The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-02
TWO AND \ yEALr CENf rAssnN-
 GER FARE ABsUnDrrr.

TWO AHD 4 EALr CENT rAssnx. GER FARE ABsUnDIrY.
 The absurditv Of iaw-made rates for freight and passengers is empha- sized in the action of the solons on Capitol Hill. who have just enacted a law in words and figures as follows:
 Senate Bill No,-s by Mir. Lusk. as amended and passed January g, 1907. by the Senate. and January s1 by the "A bill to be entitled An Act,
 To prescribe and regulate passen- ger rates on all railroads. other than street railroads. carrying passengers between points within the State of
 section l. Be it enacted by the Legislature of Alabama, That from and after July IL 1907. the ownefs and state engaged in carrying passengers shall not charge exceeding two and one-half cents per mile per passenger ponf 1o sny from vided that this act shall apply to all lines over fifty miles and their branch es operating in this State. and pro- lines not over fifty miles long in this Commission.
 sec. D. Any corporation, partner ship, association or person owning or operaNng such railroad. or officer. ser want or agent of any such. who shall knowingly charge or accept fare at e act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. and shall on conviction be fined not less than fifty dollars"
 has been unanimously passed by both Houses. in conformity with the re- commendation of the Governor, will be approved by the Governor and will be the law of Alabama.
 It has been suggested by some rail- road men. who are supposed to be ex- perts in the business, that these same railroad men know more about railroad matters than even the present Legisla- ture of Alabama. For instance, one man points out the following incon- sistencies and troubles that may arise under the act as it has been passed.
 Under penalty. a railroad company canot charge exceeding two and one- half cents per mile for every passen- ger No tickets are required. Not much stretch of the imagination is re- quired to foresee the possibility at least of several hundred, or several thousand negroes on most any Satur- day. or most any Sunday. taking ad- vantage of the two-cent rate 0or there are no half-cent coins now authorized by the laws of the United States), boarding a train at Decatur. for in- stance, for the purpose of riding to New Decatur. g distance of half mile. These negroes can tender two pennies each to the conductor, or they can tender a hve-dollar, ten-dollar. or change after deducting two cents Cor perhaps since the distance Is only one quarter of q mile, the law may be con- strued to mean that they can tender one-fourth of two and half cents. whatever that is) and will thereby compel the conductor to stop his train between Decatur and New Decatur for two CT three hours. in order to make the change. and collect the small pitt tance from these passengers.
 A similar condition might arise in any other populous community, where either white passengers or colored pas
 sengers in great number might con- clude that they would like. to ride to the next station practically free.
 But aside from the possibility of the
 2 1-2 cents fare being abused for short distances like the distance between De-
 catur and New Decatur. as suggested in the foregoing illustration, every time a man wishes to travel seven miles,
 nine miles, eleven miles, thirteen miles, fifteen miles, or any other odd number of miles, the question will arise who is to lose the half cent? The law says the carrier must not exact more than Ia cents per mile. Fractions of a mile are
 not taken care of. Every passenger
 destined to a point covered by an odd
 number of miles, can compel the rail road company to sacrifice the half cent, for the reason that a heavy penalty Is ? 1-2 cents per mile for each passen- ger. As to an even number of miles, | the change can be made. No minimum
 rate is fixed There Is no passenger tariff in the United States that does
 not fix minimum charge for carrying
 a passenger of not less than 10 cents.
 But those who crack the whip in the present Legislature arrogate to them 1 selves superior wisdom on all subjects The members who are not favored
 with leadership in the present Legis-
 lature are gradually awakening to the fact that their leaders are not omnip- 1 otent, and more blunders like the one
 above mentioned will soon awaken the silent members, and the present leaders | will have to go back and sit down." DANGEROUS POWER.
 Are the American people losing their | To mt