The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-04-13
Ar. r. Hudson BuSr Replies to C.
n. B., Jr.

ten by G. M. B., Jr. &C. M. Brown, Jr.)
formerly of Marion county, now Of
Miami, IN which he takes the Commits
sion to task and undertakes to show of
how little value, If any, it is to the tax
p gers Of the State.
In this article wish merely to dis
cuss c. M. B., Jr.'s, letter, and will
not undertake to go into the details of
discussion of the Railroad Commission
law and the acts of the Commission,
which l intend to do at later day, but
wish merely to show that G. M. b., Jr.,
has misrepresented the matters which
he complains Of, and misquoted the
Commission.
Under date Of February 5th the Dade
County Furniture Co. e.. M. B., Jr.)
wrote the Commission as follows:
I'VE enclose you a bill against the
Florida East Coast Railway, and also
show an expense bill from them, show
ing that they charged so cents when
the shipment originated in Jacksonville
and 81 cents when the same originated
in Augusta, Ga. Is this right? These
goods were exactly the same, cotton
and excelsior mattresses.
The Commission were anxious to aid
Mr.. Brown in any way that they could,
and the shipment of mattresses from
Augusta, Ga, to Miami, Fla, being in
terstate commerce, we took the matter
up with the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, upon the bare hope that they
would take the position that through
rate should not be greater than the sum
of the local rates, which is the case in
this instance, the Florida East Coast
Railways portion of the through rate
from Augusta to Miami being II cents
per 100 pounds greater, Jacksonville to
Miami, than If the shipment had been
shipped to Jacksonville and thence re-
shipped from Jacksonville to Miami,
under Florida Classification.
To this the Interstate Commerce Com
mission answered in substance:
That the through rate being greater
than the sum Of the locals did not follow
that the rate in all cases would be I'M
reasonable, but that the whole thing
resolved itself down to the question,
was the rate just and reasonable one?
and that this could only be determined
upon complaint and investigation Of all
the facts surrounding the case, in order
to reach a conclusion,
Mr.. g. M. b. Jr. has never asked the
Florida Railroad Commission to prefer
a formal charge to the Interstate Com
merce Commission against the Florida
East Coast Railway in order that they
might investigate and determine
whether the rate be paid from Augusta,
Ca, to Miami was an unjust and un-
reasonable one, but he has rushed into
the columns of the Banner for the pur-
pose of trying to prove to the people of
Florida that Railroad Commission is
useless but costly institution, main
tanned at the expense of the taxpayers.
Now, to quote G. M. B. Jr's letter
further, he says:
ITO illustrate, on page 81 of the Flor
ida Railroad Commission Classified
ton, mattresses made of straw, cotton
fibre, etc., take third class in Southern
freight classification adopted by the
railroads) they take second-class rate.
We shipped one car of mattresses from
Jacksonville, Florida, and two cars
from Augusta, Ga, at the same time.
The Jacksonville car came at 80 cents,
Jacksonville to Miami, third-class rate
ps 100 lbs, and the two cars from Au-
gusta, Ca, was charged at 81 cents per
100 lbs, Jacksonville to Miami, the sec
ond-class rate, a difference of II cents
per 100 lbs, charged because the ship.
ment did not originate and was destined
to point wholly within the State
G.. M. B. Jr. undertakes to quote the
Commission as follows:
THE Interstate Commerce Commits
sion would not allow them to enforce
their rate on shipments originating with
out the State"
The above is not correct; our secre-
tary wrote Mr.. Brown, by direction, as
follows:
II am directed to advise you that the
Commission are advised by counsel that
they cannot compel the railroads to use
the Florida Railroad Commission CLASH
fication on shipments, unless they are
Invested of their interstate nature.
He was also told how to have his
goods shipped in order to secure the
benefits of the Commissions classified
ton.
Now, Mr.. Editor, if were to write
an article in answer TO c. M. b, Jr.
that would cover your whole editorial
page, could not illustrate the useful
ness of the Florida Railroad Commits
sion better than the gentleman has
done himself. He acknowledges that
the Florida Railroad Commission, by
the classification has compelled the
Florida East Coast Railroad Company
to transport a carload of mattresses
from Jacksonville to Miami for IL cents
per 100 lbs. less than the rate charged
him from that point on q shipment that
originated outside of this State, and IL
it were not for the Florida Railroad
Commission, they would be charging on
all shipments, whether originating
,,yithin The State rates based upon the