The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-04
Railroad Commission Has
 a Meeting. OPINION OF PRESIDENT DiSSentS from Views of His Two Associates. Says Majority Members May Have "the Bias of Environment, and
 Body is Poweriess to
 Revise Kate6
OPINION OF PRESIDENT

President B. B. Conner of the Ala bama Railroad Commission yesterday read, at the regular semi monthly meeting of the Commission the opinion in which he dissents from his associ- ate Commissioners on the justice oL the freight rates now in effect in Ala bama and rests his case with the peo- ple
 MT. Conner not only differs in this opinion from the views held by Asso- ciste Commissioners w. c. Tunstali and w. T. Sanders, but he declares that there is a vast difference per mile in the figures by which the mileage Of the railroad companies were given in for taxation and the figures for the mile age by which their earnings were figured out.
 In his dissenting opinion President Conner intimates that the element of environment entered into the decision of the question by his Associate Com missioners. In this connection, refer ring to the view Messrs. Tunstall and Sanders took of the matter he said: "rhe opinion of my associates Is no doubt valuable, but they might ros- sibly have the bias of environment and it is a very grave question to have the opinion of two men so environ Ad, finality on so important business proposition"
 Group of Railroad Men Present.
 The opinion was read yesterday near the close of the Commissions regular meeting. The little room in the third story of the capitol, and sweltering hot in the severe heat of yesterday was well filled with crowd of interested railroad men, while President Conner was reading his views on the way the railroads are doing the State of Ala bama. In the room during the meet ing yesterday were Georgc w. Jones' John V. Smith and F. A. DeFuniak representing the Louisville and Nash vile; Major R. E. Steiner, representing the Central of Georgia and the Atlantic Coast Line; w. A. Winburn, repre- senting the Central of Georgia: \. Sevier, representing the Atlantic Coast Line, and J. A. Long, representing the people of Deer Range. who wanted the commission to have the railroads give Deer Range a depot. 4
 President Conner was given silence and attention by the crowd while he was reading his dissenting opinion. Nor was any comment made upon it when the reading was finished.
 It so happened that when MT. Conner arose from the presidents chair to read his opinion he, stood immediately un- der & large picture representing 2 COW boy of tie plains "busting a broncho." The picture shows the horse rearing and bucking with stiffened legs while
 
 applies the whip and srur.
 One of the men in the little crowd in the room looked at the .'brorcho busting" picture and smiled as if he saw in it an emblem of the policy and the course of the president toward the railroads.
 COmers Dissenting Opinion.
 Mir. Conier filed with the CommIs- sion the following opinion dissenting from the views of his associates;
 This cause originated in an appi2a- tion by the Alabama Fertilizer Com pany. J. w. Huger. President. for specitfc rate on fertilizer over the Sea board Air Line from Montgomery to Hurtsboro. This was enlarged by tho Commission into an inquiry as to why the fertilizer rates on all the roads should not be reduc ed The foilowi. comparison of fertilizer rates in Aia- bama, Georgia and Mississippi WAS filed.
 Fertilizer rates per ton on car load lots. from five to eighty miles, as shown on the Seaboard Air Line and Central of Georgia in Alabama and on all lines in Georgia and Mississippi: