The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-03-12
INTERIOR FREIGHT RATES
Ocala. Fla. March 10. 10

note in a recent issue Of your pa
per statement wherein it is alleged
that the Georgia railroad commission
mas established a ruling that every
town of 1000 population and over is
made a basing point, and that you
hope that our Florida railroad COM
mission will stick a pin in this I
am of the opinion that it will have a
pin stuck in it," not only one, but as
many as will entirely Obluerate even
the idea.
The experience of our railroad COM
mission taking up the difficulties of
determinations as against the inter
iOr towns is not an encouraging one;
! nor have | noticed a single action on
their part that would indicate that
they even consider or notice interior
! towns, or the railroads discrimination
against them, and whenever you men
/ ton an interior town and it's rights,
Ithey can show you by laws, rules and
! regulations as old and as unalterable
as those of the Modes and Persians,
| that it would be a violation of the
trust imposed in them (no doubt it
would, from certain standjoints) or
/ that they would be exceeding their au-
thority. or that the law is in direct
conflict with the idea, and, when all
! else fails, they will recognize the JUS
| tice of the cause and offer their sin
icere sympathy, but advise you that
they are pOwerless in their great fight
against railroad discrimination. You
will note that they are evidently Bap-
fists of the extreme type, and must
have water in all their basing points.
| So well and firmly established are
the railroad laws. rules and regula-
tons in our state government in ia
vOr of the railroads and seaport
/ towns, that so far as eliminating the
curse of railroad control from our
body polite. and removing the yoke
of slavery from the interior. we might
as well select a railroad magnate liv
ing in Jacksonville or Tampa, or
some northern city. and have him cast
the vote of the entire state. in all that
pertains to railroad legislation. and
have the railroad commission record
the minutes of the meeting and our
railroad lawyers pass upon the le-
gality of the transaction.
Such a law as is supposed to ne in
force in Georgia would to a large ex-
tent solve the problem in Florida.
But you need never expect our legisla-
tors or railroad commissioners to
ever gen on that track. hint, or even
suggest the justice or practicability
of such a law. So far as present an
itiqUated railroad management is con-
cerned, the interior is an unknown or
dead letter, a lemon to squeeze Now
! and again they are surprised TO find
la few of those that are able to find
/ their way to the gulf and out of their
| sitting grasp; but they have not yet
realized the love and respect C?) in
when they are held by the interior
producer and business men. They
have that yet to learn.
! The relief Of the interior will never
come from that source but if the
press of the interior will unite in de-
termined efforts to have justice done
! the interior and show up the work
/ ing of the railroad machine in our
I Legislative halls, and rouse the people
of the interior to their tribute paying
slavery to railroads in the interests
of the seaport towns: then, and not
till then, will the interior have JUS
tice and have that which belongs to
Ithem-their fair share of business
which they are justly entitled to. on
fair and just basis, eliminating dis !
examinations, as well as the producer |
having reasonable remuneration for |
his labor and undertakings, and not |
be considered merely dividend paying |
dSSCLo " "dLCA-AO66Cu ldAAAOd0 COi-
pOrations. whose stocks and bonds |
are five or six times over the real val |
Ne of their property, while they pay
taxes on about one-tenth of actual |
value This would be fight for JUS |
tice and equity and the rights of the |
interior, in which every free interior |
newspaper should take a hand, and !
every freedom-loving citizen should
back such newspapers to a finish |
fight, not by plausible promises and
fair talk, but by cold cash and I'M
stinted patronage to the end that no
paper mourning the displeasure of the
railroads and their political bench
men should suffer in consequence.
But have them feel that their efforts
would not only be appreciated. but
paid for. This would also show what