The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-28
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TInN.

TION.
 When Mir. Conner first announced his candidacy for Governor. he placed the necessity for his being elected Gov ernor upon the ground that the Rail- road Commission, however constitu- ted, did not have the power to regu- late freight rates. nor could such power be conferred upon that body by any legislative enactment and that even if he had two men in place of the present Associate Commissioners who thought as he did. the Commission would still be poweriess to secure any relief for the people. This contention was based upon Section PAS of .-e Com stitution of Alabama, which reads as follows:
 The power and authority of regu- lating railroad freight and passenger tariffs, the locating and bul.e.ng of passenger and freight depots. correct Ing abuses. preventing unjust ,iserim- nation and extortion and requiring and gJa passenger % tariffs. es are hereby eon ferred upon the Legislature, whose duty 1t shall be to pass laws from time to time regulating freight and passen,t
 
 other than just and reasonable rates and enforce the same by adequate pen alties
 Mir. Conner argued extensively that it was the opinion of many able lawyers that the duty of fixing freight rates rested upon the Legislature, and that If he was elected Governor he would have such an act passed as would give the people relief from e present rates.
 He did not. at that time, define what remedy he would propose. but in many of his recent speeches he has specifically stated what his remedy would be, namely, pass an act of the Legislature fixing the present rates as maximum rate to be charged by the railroads, leaving it to the Railroad Commission of Alabama to reduce these rates to the Georgia standard
 Now, in the first place, if the mater Of reducing the rates from the present basis is left to the Railroad Commis- sion, then. in Mir. Corners own lam guage, the rate will be enjeined by the railroads and no relief He had. It fol- lows, logically. therefore. that if Mir. Corners program is carried out, the people will have absolutely no relief whatever from the present rate. Mir. Conner certainly understands very well that any Iegislative-made rate can be enieined just as we'll as Commission made rate, but he leaves the people to believe first, that 8 legislative made rate would give them immediate re- lief. and at the same time, he advocates fixing the present rate as the legisla- tive maximum rate To an impartial observer of the situation. 1t is not ur- prising that the railroads have ceased any fight upon Mir. Conner for Governor as he says they have. The only sur prising feature is that they are not supporting him actively and Loyalty. For, if an act be passed fixing the pres ent rate as the maximum rate to stand for four years, then-in MT. Corners own language--alI the railroads will have to do in the mean time Is to en- join the Railroad Commission from put ting in a lower rate. The inconsis- tency of MT. Corners position with ref erence to this matter should open the eyes, at least, of all those who really desire a reduction in freight rates.
 Notwithstanding all this and the fact that Mir. Conner favors law fixing the present rate as the maximum. he says. Those of us who believe that the things should continue had better go to Tuscaloosa and have our heads examined, or black our faces and kink our hair and go to negro school" Such a remark as this on the part of Mir. Conner is certainly not calculated to build up or strengthen the Demo- cratic party whose nominee for Gov ernor he seeks to be. Such intolerance of the opinion of others stamps MT. Conner as a man wholly unfit to be the leader of any great reform. The men who oppose MT. Conner are just as honorable as he is and. if he is nomi- mated. he will certainly expect their. votes to elect him.