and Combines.
 | fa T | i about trusts and combinations, and in- deed the entire country has it's eyes upon both the great political parties which together dominate our public affairs, to l find and enforce some remedy against the growing evil of unlawful trusts and | combines. Whenever trust or combine l is formed for the unlawful purpose of
 destroying competition and putting up prices beyond their real value and be-
 yond the reach of the masses to pay, then such a trust or combine should
 be enioined and the combined power of
 the state and federal government should be used to destroy it and wipe 1t out of | existence No leniency of fayoritism should be shown, yea, not even the quail ty of mercy should enter into the enforce
 ment of the law against such hideous 1 methods so destructiv, to our free Amer iean institutions. It must not however, be l blne Is unlawful. Indeed to trusts and combines, lawful in their formation and l purposes this country is indebted for all the great and marvellous achievements which has placed America in the front ranks of all nations of the world. It was a combination of capital that made 1 1t possible to spin across the continent l in magnificent Pullmans with all the 1 conveniences of modern travel, from New | VaF.1y to G1t3 I1f.at. t..afe ct nF 1 3562 miles, in the incredibly short space of ninety-six hours without change of cars, and to take your supper in Mont l gomery or Birmingham today and your l dinner in Chicago tomorrow. It was combination of capital that forced old mother earth to disgorge her teeming millions of hidden wealth of iron, coal, 1 gold and silver ores which had been con cealed in her bosom through countless ares past. Destroy the power to combine and the universe would crumble into ruins amid the war of elements, the wreck of matter, and tke crash of worlds"
 Combination of Capital.
 "Combination of capital makes your cities, deevlops your resources, and is the foundation stone upon which happiness and prosperity rest; your magnificent street railways, your great iron furnaces, steel plants, rolling mills. railroads water works, sanitary sewerage, cotton mills, and even your churches. whose proud spires touch the fieecy clouds, are all the direct and healthy offspring of combina- tions. It Is the law of nature The flower blooms and sheds it's petals, and, absorb ing colors fro mitsneighbors, gathers a combination that makes possible the lily and the rose. The eyes feast daily upon ba nf ba of bination. The inner man is daily fed upon a combination of food. It takes salt, soda, lard, milk and flour to make good biscuit, and, in southern parlance, the dearest morsel vouchsafed to the de- scendants of Ham is a combination of cold possum and taters. It follows, then, that 1t is the abuse of the power of com bination and not the combination itself which is unlawful or harmful. While salt soda. lard, milk and four properly combined, make good bread, the staff of life, the same combination, with strych- nine added would become the destroyer of life. The one would be lawful, deserv- ing the support of all men, and the other unlawful, whose compounder would de- serve a felons death. Let us not, then, In our efforts to root up the tares, de- stroy the wheat.
 "Of recent years there has been much algtaton looking to governmental own ership of railroads If the combination of all the railroads into one vast system under governmental supervision is dan gerous by reason of the standardization of capital. how much more dangerous would such centralization of power be in the hands of the federal government? Let us pause a moment to consider the magni- tude of this question.
 Railroad Valuations.
 ''The total valuation of railroads in the United States is SIP, 55S, ,999, ,25S They have in their employment a total of 1912 507 persons, who at present owe allegiance to the different states, and whose political complexions are as varied as a leopard's spots. Think of it. A party already in power with this patronage, and the ap- pointment of more than a million em- ployes could not only perpetuate itself in power, but in a few. years build up a monarchy, and our free institutions. now the proud boast of every American citi- zen, would become the laughing stock of all the nations of the earth. Let the rail roads combine and combine until every mile Is under one vast system, and have sufficient confidence in our government to believe that under proper supervision these combinations could be made a bless ing instead of curse to our nation.