The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-06-03

SION OF Observation-Disclosures, May
2Sth. 19O8.-To the Editor of the
Constitution: You published yester-
day an article signed by c. H. Arthur
at the head of which in parenthesls
stood the word Communicated. In
the newspaper world believe an ar
ticle so marked is published either
because it is paid for or because the
editor does not wish to vouch for the
statements contained there in. | was
disappointed when | opened your
paper this morning in that | did not
find from Mr. c. H. Arthur cOrrec-
ton of what was published yester-
day over his signature. Mr.. Arthur
attempts to show that the rate on
cotton from Dawson to Savannah has
been increased / y cents per 100
pounds, or u cents per bale. This
is untrue, and Mr.. Arthur knows it
to be untrue. In support of his allie
cations he furnishes correspondence
between himself and Mr.. Dan Finn,
agent of the Central, and Mr.. I. c.
Melton, agent of the SeabOard. To
each of these he propOunds the ques-
4ion as to what it will cost to ship
a 5OO-pound bale of cotton from
Dawson, Ga, to Savannah, Ga, Sep
TENDER /, 1906, and September l,
1907. Mr.. Finn does not answer
Mr.. Arthur's question at all, because
he replies:
Rate September /, 1906. Dawson
to Savannah and Brunswick, FOR
EXPORT, 381a cents on sou pounds;
charges therefore would be $1.9212
Rate September /, 1907, Dawson
to Savannah and Brunswick, FOR
EXPORT, 40 cents on 500 pounds;
charges therefore would be $500"
In making reply to the same Ques-
ton Mr.. I. c.. Melton says:
Cost of placing one bale of cot
ton, 500 pounds, Dawson to Savan-
nah SHIPSIDE, season of 1906-1907,
$1.921a.'
Cost of placing one uale of cot
ton, 500 pounds, Dawson to Savan-
nah SHIPSIDE, season of 1907-19O8,
5000"
Having offered to the public these
two witnesses for the purpose of
proving his statement that the rate
on cotton from Dawson to Savannah
had been increased IL cents per
bale, and having proven by them that
this statement was not true, Mr.
Arthur turns to the people of Geor-
gia and triumphantly waves his hand
and says: 81 have made out my case"
Mr.. Arthur may fool himself, and
may have fooled himself. but he will
not deceive a single citizen of the
State of Georgia who will read care
fully his own publica AOn in yester-
days Constitution. He quotes in his
great eagerness to misrepresent this
Commission an order issued NOvcm-
Der 4, 1907. Two large cotton house.
in Atlanta called the attention OF the
Commission to the alleged fact that
the charge on cotton at Savannah
and Brunswick for shipside delivery
was l z cents per 100 pounds and
that this would be increased on No
vember 9th to cents per 100
pounds The Railroad Commission
was created in 1879, and not until
August %, 1907, was it given juris-
dioTinr l., oil
questions. The Commission has a
rule which prohibits the advance of
any rate by any corporation subject
to its jurisdiction without the con-
sent of the Commission. AS the At
lanta cotton firms requested that the
Commission prohibit the advance the
only way in which this request could
be granted was to have the Commits
sion adopt the then existing alleged
rate of l u cents, and this simple act
would prevent the increase if the
rate in question was subject to regu-
lation by the Commission. When q
hearing was had on November 18th
it was admitted on both sides that
the terminal charge at Savannah was
an incident to Interstate transporta-
ton, and therefore not subject tt
the jurisdiction of the Railroad Com
mission of Georgia This is a history
of the Commissions order of No
vember 4th, and this history was
known to Mr.. G. II. Arthur when he
signed what was published in your
issue of yesterday. His persisten
effort to misrepresent the Commits
sion will utterly fail in the minds O
just men when the simple facts are
stated
April 10, 1907, there was submit
ted to the Interstate Commerce Com
mission the petition of the Warner