The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-07

so little. Every power of the State should insist that the railroads should not boycott or oppress these great natural carriers of the State, and should demand as of their inalienaole right that the same courtesy and com bination of rates be extended the States natural carriers which the States franchised public carriers practice | among themselves.
 "It is in the last degree thoughtless and selfish that corporations with the States franchises in their pockets and the States protection and patronage all about them, should combine to sup press and kill the use of the States own assets and properties.
 1 Hagar and IshmaeTs Portion. l The waterways of Alabama are not a private snap some citizens seem to think: they belong to the State. and l the benefits should reach every citizen, however remote. The city at the head of Mobile Bay and those at the river | railroad crossings are receiving the l portion of Hagar and Ishmael, where l as they are entitled to that of Sarah and Isaac. There Is no other economy of the State which would so fructify | every interest of the State as the striking loose of the boycott bands
 
 | roads has placed on our waterways. There are also interior towns and cities which are laboring under obso- lete freight conditions If these con- ditions were remedied and business ex- pansion allowed, increased prosperity would be distributed through the State. | ITO encourage cotton manufacturing in the State. the State has contributed the taxes on the cotton factories for hn orYi1 1, not shown any Sympathy with the States interest in this great enter prise and cotton to the factory and local cotton rates within the State, believe, is charged the highest rate of any standard agricultural production within the United States and the rate on factory product within the State Is Ihigh and without regard to State dis Itribution or intra state business.
 The freight on guano Is high; fer tilizers are used to increase tonnage and should be carried at the least pos- sible rate.
 Railroads are Arbitrary.
 The Government recognizing the Importance of expedited mail and bus mess, pay some of our roads large sums of money as a bonus to hurry their trains and expedite the mail and business. Notwithstanding this evil dent contract for quick continuous con meeting service, some of our roads with this pay of the contract in their pock- cts, destroy the spirit of the obligation both by the general government and the people by neglecting or refusing to make connections with other roads at their crossings and terminals, and by this missing of trains causing se- rious inconvenience and loss to the public. This should be remedied.
 With this view of the conditions in our State, 1t is the duty of the railroads to cooperate with us in equtably ad- justing their tariffs, their car service rules and method of settling claims adjusting all, fully mindful that while they, the railroads, are great developers needful to the every interest of the country, that at the same time they must be mindful that the farmer and saw mill. the live stock raiser and fruit grower, the local merchant and cotton factory, the mines and furnaces, the jobber and manufacturer of every de- scription are also great developers and without which neither State or railroad could live.
 Duty of Commission.
 Product is tonnage and the producer should be allowed to prosper, for in him is the hope of bath railroad and State: and the State should stand by him as a helper, a protector, a promo , ter, not in spectacular trials with rafts of private cars for scenery, but with , Intervening force reaching the remotest districts and the smallest details and making the limitations of every species of tax whether tlephone, telegraph, ex- } press or railroad.
 ITO accomplish this whether appoint } ed or elected Is our evident duty. If } we have not the necessary law we l should go to the people and ask for it. We should go further and ask the } assistance of our State officers from the , Chief Executive down. We should go still further and endorse the bill now in Congress giving the Interstate Com l merce Commissioners power to fix rates and ask our Congressman and Senators
 to help its passage; for as the President truly says there is no measure before the American people so important. :" | As to Fertilizer Rates. Major Robert E. Steiner, of Mont } gomery. representing the Seaboard Air Line. and John w. Huger. of Montgom- l cry. President of the Alabama Chemical Company. were present at the meeting of the Commission to argue a complaint ! as to fertilizer rates between Montgom- ?, cry and Hurtsboro.
 | MT. Huger, some time ago. filed a complaint that the Seaboard Air Line l was discriminating against Montgom- cry in its rates on fertilizer to Hurtsbo- TO. It is contended that a much higher ? rate is charged from Montgomery to } Hurtsboro than from Columbus to , Hurtsboro, the distances being about the same.
 II By agreement consideration of this