The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-27

may not follow it, but the chances are that in the end the legislation enacted will be close enough to the governors views to enable him to approve it with out calling a second extra session.
 The receipt by the state treasurer the other day, of s10 in currency from some unknown source, an evident con tribution to the "conscience fund" called to the mind of a capitol official the story of a now prominent Georgian, who as youth led a rather wild and reckless sort of career and spent mucn of his time drinking and carousing.
 The Georgian in question now stands high in his community and the state He is at the head of one of Georgia E foremost industries of which he has made an eminent success, and as a re- suit of which he receives @ salary of s20, 900 a year. He is the mainstay of the church in his community and con tributes largely to the maintenance of home and foreign missionaries. More than that, he is a missionary himself and never loses an opportunity to point the right way to the young man with whom he may be brought Into con tact
 Before this change came about he was for some months in the employ of a merchant in one of Georgia's most thriving towns. He did not, as the re- suit of his method of living, give his employer the service to be expected of a steady sober clerk. It was while in this merchants service that he resolved to change his method of living.
 This he did completely and as soon as he got on his feet again he met his former employer on one occasion in the Masonic lodge, of which both were mem bers, and in the presence of friends oi both handed him check for $1O0. The merchant at first protested against it, say ing that he did not owe 1t, but his erst- while employe replied:
 q feel that l defrauded you of that much time as the result of my bad habits. and l shall be deeply disappointed if you do not accept it.
 There was a little further argument and the debt was extinguished. It appears to be the general impress sion here that the interstate commerce commission will ultimately approve the increased rates on grain, hay and four into southern territory, which went into ] effect August 1, and against which a number of merchants in this state, who are large buyers, have entered strenuous protest.
 It is stated that these increases are not the result of any attempt to bring about general rise in rates, but are simply the restoration of rates which ex- isted prior to certain reductions which were made in 1905 at a time when the railroads were doing a more prosperous business.
 The fact that the Georgia railroad com mission has not itself filed any protest with or made any case against the rates before the interstate commerce commis- sion Is regarded as quite significant This Is true particularly in view of the fact that the present commission came into power along with the regime that pro posed to reduce freight rtaes. Indications now are that the sympathies of the com mission are rather with the railroads in this particular matter in that it has de- cided not to take any action pending the decision of the interstate body upon the i case made by the Georgia shippers which , Is now pending.
 The final decision of the interstate com
 merce commission is expected some time | in September. If 1t uphods the high rates that will probably be the end of it !, If its decision is against the railroads l they will no doubt go through the gamut | of the courts before submitting to the
 re-establishment of the old rates.