The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-01
DEBARDELEbEN TELLS OF EARLY DAYS How One Man Helped to Make
 Birmingham STRUGGLES ARE RECALLED The Writer Says He Wishes To Sound Warning To People of Alabama
 To Avoid Troubles of
 the Past.
To the Editor of The Herald:

To the Editor of The Age-Herald: In 1872, there assembled in Birr1inS-
 ham small party of men who came to
 this district with a view of betterihg their
 condition. At that day we were united
 people; each and every individual did ms
 best 60 aid in the upbuildins of the city
 that we all now have the privilege ot
 enjoying. We were all drummers to get
 as many railroads and Industrial institu-
 tions centered here as possible. We lob- byed and made exhibits of how much
 freight there was to be created for them
 to haul away. In those days to get an
 additional railroad was of great import
 ance. and to charge for right or way
 subjected the land owner to adverse efi'- icisn. No one thought of doing any
 thing that tended to cripple the railrohus that we expected to use. one or 'heso roads has many times aided in crea,ins all
 ontp,lt of coal ore and iron, by oalioli's branch roads and giving the lowest freieht rates in the United States Tor as- sembling the raw material required to produce a ton of iron, thereoy iiiahiie N nossible for the various plants to suO ceed in drawing money from othel s'''S' to he invested and distributed here During the early days some Of us would start to build a plant without eho"s" money in sight to complete 1t. We seioo''' had any working capital. The enteip'''e wac hard to get started but we were s' ,a,.,v and persistent that we would un- dertalxe to construct plant ana 'ne'' hat would never have taken we cei'"''''S ! got into trouble over some ol our N'" 1 tures. when financial trouble suuch to we freouently went to the protector oi ,ne district. We unbosomed ourselves | +o hin, like a good Catholic would to iis nriest: told him our financial 'roupies. l He would in turn go to his direc.ois anu would allow us to ship pig iron Wlthoe' 1 ra1-insr the freight for months. At othei l .,,,,as when a furnace plant found Una. 1 +hev needed more money, he woulo TUT
 nish from s5o,Ooo to $ioo,coo unt'i IL eou, ] he maid back. At other times he "ou'u take a part of an issue of oonds' fie "'' 1 a,wavs ready to do anything 'ha' "'9 reasonable to aid in creating toi'iiase, l which meant money to the dls'rie' "'' | freight for his road ,.-,.. If now seems hard that tnis uis'''N | sbould sit tamely by and see this sia''u <, railroad hammered and crippieo os o
 T., ,,,,,,,,a,zers in Montgomery without rai@- l ,,,r onr voices in protest. Without ra''-
 roads we would dry up like wet weathe' | spring, and if they are crippled anu .Ae'i l credit impaired by adverse leglsiatio"' "e | will be hurt just in proportion 'ha' '"e | railroads are. All property, whether pc 1 longing to corporations or indviduais' "i'i 1 ao down in the same ratio with that ot | inc railroad companies. The View | tane | of the railroads is that they are part 1 of our property and should be kept Ut 1 the highest state of preservation ana CT l aciency. that we may use them Tor many | times the amount of tonnage now oeing l transported by them.
 There are few of us, and indeeo oou''- 1 ful if any, who would be willing 'o sN- 1 change our investments for that ol raii- ] road property, and certainly the proposi- | lion would not be entertained 1T we TUT l ther put the railroads in straight )acket l hv shutting the door of the courts 'o | then and thus denying them the rishl
  | of appeal to a tribunal that the huihp'ese individual in the land has now the right to.
 The legislature, at it's last session, has injured us millions of dollars. The work of the pay roll builders is at an end nnsh confidence is restored and reaction sets h. As an individual l feel that my life's work opening new properties is ended, for by the time the financial distrust rolls by I will be too old for the hardships of a pioneer.
 When the legislature meets in response
 to the governors call for an extra ses-
 sion. it is to be hoped that each member
 will think for himself. and do nothing
 that will further cripple us.
 This district is unlike some parts of the
 state that have little other than cotton
 to ship once year. We have large
 tonnage that has to move daily. hence "