The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1907-04-11

pay taxes to state, county and munich
pality and is being subjected to con-
stantly-increasing governmental super
vision and regulation.
Do not understand me as criticising
the attitude of the government toward
river and harbor improvements, for l
am heartily in favor of the improve
ment Of every southern harhor and of
every navigable stream of the south.
Neither, do l criticise the regulation of
railway transportation by law, so far as
such regulation is necessary to assure
equality of treatment and prevent un-
reasonable or exorbitant charges, and
it is possible that this degree of regu-
lation might adyantageously be extend
ed to carriers by water. What do
contend for is popular understanding
of the fact that rail transportation is, if
possible, more important to commu-
nifty in these times than is water trans
portation, and I have unbounded faith,
not only in the fairness of the southern
people, but also in their ability to real
ize their own best interests, and be-
lieve that when once they understand
the interdependence of the railways
and of the people served by them they
will be as reluctant to place any unnec-
essary obstacle in the way of railway
improvement as they would to oppose
the Improvement of southern railways.
There is danger that legislation in
tended to regulate railways may prove
to be an obstacle to their extension and
development and may tend to make
worse instead of better the conditions
sought to be remedied. An example
of this is legislation proposing to i'm
pose penalties for failure to supply cars
or to perform other services, without
regard to whether such failure is the
result of willful negligence. Just at
this time, owing to the tremendous ex-
panslon of the business of the country,
the demand for cars is beyond the ca
pacity of the railways and the car
builders to supply, and some states
propose, by so-called reciprocal de-
murrage laws and the imposition of
penalties, to compel discrimination by
the railways in favor of shipments
wholly within the borders of the state.
1t must be apparent that the inevitable
result of this will be to bring about
competition of greed and rivalry be-
tween the states to see which can i'm
pose the heaviest penalties and secure
the largest supply of cars and the most
prompt service, and that every penalty
imposed for failure to do the impossi-
BILE, must reduce the ability of the road
to secure more cars and other needed
betterments. 1t must also be apparent
that such policy is in direct violation
of the common law rule forbidding dis
elimination, which has been incorpo-
rated in the federal and state statutes.
1t compels discrimination in favor of
transportation wholly within the state
imposing the heaviest penalty against
other states and against interstate traf-
fc. This is a matter of great impor-
tance to the people of Georgia, for by
far the larger proportion of shipments
originating in this state are carried
across state lines, SO that, while pen
atty law in Georgia more severe than
those in other states might compel dis
elimination in favor Of shipments with
in the state, it would be detrimental to
Georgia business interests as a whole.
Concluded next week,