The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1908-03-17

RAILROADS. 1N THE SOUTH.
This Sections Responsibility for HaF
Times,

This Sections Responsibility for Hard
Washington Post.
To what degree are the people OF the
South responsible for their hard times
How much Of a factor in killing prosperity
has been the severe, almost vindictive leg
islation against railroads and the arbitra-
ry ruling OF railroad commissions? The
questions are inspired by the situation that
confronts the Southern States after ten
years Of marvellous prosperity and develop
n ment. The action OF the International and
Great Northern Railroad. in Texas, In seek
ing receivership as refuge from threat
ened bankruptcy. growing out of the ar
bitrary order of the railroad commission re-
quiring the road to spend $4,000, 900 in bet
terment. has done more than the panic it.
self to direct public attention to the bad
state OF affairs in the South. The Texas
railroad has suffered decrease Of 81 ,OOO,-
goo In business during the last four months
and yet 1t is called upon to expend $1,000
600, not according to its own Judgment, but
according TO the judgment Of public Off
GERS who may or may not be good railroad
men; This Is making railroad a public
Unity with vengeance. @tI-
The South has grown much faster, reIn-
lively, than the North during the last ten
years. Its appetite for railroads has been
ravenous. The railroads penetrating the
South have been in the condition OF half
grown boy whose ankles and wrists are
always exposed In spite of all the efforts
of enterprising railroad managers, whose
whole interest lay In serving their terrific
ries adequately, the railroads have been
utterly unable to handle the business Of
fered New regions have clamored for
outlets and sections already served have
loaded the railroads down with freight
From 1902 to 1905 the four leading rail
roads OF the South increased their mileage
1000, and added all the equipment they
could obtain from overworked factories; yet
the South poured out her products so prod
igaly that the roads were swamped
The politicians who make up the Legis-
letures Of the South took hand at disci-
plining the railroads Their method OF as
sisting the roads to cope with the increased
business was to belabor them with the
big stick OF legislation--to direct them
how and what kind OF trains to run each
way every day, how many employees to
place on each trains. how to equip their
cars, when and where trains should stop
where aud how stations should be built
how shippers should be supplied with cars.
moved. how the valuation of railroad prom
erty should be made for purposes OF taxa
ton, and how much the railroads should
charge for passengers and freight Then
when Texas proposed 20 tell the railroads
how much money they should spend for I'm
provements and when where. and how they
should spend 1t. there was a howl when
one railroad succumbed and asked the
courts to save II from the public that was
clubbing it to death.
The South, evidently, is bent upon the
regulation of railroads. II will Succeed
beyond question. II II maintains its deter
mined attitude and the railroads survive
But the question will arise whether a large
part of the responsibility for hard times
should not be borne by the South itself II
returning prosperity brings renewed rail-
railroads lag behind. what will the answer