The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-17


 l, own and absolutely control the railroads Of this section
 This weeks New York Financial News calls attention to the fact that MT. E. H. Cory of the United States Steel corpora tion is elected to the board of directors of the Southern railway. It is well known that the same associated financiers and banking institutions that control the policies of the railroads of this section have heavy investments in the industrial associated corporations that supply the railroads most of their material. It is pleasant and profitable pastime for these hnanciers to fix the price of these materials at arbitrary figures (steel rails, for example, which during a period when iron declined from s22 to SIP, remain unchanged at s2S), which the railroads then buy in large quantities to make re- pairs and build extensions to their prop critics, charging such expenditures to op- erating expenses.
 A consequence quickly following these large purchases of material is through the press and magazines a campaign of pubic education (also charged to oper-
  plight of the railroads whose cost of op- eration have closely approached the line of gross receipts.
 Finally the statement by the railroads, We must have increased freight rates, reduce wages or go into bankruptcy" letter written by one railroad official of this section to another in the past few months and now in evidence before the interstate commerce commission, said: rha lia ia n in crease in rates-we must not let the op- portunity slip The public of this sec ton, if it is so educated, has accepted as conclusive statements that costs of operation have tremendously increased, without learning why they have i'm creased; without knowing that the rates charged us here are very much higher than similar service by the same roads elsewhere; without knowing that sweep ing reductions made to our competitors in the past three years were not allowed to us; without knowing that at this time the railroads are hauling the same com modities on which they are demanding advances from us at one-third the rate while we are paying and are not asking any increase of those rates and instead, in some instances. have in the past year materially reduced them.
 The showing of the Alabama Great Southern railroad indicates that labor has not gotten any exhorbitant increase in the per cent of it's earnings. How about the republican trusts that seem to be suc- cessfuly milking this railroad can and through campaigns of public education calling upon the shippers and business interests to put for her more hay in the rack.
 Two negroes once bought a COW, agree ing to own her jointly Sam agreed to do the milking and Tom was to do the feed ing. After a week in which Sam had retained all the milk and Tom furnished all the feed the latter complained.
 How come I ain't got no milk" Sam replied.
 Me and you bought dat COW halfence, ain't we? Well, l dun give you de front cen and I dun took de back cen and cose you got to feed you cen and I got to milk my een.'
 Tom thought deeply and silently he started out when Sam asked Where you gwine?" Tom replied. I'm gwine right now to turn dat COW roun."
 It is full time for the business and shipping interests to know just how much food it takes to satisfy this transporta- tion COW.
 In a later article I will show how the railroads made Montgomery, Birmingham and adjacent business interests pay for terminals and franchises they bought in Atlanta in 1905.