The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-28
SPECULATION AS TO THE
 NEW RAILROAD MEASURES
Much Interest in the Subject But Various Straws Indicate Even the Governor Doesn't Know
 Just Which Way the Wind is Blowing.

with the extra session of the Ala baina Legislature. only ten days off, the main business of the Legislature. to furnish new railroad regulation code, is clouded in a haze of doubt. And as a matter of fact more populaf interest is being taken in the prospec- tive fight for State prohibition law than in the proposed railroad lesisla- tion. sa N
 Railroad legislation Is a twice told tale. The average man has heard as much about 1t as he wants to hear. He wants the issue settled and for all tirae. Statutory prohibition for Ala barna is different matter. It has the element of novelty in it. So specula- tion runs rife as to whether the pro- hibitionists can get two-thirds of the members of the House and Senate to agree to take up prohibition as a sub Ject for legislation.
 The announcement made yesterday morning that Governor Conner would hold conference with Governor Smith of Georgia, Governor Glenn of North Carolina and probably Governor Swan son of Virginia. has a bearing of more or less importance upon the railroad legislation which will be proposed at the extra session. Governor smith or Georgia Is practically in the same boat rwfth Governor Conner. The same sort of campaign was waged in Georgia as was waged ip Alabama. The people got the idea that great and revolu- tionary changes to their advantage were going to be inaugurated when the great popular leaders were in stalled in office.
 za szseTgss as .E Alaeasns t was found that the Governor could not do all that the people were expecting of hirn to do. In Alabama the policy has been more vaciiiating than that in Georgia. Georgia was already com mitted to the policy of rate making by the State Railroad Commission.
 Alabama. at the January session. under the direction of Governor Coz uuer and in accordance with his caTn- paign declaration committed itself to the policy of law made rate. The maximum rate bill forbade the lower- ing of any rate. The entire policy was based upon legislative action.
 After the Legislature had gone home, the railroads fled to the courts asking protection from the administrations policy. The States attorneys discover cd, too. that they were handicapped in the courts by q legislative act which authorized the Railroad Commission to raise rates. but which forbade it from lowering rates, no matter how ruinous those rates might De.
 Undid Former Work.
 The Legislature at it's July session, under the direction of Governor Co., nler, undid a large part of It's work at the January session. The principal change was the abandonment Of the law made rate policy for a policy of rates made by the Railroad Commis- sion. still the litigation remained in the courts and the railroads continued their declaration of pursuing the liti- gation until the vexed question was finally adjudicated in the courts.
 Governor Conner told the railroads that if they did not come out of the courts, he would call another session of the Legislature. Several roads, lead by the Louisville and Nashville. refused to come. The Southern, which had, in baseball parlance, "been caught off It's base'' by the transfer of a case from the State to the Federal Court, had it's license revoked. Whereupon 1t lead a number of the Alabama roads to accept the rates as made by the I1egis- latures M
 The Louisville and Nashville. con- tinuing it's policy of trying the cases in the courts until they were finally and definitely settled, refused to ac- cept the new rates, no matter If an extra session were called.
 whereupon Governor Conner issued the call for the Legislature to reas- sernbie In extra session on November z, which, by the way. Is the Governors