Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1910-08-04

ceive public appreciation, and he accert'
ed as Il just part IF the expenses Of op-
| Grating the public service companies Of
| this state.
The carrier is entitled to make rea-
sonable profit after meeting the leglt-
mate expenses IF Ilerat'"n.
ABSURD CLAIMS.
But we are told that Georgia is now
prosperous and that the reactiona'I
course of the present administration de
serves the credit. California is prosper,
Gus, Texas is prosperous, Wisconsin
prosperous, northwestern British America
is prosperous. The present adm:nistra
ton has had as much to do with the
prosperity of Georgia as it has had to DE-
with the prosperity of the other sections
to which l have referred.
But they say. cotton is selling at 15c In
Georgia ard for this they claim credit
Well it is also selling at l5c in Texas. As
well might l charge the present admins
tration for the high prices of meat, or tho
high prices of clothes, or the excessive
rain that has injured the farmers crops
during the past few months, or for the
visit of Halley's comet.
The prosperity which has come to Geor-
gia. to the extent that Georgia has hat
prosperity. has come under the laws pas
sed by the progressive Democracy. 1t is
true that the PRESENT ADMINISTRA-
TION SOUGHT TO EMASCULATE
YOUR RAILROAD COMMISSION, TO
CUT DOWN THE NUMBER OF ITS
MEMBERS, TO ABOLISH SOME OF
ITS OFFICES, TO TAKE FROM THE
COMMISSION SUPERVISION OVER
STREET CAR COMPANIES. ELEC-
TRIO LIGHT COMPANIES, AND 9TH
Err LOCAL COMPANIES, AND ALSO
TO TAKE FROM 1T THE RIGHT TO
SUPERVISE THE STOCK AND BOND
ISSUES OF PUBLIC SERVICE COMPA-
MES. This attitude of the present admin
lstratlon was reactionary in the extreme
II was contrary to the accepted view OF
progressive craftsmanship whether founu
INSIDE the Democratic party or inside the
Repuollcan party. 1t was contrary to the
views OF Governor Hughes of New York
OF Lafollette of Wisconsin, and of every
Democrat with national standing.
l congratulate you that the members of
your house of representatives were not in
accord with these reactionary views and
that they nave stood as a bulwark in
uelehse OF the legislation which the pres
eht administration sought to destroy The
people of Georgia today are saving over
$l,OUOOGO year in lesSened charges for
passenger transportation, the Immediate
result OF the work of The progressive De-
mocracy, the present governor having
himself voted against these reductions
Inc public service companies are paw
ing over 100000 a year of increased taxee
as a result of the work of the progress
slVe Democracy, and yet they cannot COM
PLAIN that their assessments are higher
IN proportion TO the value of their prop
ertles IMAM the assessments placed upon
the property of the individual citizen.
In matters of convenience OF transporta-
ton, innumerable have the benefits been
which the public has received as the re-
suit OF our new railroad comm sson law
RAILROADS HAVE PROSPERED.
And yet the railroads have prospered
under the law. During the fiscal year.
from July /, 1907, to July l, 1905, at the
very time they defeated US at the polls
two years ago, with the cry that the rail-
roads had been ruined, the railroads of
Georgia were making more profits urder
our new legislation than they had made
before and were more prosperous than
railroads in other parts of the United
States. I shall not stop now to give you
the figures. | have published SCI eral times
in the press the repo. IS of a Number of
railroads for their fiscal year ending July
l, 1868, which showed an increase Of net
profit over their profit for the preceding
year
THE BUSINESS OF THE RAIL
ROADS HAS BEEN EXCELLENT IN
DER THE, LAWS MADE BY THE PRO
GRESSINE DEMOCRACY IN SPITE
OF THE FACT THAT THE PEOPLE
WE'RE RECEIVING A SUBSTANTIAL
RETURN AND SUBSTANTIAL BEN
EFITs FROM THESE LAWS
1t has not been our policy 10 injure rail-
roads or public service companies OF any
s-y.N
to destroy the political power of the ma
chine politician and the hired political
agent, to bring these public corporations
before body of men honest and capable
who would settle issues between them
and the people with conservatism and
justice, passing upon each case accord
ing to its merits and not as a result of
political pull
We may question the good faith of
some of those who have attacked the
railroad commission, charging that under
the new law it was too expensive, when
we turn to the work of the prison COM
mission, and find there during the past
twelve months ten inspectors instead of
three, with an additional expense far in
excess of the increased expense of the
railroad commission, ana expense without
any service to the public. Three inspec-
tors were sufficient when the convicts
were in the hands of lessees, but now
with the convicts in the hands of public
officials of the state, when inspection is
practically unnecessary except in rare in
stances, ten men instead Of three are en-
ployed to do the service, each costing the
state approximately $500 a year. The
prison commission should follow the law
passed during my term as governor.
There should be no inspectors but super
ViSors, each competent road engineer
capable to inspect convicts and assist in
road building.
GEORGIA RAILROAD STRIKE.
desire to refer to the manner in which
the Georgia railroad strike was handled
by the administration which carried the
nag of the progressive Democracy A
number of white hostlers, really 6remen.
were discharged from the Georgia road
and negroes put in their places at a lit
tie reduction of pay The firemen on the
road believed that movement was on
foot to displace them and to substitute
for them negroes. A strike followed. The
race Issue took possession of the people
from Atlanta to Augusta along the line
of the road, passion ran high. The pres-
dent of the road called on me
for aggressive interference. I COM
municated with the snSriffs and the may
ors along the line of the road. Not one
of them requested military help, and /
did not call out the military. 1t is the
duty of the MAYOR of the city, 1t is the