The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-13
Reply to MT. Comer's Letter.
Hotel Bellecaire, New York, March s, 1904.


 New York March S. 1904. MT. B. B. Conner, Birmingham, Ala;
 Dear Sir-Yours of the thaddressed to me at Montgomery, has been forwarded to me here.
 I remember very distincly your calling at my office and also remember what was said by each of us at that time. l had written you previously, however, Tn reply to a letter from you, that T was not at all well, and did not want to take any interest in the campaign or primary l may not have used the exact quotation above, but that is practically what l wrote you. I did not, in that letter, try to misIead you, and am sure l did not, as is evidenced In your reply to my let ter, wherein you said "a very cold let ter from an old friend You will also remember, when you called at my office, the day of the evening on which you spoke in Montgomery you asked me why I could not support you" I frankly and promptly said: "Brag, you are too extreme in your views, and l am afraid of you' You must pardon me for here repeating our conversation, but you force me to do so, as your letter might be con- strued by some that I had promised you mot. to take any interest in the cam paign or primary must protest against the correctness of this statement.
 You seem to desire that we shall in- dulge in a little retrospecton, and in some instances. to me, ancient history.
 First, you say, you will remember your fight with the Louisville and Nashville railroad some years ago. in which you induced the jobbers of Alabama and the southeast to boycott the Louisville and Nashville railroad" Yes, I will never for get the fight I made as the chairman of the freight traffic committee of the. C.x.. L.. at that time. I diverted business from the railroad. but never in the spirit of boycott. I also deny, most emphatic ally that l ever advocated, at any time. place or occasion, that the adjustment of differential should be made by using the present local rate for the carload rate. and that all less than car lot rates should be advanced 4 cents per hundred pounds" as you state I never did on any occasion, suggest how it should be done. I was asked by the railroads "how I proposed to arrive at the adjustment :" My reply was it is your business to work that out. Every local association which was a member of the southern associa- ton win remember this was our policy never knew what differential the rail- roads would make until, they agreed on same and notified me. Therefore. I am not guilty as charged by you of "con- senting that the citizens of Alabama should be taxed by the railroads one mill lion dollars year additional to the pres- ent high rate, In order that I might get differential of cents per hundred pounds on the car rate" Neither Is such disposition in keeping with my past history.
 You say you will remember that I opposed the extra cents per hundred pounds. etc., etc. No do not if you ever took any active interest in the mat ter I never knew of it l hope I have made myself clear in answering all your questions.
 Now. I want to ask few questions. and hope you will be as candid in your reply. Why didn't you answer the ques- l tons I raised in my communication of which you complain, instead of Jumping on me personally? I feel 1t my duty to a large number of friends throughout the state who had written and talked to me about the situation In regard to the presidency of the railroad commis- sion. The people of our state are tired of personal matters. and, I assure you, are serious about this great question. If 1t is unwise and unsafe to elect a man who is prejudiced in favor of the railroads. is it not equally unwise and unsafe to elect a man who is prejudiced against the railroads and who admits beforehand that he has already pre- judged. and has already formed conclu- sions. without hearing the evidence and statement of the facts In each case? If you had a case in court and a juror should appear at the box and you knew that he had made up his mind against you, the evidence of which was his n'ih-