Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-05-17
new LEGISLATION OPPOSED
President Finley Of Southern Railway Says
End should Come Soon.
COTTON GROWERS TALN BUSINESS
Methods of Grading Cotton ns Well
as other Subjects of Interest 10
Growers Come Up for
Discussion.


PHILADELPHIA, May 16.-Much bust
ness was crowded in today's session Of
the American Cotton Manufacturers con-
vention. Besides the many interesting
papers read there was an address by
President Finley Of the Southern railway,
the election of officers and reports from
committees.
Congressman Burleson Of Austin, Tex,
was among those who addressed the con-
vention.
President Finley called attention 10 the
assistance rendered by the railroads in
the development Of southern Industries and
pointed out that the demands for railway
service in the southern states have almost
reached the maximum capacity Of the
roads, and that If southern progress is
to continue there must be an early in
crease in the facilities of southern trans
portation agencies He said that If the
roads were to provide these facilities they
would require larger amounts of new cap
ital for the obtaining of which the main
tenance of earning power was d funda-
mental requisite.
Unfortunately the legislation enacted in
some OF the states and proposed in others,
he said, was tending to make it difficult
vide for new construction
Mr.. Finley said the railroads were ask
ing no special favors. They only asked
that they be given the same degree of pro-
lection under the law that Us given IN
business enterprises of other kinds He
said that laws subjecting common carriers
to proper regulations such as might be
necessary to prevent discrimination or un-
reasonable charges were proper and could
not be objected to on any valid ground,
but that when legislation went beyond
this proper field of regulation and pro-
posed TO reduce charges arbitrarily and
! to impose penalties for failure to perform
impossible services, 1t became destructive.
Grading of Cotton.
The committee having in charge the mat
ter of the controversy with the New York
Cotton exchange over the grading Of cotton
reported that It had a conference yesterday
with a committee from the exchange and
that there was harmonious exchange of
views in regard to the establishing of cot
ton warehouses in the south and the ad-
visibility of making changes In contracts
and the classification Of cotton. No con-
clusion was reached because of absence of
representatives of the New Orleans Cotton
exchange.
The report was adopted and the present
committee was continued
One of the resolutions adopted was as
follows:
That this association place on record its
disapproval of the action of the Interstate
Commerce commission in the case of the
rate on transcontinental shipments of
southern mill products to the orient"
The action referred to was on sale case
on southern goods to the Orient in which
suit was brought by New York exporters
against southern railroads to collect the
difference between So cents. the rate from
New England, and s1.25, the rate from the
! south The commission decided in favor of
the railroads.
At the banquet OF the association tonight
addresses were made by Vice President
Fairbanks and former United States Sen
ator McLauren of South Carolina.