The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-07
He Reads an Address Af- ter Taking Oath. EVADES ANSWER
 AS TO HIS FUTURE Order Made Directing New Depot at Decatur. Special Meeting Will Be Held Next Friday to Consider Rates On Fertilizer Between Mont
 gomery and Hurtsboro
 on Seaboafd.

| Il, B. B. Conner, solemnly swear that will support the Constitution of the United States. and the Constitution of the State of Alabama, so long as I con- tinue citizen thereof, and that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of the office upon which I am labout to enter to the best of my abiI- ity. So help me God"
 In these words Braxton Bragg Conner lof Birmn gham. yesterday morning be- lcame President of the Railroad Com mission of Alabama, succeeding Hon John V. Smith, of Montgomery. who was overwhelmingly defeated by MT IComer at the polls on April II, 1900 The oath was administered to MT lComer by Gen. Robert F. Llgon. Clerk of the State Supreme Court. The "duel- ling oath" was also repeated by MT. Conner, after which he signed his name, thanked General Ligon and repaired to the office of the Railroad Commission at II o'clock. where he was joined by his associates, Col W. c. Tunstall of Greensboro. and Hon. W. T. Sanders of Athens. Ex-President Smith of the Commission, was also in the room. He shook hands pleasantly with MT. Conner land congratulated him upon his suc- cession to the office.
 Read m dAdress.
 | True to his promise, Mir. Conner, soon Iafter the Commission was convened for Its regular monthly meeting. read an address in which he set forth the pol icies which were so much discussed in the heated campaign which brought him so many votes. showing the con- fdence of the people of Alabama in his ability and integrity.
 From the opening paragraph in which he declared that "the people have 1a1 tkA 4a n private snap running through the land with unrestricted power to tax" to the conclusion of his address, Mir. Conner was followed closely by his associates and several lawyers and others who were present having business with the Commission.
 If any one expected an expression as to his future political course from Mir. Conner. he as disappointed. The address dealt entirely with the work and the duties of the Railroad Commits sion.
 The meeting of the Commission was not of long duration. But three mat ters were considered and they were disposed of in quick fashion, an adjourn ment being taken until next Friday when a special meeting will be held to con slider rates on fertilizers being charged by the Seaboard Air Line from Mont lgomery to Hurtsboro.
 An order was made that the work on the railroad passenger station at De- catur must begin within sixty days.
 Statement of MT. Conner.
 Shortly after the Commission was convened President Conner read his ad- dress which was as follows:
 | The result of the recent election. In which the local freight rates of the State and the rules of government es- abolished by the railroads regulating g business with them and the duties of this commission were widely dis lcussed, has placed this Commission on a new basis-the protection of the peo- lple as well as the care of the railroads. IThe people have decided that the rail roads are not q private snap running through the land with unrestricted lpower to tax. They have also decided lthat the Railroad Commission must dc Tits best to secure a lower freight rate more equitable car service rules and Ithe prompt settlement of claims tconditions commensurate with those lof the State which lies along our east ern border and which is of like condi- Ition of tonnage and carriage which has lbeen successfully tried many years IGeorgia.
 The freight rate, the car service lrules, the weighing and inspection bu- Ireau and the time and method of set ltling claims have been established and made by the railroads and in their private interest. and are in the very nature of the case arbitrary, onerous land one-sided.
 Railroad Versus the Farmer.
 "A tax or rule of government made without representation on the part of the party paying the tax and observ- ing the rule can never be fair. It was lin recognition of this principle that this ICommission was created. We stand between the strongest power in the State, the railroad, and the weakest lthe poorest, the longest suffering. the class whose pockets are searched for every tax: the farmer. In between these we have the professional and business classes, the merchant, tho miners, the furnace, the manufacturers but the whole fabric rests on the farm. Ter. The product of the farm and saw mill and their supplies, local freight 1T Itheir very nature. have grown to bt Iregarded by the public carriers espe' Icially as their private assets, and tht freight charge for carriage and the lpoint of ultimate destination as within their exclusive determination and in Iterest. Both of these practices hay, been costly and onerous to the bes
  lState, because cut of this has growr higher freight charges than the pro lduct should bear and a building up O Interstate at the expense of intra-stat' business.
 The railroads are paying dividends on cost and liquified securities. Tn, farmers have not grown grass bellieC with ready cash. It is to the interes of all classes that both the railroad and people should prosper alike. T. secure this product whether of furnace mines, farm or factories and their sup plies should be carried at minimum and not maximum rates.
 States Valuable Assets.
 The port of Mobile. the Chattahoo lchee. Coosa, Tombigbee. Warrior, Ala bama and Tennessee rivers are the mos valuable assets of the State. These as sets, in the development of which tn, Igeaeral government has expended man! millions of dollars, and which shoulC be worth as much to the economy an, roads, are by the practical boycot placed on them by the railroads rend cred of the least use. So much so tha the towns and cities on their bank have come to regard them as a kint of private property and conven tions looking toward their de velopment are limited to thei Representatives. Few States hav such strong, natural advantages alonl this line for inter and intra-state bus linAas development; no State uses then