The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-15

Why Adverse Report of Senate Committee on Revision of Laws on Senate Bill Si, Should be Sustain ed. and Why the Bill Should Not I1 Be Passed. Railroad Attorneys Have Right to Be Heard.
 "Mr. President-This bill has been carefully considered by your Commit tee on Revision of Laws. A patient and respectful hearing was given by the Committee to the distinguished au- thor of the bill and to the opponents nf the bill. A great deal of evidence
 was heard by the committee of m ex- pert character as to the effect of this Senate Bill No. sl. After a careful con-
 sideration of all this testimony, and, the arguments of the Senator from
 Pike. and of the opponents Of the bill.
 unanimous report was made by the
 committee adversinE the bill The ac- tion your committee should be sus-
 tained The position and attitude of the au-
 thor of this bill is untenable. He ad-
 mits that his bill should not be passed
 In It's present condition, and his plea foe putting it on the calendar is that
 the Senate may amend 1t; he offers no
 suggestion in what respect it should
 he amended. He simply asks this Sen-
 ate to waste it's valuable time in the
 OA u uulN yulCn SbOul0 po entrusted to a committee.
 If the bill is capable of being amend
 ed in such respect as 1t ought to pass
 this Senate. the amendments ought to
 be made and passed upon by some fair
 standing committee of that body
 and I assume them all to be fair,--- and
 the senator from Pike has not the right
 to Insist that this Senate should waste It's valuable time in attempting to an~ R. G- ----. when he himself has sot suggested any amendment which would make 1t satis- Attorneys night to speak. Mir. President---Jrhe Senator has
 made some reference to a brief which
 has been furnished to the members of
 this Senate--I presume the same one
 that hold in my hand There Is no
 question as to whose brief it is. It is
 signed by distinguished member of
 the Bar of this State, well known to
 us all. It is openly signed Henry
 Opp. local attorney for the Louisville
 and Nashville Railroad Company."--
 one of the important railroad compa-
 nies of this State
 Mr. President-No man needs an apology for presenting his side of any question pending in this Legislature. Certainly these important railroad is- tCTCSbS nave d TlkHI iO buDuliI tnelE views and their side of questions upon which legislation seems eminent by this body
 M. President--4n the last campaign, there came uniform demand from the people of the State that the freight rates of the public carriers should be reduced and made equitable and just and fair to the shippers of the State. That demand was the result largely of a. The demand for reduction in freight rates and for other proper regulations of the transactions of the railroads of this State with its patrons, has been met by us fairly and squarely. and think we have redeemed our promises to the people of this State in that re- spect.
 It does seem as if Senetors on this floor have rather evaded the idea of being friendly to the railroad corpora tions of this State; as for me. while I have always insisted on freight rate I have at all times. expressed my friendly intereat in the railroad of this State. who have done so much to bring about it's pros perlty
 Railroads Should Not Re Crippled.
 MT. President--I think we ought to look upon them very much as we do upon our CHlluTtu. W OuEhl lO them behave themselves. but in dealing | with our children for some slight mis- 1 behavior, we would not club their | brains out with a club. neither do l think that because the railroads have been too exacting in their charges for | carrying freight and the people of this | State, that they should be crippled, | hampered or obstructed in the carry l ing on of their business and in dis | dnffaa hal they owe to the people of Alabama.
 Mir. President-The senator here, l who thinks that by destroying and | ,ripplng the railroads of this State by | egislation other than along the line of | freight rate reform and making them | less able to furnish adequate and l prompt service to the people of this | State, is mistaken. The people of this | state are friendly to the railroads. l They went to see the freight rates re- | iuced, and they want to see the rail- | .oads prosper and able to fully and | properly discharge their duties to the | public.
 Now. as to the merits of this amend | nent: The provisions of this amend | nent are drastic and harsh, unjust and | unfair. In my opinion. drastic and harsh principle. It au- thorizes the owner of property to be | of 1t without his will or con- sent. The principle upon which 1t | rests cannot be justified except upon | the high principle of the public well | fare of the people at large. It Is | equally true that the property of cor oorations obtained in this way is sub | feet to the right of eminent domain.
 But, Mir. President, I submit that | after a railroad corporation has con- 1 lemned its little railroad strip of 100 l feet, (which hope in a few years will l De needed for double track. especial | ly upon this Louisville and Nashville | most active developer in | this State--and when there ie so much other land on either side of this rail road strinl II Is unfair and nninnf fn