The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-01
MIR. O'NEAI SPEAKS
CANDIDATE FOR LlEUTENANT-GOV-
 ERNOR AT HUNTSVILLE.
Position on the Question of Railroad Rate Reform is Explained in
 Detall-Impartlal Treat.
 ment the Thing Desired.

| didate for the Democratic nomination 1 Tor Lieutenant-Gov opened an 1 active canvass of the State today m
 an address in the County Court House. He was heard by large crowd. MT: l O'Neafs position on the question qf | railroad rate, reform was explained in
 detail, showing that he stands for the 1 regulation of rates by law. Me said pire government had been regulating ! common carriers within their borders. | and that the most eminent legal au-
 thorities in the world agree this IS | proper.
 | Mir. O'Neal opened his address with | a formal announcement of his candi- | dacy for the nomination for the second l highest executive office In Alabama and | said it is but proper that he should | make known his views on Issues now
 pending before the people. He depre- | ciated the e>growing tendency to rely upon the Federal Government for relief l from all the evils that afflict the body | polite, which has manifested itself In l the action of many Of the states m limiting the terms and sessions of
 their Legislature based on the as sumption that when the Legislature meets it will pass bad laws, disturb and unsettle business, arrest corpor- ate growth and power, and therefore 1 should meet as seldom as possible. This growing dissatisfaction with State gov | ernment has it's origin, said MT. O'Neal. | in a want of confidence in the capacity l of the people to govern themselves, l On the subject of railroad rates, he l said in part:
 | Tt is no exaggeration to say that no | issue has ever been presented which affects more intimately the welfare and l happiness of the people of the United States. It has been truly said that in | it's essence tho railroad rate is tax ! on the public. It Is tax on all we | eat, consume and wear. upon the homes | in which we live, upon the implements l Of trade and commerce.. upon the ne- l cessities as we'll as the luxuries of life. Heretofore there has been no limit up | on this tax except competition or the | arbitrary decision of the traffic mana ger. Those who favor the great moves | ment for reform of the abuses and l evils that now exist in the manage l ment of our common carriers. recognize | fully that railroads are necessary ana I essential factors In modern business, commercial and social life. that our development and progress demands au- ditional railroad and shipping faciii- | ties. They recognize that an injury 10 f the railroad is an injury to the public and that these common carriers are en- titled to a fair and reasonably remu-
 nerative compensation for the sersice fs,oe | to depress the railroads. tc hamper or | retard railroad development or to iQ any way check the progress Of the country in industrial advancement
 l The only purpose is to prevent the | railroads from expressing the people | In ali ages among every civilized pa- I tion the question Of transportation has | been one of the most important. The Romans levied immense taxes for road building and conquered the worid NO | industrial progress in any age or cline | has been possible without cheap and | initial question then in order that we | may have a clear comprehension oI the
 issue is what are railroads? What are
 the powers of government to control
 and regulate them? If such power eX-
 ists. is its exercise necessary! IL IS | clearly the duty of the State or gov
 taxation proper roads and highways Instead of itself constructing these
 iron and steel highways. the State & sald
 to the indiyid4ai Ia % or e9FPoras'op 3bPs ao%ar We | will vest in you part of our sovereign | power. the right to take and condemn
 private property, and for cohmpensa, h pen .
 reasonable toll, tax or freight rate; | which must be equal and just to all ! alike. This right to operate q railroad | is termed in law a franchise. Unless the l rates of toll or freight Is fixed by the | charter or franchise, the State reserves | in every instance its paramount power
 to prevent discrimination. secret re- bates or unjust and unreasonable tolls.
 "Raiiroads. then. are public high | ways. The constitution of Alabama
 not cr> structed and used exclusively for pr.vate purposes shall be public highways and all railroad and canal
 companies shall be common carriers, The whole difficulty with the opponents | of rate reform is that they overlook the fact that railroads are not privaH property with which the public has no concern. They overlook the Tact that
 railroads are organized for public pur-. poses that they perform function of the State. that the proprietary. rights
 trust for public uses and that the State
 has never surrendered its soveregn power to prevent the unjust or unfair
 rates. It follows logically and conclu, | sively that 1t Is the solemn duty or the State to protect the public against
 any breach Of trust on the part of it's | agent. to prevent by the strong arm of the law any unfair and discriminat-
 ing rates, and to require that the l agents operating her highways shall | offer to all her citizens fair. just and
 tunities to every shipper. State | which ignores this solemn duty is not | discharging its proper functions If dispute exists between railroad and | a shipper it is the duty of the State to provide some impartial and competent | tribunal to decide the controversy, not l to allow it to be decided by either party
 in interest the railroad or the ship per- A
 Mir. O'Nea1 said that railroad offf- | cial who attempts to charge rates that
 subjected to the same punishment as any other public official who betrays
 a public trust or duty. "All that the advocates of rate reform demand. | pie to impartial treatment, to just and | reasonable rates and regulations, to recognition on the part of corporations | that they are the servants and not the | mastets of the people and that while I operating the public highways of the | land, they are the agents of the people l performing governmental Junction and without any power in fixing their rates to consider only their own inter ests and ignore the rights of the pup | conveys no threat against the most perfect consolidation of the transpof- | tatidn lines of the country: The Amer l ican people know that this Is the age
 of consolidation. All they demand IS | that the government shall exercise | the powers Invested in It. as guardians | of the rights of the people against the | abuses and evils of unfair, unjust and | discriminating rates ard rebates
 1 Referring to the local slt9atlon, rel | said 1t is not denied that the local | rates in this State are from twenty to | one hundred and twenty per cent hlgh- | CT than in Georgia, and the Caroiinas; | He urged that the Alabama Railroad a l commission needs more power that 1t 1 shouId not be compelled to appeal to | inc courts for the enforcement of it's | decisions but that it should have power | to mt it's decisions on matters feiat- | inc to rates into immediate operation. | Iie charged the railroads with dis l criminating against the cities of Ala | hama and said that for the purpose of | taxation the railroads of the State are | valued at thirty six millions Of dol
 lars while they are valued at tWo nun Il
 dred and fifty millions merely for the
 purpose of showing that the frelght
 rates now in force are necessary for the return oe fair interest on the