The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-16


in the speeches as they were ended, put
ting it entirely on the plane of explana-
ton. His attitude is very much more that
of letting the other fellows do the talking
than at any of the other sessions and
he is giving to all those who are making
speeches the closest attention and the
most marked courtesy.
Jones' Address.
The first speaker of the session to-
day was George JonesSv assaistant district
attorney for the- ;.alii5II III i1i i1sfd NasPst
;:;: ;;:.,;: -, i:'';;', i !; T. =;
and Nashvil 5au.' lsts ,ssSd1te
contained in lyatement prepared by G.
A. Park, general immigration and indus
trial agent Of the road. .,The imputation
that the railroads are in any sense, at
tempting to work an injury to Alabama
is most emphatically repudiated by the
facts here presented" said Mr.. Jones.
Continuing Mr.. Jones said:
May we not indulge the hope that the
members of this committee will exert
their influence in inducing all the citizens
of Alabama to lend a helping hand to
the railroads In their efforts to vitalize
our waste places? The railroad corpora
tions are earnestly striving to do their
part in that direction. They are entitled
operation of all, to the end that our glor-
Gus state may become more glorious-that
peace and happiness and abundant pros
perity may be the common lot of ALL
Figures Given.
In the statement shown by Mr. Jones
1t was developed that since 1903. the date
when the Louisville and Nashville began
preserving statistics, the line had been
in touch with over $1,000 farmers and
that it had sent experts among them to
teach them the art of farming and
marketing their crops. Since that time
the road has settled in Alabama 1871
families with 57S6 persons, and that these
had bought 100 933 acres of lands. Sixty
per cent of these had settled on the line
and they composed fifty per cent of the
land sales for AGRICULTURAL purposes. The
road also induced the safes of half
million acres of timber lands In the state.
OF these people brought into the state
81 per cent come from Ohio, Indiana,
Michigan and Wisconsin.
There are now on the lines of the road
five million peach and plum trees and
5000 acres in strawberries. Five years
ago there were fifty acres in strawberries
and three times that much in peach and
plum trees.
Since 1903 the Louisville and Nashville
has located on Its lines 766 Industries.
were in Alabama with capital of s17, 1885,,
16o, or 42.3 per cent of them.
TiiIman's Argument.
In opening his address Mr.. Tillman
who spoke for the Louisville and Nash
vile railroad, thanked the members of
the commission for allowing him this
privilege and was glad to be able to
present the legal side of the situation as
he saw It, That feature OF the case had
been largely decided by a decision of the
supreme court OF the United States on a
case from the lower courts of Nebraska
He then reviewed the history of the
laws in Alabama. with the section of the
constitution covering them. and said that
the Alabama act was the work of Mr..
Conner he thought. He pointed out that
the Alabama law, in the light of the
Nebraska decision. gave the commission
M authority to go outside the state in
any of It's rulings and that 1t could not
in any sense take up the question in the
light of what the roads did or did not do
so far as outside business was concern
ed That was entirely beyond them They
had to deal with the inside of the state
entirely. He held that what the rates
were In Georgia had nothing to do with
what they are to be in Georgia The
law contemplates that the earnings shall
he reasonable amount on the cost of
the roads What Georgia does or does not
charge has no bearing on the case. Neither
does what the roads earn on Interstate
rates. The calculation must be on the
business inside the state. beginning in
the state and ending in II. and on that
must be given a reasonable rate of earn
ings.
Different Conditions.
Mr.. Tillman then went all over the
situation. saying that grade. physical con-
ditions and many other such things had
to do with the earnings and that what
was Just in one state would be unjust
in other statos He said that there might
be cases Of discrimination and where
they exist correction should be made, but
for Gods sake and the sake of justice, =
said the speaker, don't take these iso-
lated cases to strike down the whole
schedule Of rates.
Mr.. Tllman said he did not pose as a