The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-28

a contest between the incumbent, Hon.
Gordon Lee, and Judge Moses Wright
of Rome, who resigned from the superior
court bench in order to make the race.
There Is now only one chance of making
it three-cornered and that Is In event
Hon. Mack Johnson of Barlow should
definitely decide to get into 1t. Mr.. john
son, who represents Barlow in the legis-
lature, and who is well known through
his official connection with farmers or
CARNATIONS, Is still thinking about it, He
has told his friends he expected to run,
but has delayed the final word.
So general opinion seems to be that it
will be finish fight between Lee and
Wright-Lee with the advantage of being
In and Wright with the advantage of a
service on the bench, and both with num-
bers of good friends ready to help them
fight their battles.
Talk to any impartial observer from the
Seventh and he will state frankly that
there is no predicting the result, and
probably will not be until 1t has been dis
closed by the counting of the ballots. IL
all the candidates spoken of had entered
the race it is probable it would have di-
vided the anti-Lee vote and given him a
winning advantage. But with a concen-
trated opposition back of Wright 1t will at
least be very pretty fight.
Delay of Passenger Trains.
Delayed trains in Georgia will be a
subject of investigation and possible ac-
ton by the railroad commission at its
meeting next week.
The question has been brought to the
commissions attention largely through
newspaper publications, but in some In
stances also by Individual complaint. and
the evil has become so notorious that the
commission feels called upon to do some
thing about it.
The trouble is due largely to interstate
trains which are late In making their con-
nections outside the state; hence are al
ways or nearly always behind schedule
time in running through Georgia.
While the commission has no jurisdic-
ton over interstate trains, it has the pow
err TO require the railroads to give a reas-
enable and satisfactory service within the
state. and II the road fails to give that
service with an interstate train, the COM
mission, 1t is said, has the power to re-
quire 1t to put on additional local trains
for Georgia service
Whether the action of the commission
will take this direction. however, re-
mains to be developed. 1t has been sue-
gested that the commission gather data
ON late trains and find out officially just
what sort of service the roads are giving
In this respect, SO as to have a basis for
decision as to whether or not conditions
demand emphatic remedy
That some remedy is needed is evident
from the frequent complaints now coming
from south Georgia cities and towns.
which are getting a service anywhere
from one to 70 hours late
An Atlanta paper recently published
the actual leaving time of the South
erns Cincinnati train and the Central
Of Georgia's Dixie Flyer--the leaving
time from Atlanta-for each day of the
present year The least delay of any
one of these trains since the beginning
OF the year was 35 minutes, and they
were frequently from to 8 hours late
and occasionally as much as ~.
These trains of course miss all their
east and west connections at south
Georgia junction points; both the mail
and passenger service is consequently
upset.
When Governor Brown was a member
of the railroad commission years ago,
he made an estimate, up In the hun
dred thousands, of the annual loss to
Georgians of suspended energy and eff
fort on the part of persons who spent
time at depots waiting for late trains.
He then urgently recommended that
uthority be given the commission to
remedy such conditions by requiring
the railroads to run special trains for
local service, whenever the through
train that usually performs such ser
vice is more than half an hour or an
hour late
The authority was not then given. but
1t is considered that the commission
now unquestionably has it under the
terms of the Gambler act passed in
1907
Apportionment of Convicts.
In accordance with the requirement
of the law that all counties shall be
notified of apportionment of the state
convicts for road work, prior to Feb
ruary 10, Secretary Goodlow Yancey
of the prison commission has just sent
out notices requesting those counties
which desire convicts for the ensuing
year. beginning April /, to send their
applications to the prison commission
at the earliest possible date.
There is already every indication in
the replies received that there will be
an increased demand for convicts and
that 1t will be impossible TO give the
counties all they want
Only 80 counties have replied to date,
but all those which are using convicts
not only want to keep their apportion-
ment, but desire more. Four out of 80
do not want convicts-Chattaho ochee
Habersham. Rabun and jeff Davls--but
they are not using them now. Two
which have no state convicts are now
asking FOR them-Crisp and Douglas.
The "a others like the plan so well
that they want more. 1t Is expected all
the replies will come In during Febru-
arv. uro ba hly altar The February meet