The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-04
RAILROAD MEN CATECHIZED
 BY ALABAMA COMMISSIONERS
ADDRESSED BY COMER
PRESIDENT OF COMMISSION
 STEAKS TO RAILROAD MEN
In Pointed Language He Refers to His Election by the Peopley and De- mands Mississippi Rates
 on FertfllxerE.


 President B. B. Conner, presiding over the Railroad Commission made the following address to the numerous railroad officials who were present at ! the meeting yesterday morning: "Gentlemen. of the railroad: Two years ago I mad the honor to present in your presence to this commission l an extensively signed petition for the adoption of the Georgia freight rates in Alabama. At the time I cited num- erous comparisons of freight charges taken from the local freight rates of Iowa, Illinois, Texas. North Carolina and Georgia. All showed great dis | crimination against Alabama. So Alabama freight payer was using | cheaper currency. Mexican or Con- federate with which to pay you the | freight on his product.
 "The Commission at the instance of I the railroads denied the petition. An appeal was taken from the decision of | this Commission to the people of the State.
 'cThe issue as to whether the people
 of Alabama were entitled to the same classification of freight and the same adjustment of rates as Georgia was clearly defined, by an overwhelming majority; the people decided that for | Alabama to pay higher rates than Georgia was discrimination and un- just So, gentlemen, instead of having before you now a signed petition, you l have the vote of a peaple, the voice of a State. It Is up to you. Will you remove the stigma of discrimina- tion against Alabama; will you turn a State down? T will call your attention to the
 fact that the public has been exceed ingly kind to you. We have not only
 been liberal in giving franchises. mon- ey and land to aid you in constructing your roads. we have been exceedingly liberal in your tax assessments; we
 have allowed you to work your freight trains seven days in the week, where- as. Georgia and Carolina require you to observe the Sabbath; we have been liberal in giving you employees and
 representatives the highest official po-
 sitions of trust and power in the State,
 and in the largest measure; and for
 many years allowed you to fix your town tax rates and our rule of gov ernment That from these conditions the State should have in a measure been
 Cubanized, Russianized. and you to an extent become autocrats, bureapcrats,
 arbitrary and excessive, Is but nat
 ural, and from these conditions that the State should have in a measure become alarmed Is also natural. T want to state to you that there is no revolution intended by the peo- pie, nothing drastic or confiscating
 There can be no danger to you in giv- ing Alabama the same freight condi- ] tions and rules of government as are given in North Carolina and Georgia; they have been tried there many years
 and proven prosperous to all. Alabama has more tonnage than either, and 1t is utterly and forever
 unfair to have one set of rules and
 charges on one side of the State line.
 and another set and higher charges on the other side of the line. and 1t is
 a reflection on your claim for fair
 ness that we have been on the higher
 side so long.
 Tt is the duty of this Commission
 ex nero motu to go over your freight classifications and rates adjusting
 same, both to your interest and to the interest of the man who pays the freight. Wt trust you shall in these adjustments recognize the fact that the prosperity of the producer is your prosperity and that there is more rel
 ative danger of your expressing him.
 because he is poor, uneomplaining.
 uninformed and uncombir ed. and in a
 measure in your power. than of his
 expressing you; you being the reverse
 of this in every particular.
 T will also call your attention that
 the money left with the producer by
 decreasing your charges is not lost to
 you, but all of 1t Is put to work to
 end. increased prosperity to both.
 T will cite you a few instances of
 discriminating charges:
 "The rates on the Atlanta and West
 Point road forty miles In Alabama and
 Georgia: