The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-12
FROM ExTREMEIsM TO ooNsERvA-
 TIgM.

AASms
 MT. W. D. Nesbit is a public official As result of the unfortunate public sentiment which he and his associates fostered and developed in Alabama, he holds State ofice of honor and profit. As a public official, special interest att tachss to his public utterances. and as public official those utterances are subject to analysis and criticism.
 Returning from a tour of the small CT cities of Alabama. Commissioner Nesbit was pleased to comment on the returning prosperity. the amount of cash in the country. and the rosy pros- poets just ahead of Alabama's conI- merce.
 But would the States prosperity have so quickly returned, had the ex- treme policies of Mir Nesbit and his associates been enforced against the railroads of the State?
 MT. Nesbit as patriotic citizen of Alabama should render thanks and pay his debt of gratitude to the court which stopped the carrying into effect of much Of the radical legislation, forced through by the agitators.
 Here Is what Mir Nesbit in a recent interview published in The Birming- ham Ledger. has to say of existing conditions:
 T find that good conditions prevail all through the country district; the country store keepers are as busy as they can be, their collections are fine and there is actual cash trading going on everywhere"
 This statement was made by W. D. Nesbit, following. his return from trip throughout the farming section of large portion of the State. Mir. Nes- bit Is interested extensively in farming. especially in cotton growing. He is member of the Alabama railroad com mission, which also places him in position to note conditions.
 T found that there has been a steady improvement in general conditions on now for three or four weeks and the little dealers in the country appear to be in a most pleasing mood. They re- port that their collections are better than they ever were. There is much cash business going on," he continued, and the expectations are Athat this condition will continue for@ many day. There is nothing to be seen on the horizon to check the progress that has started in and started with vim."
 MT. Nesbit and his gubernatoria1 and legislative comrades, over year ago went into the business pasture to cut the grass so low that the railroads were facing starvation grazing. The roads went into the courts and on a showing of equity obtained an injunc- tion which gave them a longer lease on life. Then Mir. Nesbit and his as- sociates went into an agreement with certain of the more frightened rail- roads whereby these roads were to get higher and better grass than the oth- CTS, if they came out from under the protection of the courts. But certain other roads preferred the protection of the courts rather than risk the mercy of the State powers.
 As result confidence Is returning earlier, business Is improving faster and prospects are fairer than they would have been if the original inten- tions Of Alabama's agitators had been carried into effect.
 Mir. Nesbit is a good business man, one who has a reputation for being sufficiently vigilant where his own in- terests are concerned. But even for him the time has probably come when he Is willing to admit that the original radical ideas advocated in the cam | paign for office and sought to be put in l effect, when stopped by the courts, went too far for Alabama's welfare.