The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1906-07-26
IN JUSTICE To
A WORTHY CITIZEN.
A Few Things Joseph n.
Brown Has Done for
Marietta.
MARIETTA. GA. july Dist. 1909,

MARIETTA, GA, July 2lst, 1905,
Editors Marietta Journal Il confess
that I was very greatly surprised when
/ heard that Mr.. Hoke Smith was ap-
plauded in our courthouse when he
said that he would, if elected Governor,
remove our fellow-citizen, Mr.. Joseph
M. Brown, from being Railroad Com
missioner.
That this applause should come from
our people is strange, when we recall
that probably no man living has done
SO much as Mr.. Brown for the laboring
| people of our city and county.
remember, probably year ago,
stalking with some friends about Mr.
Brown, and what be had done here, and
l give you the result, with only the
remark that one of the facts was drawn
from Mr.. Brown by question, the 9th
,ers being well-known in Marietta.
First, Mr.. Brown. as General Freight
Agent of the w. & A. Railroad, in 1883,
did what no other railroad officer has
bdone, viz: he reduced the rate on coal
from Chattanooga to Marietta from
A$1.30 to SOC ton. There has not been
a fire made OF coal in Marietta for over
20 years but what was cheaper than
would have been the case if Mr.. Brown
had not voluntarily reduced the rate on
coal.
Second, Mr.. Brown, in about 1885,
got the roads connecting with the w.
& A. Railroad to reduce their proper
ton of the rates on cotton from all w.
& A. Railroad stations, so as to make
from ali these stations the same rates
to New England as from Atlanta. This
took off 10 cents per 100 pounds from
thelcotton shipped from Marie tia, land IL
cents per 100pounds from cotton shipped
| from Acworth, This, after a year or
4 two, forced the Southern Railway to
! make the same reduction. So, if we
count the average crop of Cobb county
at only 1900 bales, and the average
reduction per bale at 20 cents, the re-
suit of Mr.. Browns action has saved
our cotton farmers over $4,000 year
| for over 20 years, for the price is regu-
lated by the rate.
Third, Mr.. Brown persuaded the
connections of the w. & A. Railroad to
give the Marietta Chair and Paper fac
tories through rates on their output,
and reduced rates on their material.
This enabled them to ship into other
States; whereas, before he did this,
in about 1884, their trade was cir
cumscribed even in Georgia.
And yet, / am told the business men
here applauded Mr.. Hoke Smiths de-
claration that if he was elected, he
would remove Mr.. Brown.
Fourth, Mr.. Brown, nearly ten years
ago, reduced the price of book tickets
from Marietta to Atlanta from $40 to
81, thus saving to every "commuter"
$36 year for years past.
Fifth, The title Gem City of Geor-
gia" was first given to Marietta by Mr..
Brown in w. & A. folder, issued in
1885. Before that date, you will not
find any publication so styling our city.
Sixth, Mr.. Brown did more than any
other man to advertise Marietta as a
summer and winter resort. have I'M
derstood that his Marietta Folder"
went through over a dozen editions,
covering over 100000 copies. Besides
these, he advertised our city in all the
W. & A. general folders, and in the
newspaper called "Kennesaw Gazette"
the very title of which is local to Mari
eta.
Seventh, Mr.. Browns contributions
to tie churches in Marietta have been
to all Of them, although he is devoted
Baptist.
| There are other things Mr.. Brown has
done for our people, but these are
enough to justify me in saying that
those of our cotton farmers and manu-
facturers who applauded Mr.. Hoke
! Smiths denunciation of Mr.. Brown,
surely let their blind partisanship get
the better of their sense of gratitude
and fairness.
1t is safe to say that in the past
twenty years Mr.. Brown has saved for
the people OF Cobb county, in rates on
cotton, coal, manufactured products,
passenger fares, ETC., over 5000, 600.
These figures are startling, but under
the mark, rather than above it. / ask,
what has Mr.. Hoke Smith done, or
what does he propose to do, which will
compare with these works of our fellow
citizen, Mr.. oseph Nj Brown?
JUSTICE.