Evening star., 1909-05-04

and the lack of enterprise enough to take
advantage of the natural wealth that has
been placed at the thresholds of the
homes Of Alabama.
Kansas has no such geographical. min
eral and transportation advantages as
Alabama enjoys. She has no rivers or
seaports or mines or timber. Yet the
people of Kansas grow rich, while the
people of Alabama remain poor. Trade
is booming in one state and Is stagnant
in the other. and they still blame their
own Incidence and poverty on the war.
Many people of Alabama are opposed to
progress. They resist innovations. They
refuse to take advantage of opportuni-
ties that are offered them. They will not
permit immigration.
They prefer to remain as they are.
And. of course. they have perfect right
to feel and act that way.
United States Senator Johnson of that
state throws a searchlight on this phase
Of public sentiment by story he tells
about a discussion on the subject of Eu-
ropean immigration at corner grocery:
1--WE don't want no more white men in
this kentry.' said an old farmer, senten-
tiously. We've got all the white folks
here now that the niggers can support"
Boat Enterprise Strangled.
One Of the most enterprising and public
spirited men in the south explains why
there are no more boats upon the Missis-
sippi river as follows:
Taking the Mississippi river. prior to
the time that the Mississippi Valley
railroad was constructed on the east
bank and the Texas and Pacific railroad
on the west bank, the river was lined with
steamers. which had large and profita-
BILE business, both in freight and pas
senger traffic.
"A line of steamers ran from st. Louis
to New Orleans three times a week. and
was later increased with regular boats
to Memphis and back. Greenvile and
back, and to Vicksburg and back. The
old Anchor Line was the source of
several handsome fortunes of residents
today in the city Of ST. Louis.
The first act OF of the railroads was
to reduce rates at competitive points to
practically the actual cost Of carriage.
This action forced the steamboats, to the
same course. and then forced them to a
material reduction in their freight rates
for intermediate points.
This, of itself. was ruinous compete
ton. but, with the uncertainty of the
steamboats, making exact time, the rail-
road corporations, knowing that they had
absolute control of the traffic at non-com-
petitive points along their lines Of road,
issued positive orders to their agents at
the competitive points not only to work
to the limit to secure freight, but assure
shippers time delivery, which they OBJ
IdlneU Dy putting ruSIl tTdCeTS a1tef eacn
shipment.
I'm other words. they arranged that
where it took forty-eight hours for a
boat to come from Vicksburg to New
Orleans. they would deliver Vicksburg
freight in New Orleans within twenty
four hours, and let the shipper south Of
Vicksburg wait a week or ten days to
get his produce to market. They could
afford to do this, they knew abso-
lutely that the interior shipper was de-
pendent upon them only, as the railroads
had monopoly of the control of local
freight along their lines. were certain of
its transportation, and could afford to
to be dilatory i'm regard to handling, and
give through freight from competitive
points preference at all times.
Control Acquired.
In addition to this policy, which was
absolutely ruinous to the steamboat in
terests, i'm a number of cases the stock
control of steamboat lines was purchased
under fictitious names. in reality for ac-
count Of and for the benefit of railroad
lines. and then the service was made SO
irregular and poor that shippers gradu-
ally preferred to receive their freight by