The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-06
His Associates Insist 0n
 Having Evidence.
NO SNAP SHOT VOTING
Mir. Compton Exposes C0nten~
 ti0n as to Georgia Rates.
Hearing of Railroad Commission Drnxa On with No Indication of Conclu- sion--President smith of L.
 and N. Makes Statement.

Spice, and interest. too, were thrown into the third days proceedings of the Alabama Railroad Commission which Is devoted to the hearing of railroads op- erating in Alabama with view of TO- vising all the freight tariffs.
 The spice came from President B. n. Conner of the Commission, and much of the interest from a discussion of topics somewhat separated from rates. Among these topics was the financial history or the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in Alabama as reclted by President Milton H. Smith. in which he showed that the company had not earned two per cent on its investment, This was evoked by persistent interrogation by the chairman of the Commissions who inslnuated that the stocks of that road are. in market parIance. "watered."
 Mir. Smith vigorously denied that any of the Louisville and Nashville stocks are ''watered." and declared that there Is no chance for the specuiators on Wall Street to ''tanper with more than a minority of the stock"
 Sensible Statement of Sanders.
 feature of yesterdays session of the Commission was a statement by As- sociate Commissioner Sanders as to thd attitude of Associate Commissioners TunstalI and himself toward the yari~ ous motions heretofore made by Preat~ dent Conner. The statement was rnad8 by Mir Sanders after Mir. Conner had made an oral motion to fix rates. and had added with irritation that he did not expect a second to his motion Mfr. Sanders than said that his associate. Colonel Tunstall. and himself could not inteIliRently fix rates until all the eyi- aanos, t.aa baan hoard and they did unf pFapose to fix rates or take any inns po mt action upon q mere verbal mos tsaff When all the evidence waa tnt
 Sanders added. Colonel TnnstaU
 himself would consider all of lt
 n President Comcr and would rem
 heir dcclAion according to the law
 ... this statement by Mir. Sanders President Conner apologixed for his fre- quent verbal motions. promising his associates that he would not offer any more of them, but would consider the matter with them after all of the evi- dence was In.
 Tirade Agafnts Railroads.
 President Conner yesterday loosed another trade upon the railroads of the State. His demeanor was not any more conciliatory than it has always been during the investigations. Sew cral times he approached paroysms of rage. HIS TtpTONdl biAAa tAAAAG " AA3 based on what he regarded as the i'm disposition of the railroads to get clos- CT to the mass of patrons along their lines. He took occasion to cnarac- teriza the people as "the squaws" or the Indian camp and compared their husbands to the railroads. his charge being that the burden in commercial life is upon the patrons while the carriers move along haughtiiy
 It would bo an engima to sum ID what was done yesterday. It may be said that the day did no ge well with the chairman and his game of tarifK- smashing. This is proper to say In view of the fact that President Smith. of the Louisville and Nashville Rail- road informed tine Commission of the purpose of that company to raise tho rate on domestic and steam coal from the Birmingham district to Admissions Gadsden and Alabama City from 5o to TO cents per ton. Unless the road meets with interference this rate will be established, thus leaving the spo- cial rate of 50 cents per ton to apply only for furnace coal The change will be made May 22.
 The chairman deplored this move on the part of tue Louisville ana Nash- would like to have the Commission acduiesce in the new rate but, other wise. 1t would be put in if possible
 MT. Conner questioned the power ot the company to enforce the change if the former rate of 50 cents per ton was approved by the Commission.
 Mir. Smith said the Commission nad not approved the present rate but had only acquiesced. This was confirmed by Commissioner Sanders who said there was never an order of approval issued. It seems the rate that Was approved was the 70-cents-a-ton.
 The announcement or the proposed change by MT. Smith was not made independently but was in answer to the petition of the Talladega citizens who appeared before the Commission We'd nesday for the furnace rate on coal 70 that point from the Birmingham dis trict He accompanied 1t with lengthy argument which attempted to Chairman Conner that there ts such a thing as making diseriminations on the same commodity on account of necessity" The enormous shipments of coal to Anniston and Gadsden for furnace purposes were con- trasted with the small shipments for domestic and steam purposes. The fact was told that at one time there was A discrimination between coal for steam and domestic purposes but thas a concession was then made In erasing the difference.
  tering of the iron furnaces but critt- cised him for not fSaning further to the aid of cotton mills which are in hard straits in Alabama, according tos the chairman.
 Echoes of the last campaign for the Presidency of the Commission were heard in the investigation yesterday when General Traffic Manager c. B- Compton of the Louisville and Nash vile Railroad pulled out from his port folio of rates and figures a circular statement which did not seem 60 look so good to Chairman Conner as i. dld In the race for his present position. The circular exhibited comparisons ot rates on the Louisville and Nashville lines In Alabama and Georgia for few isoias- ed commodities. 1t was a damaging circular to the railroads during the campaign but, according to MT. Comp tons statements yesterday. the com parisons even though they were only a few were incorrect. He proposed 70 correct them during the hearing out