The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11
COMER COMES BACK AT JUDGE JONES IN
 VIGOROUS MANNER
Uses Strong Language in
 Answering Judges Criticisms
GIVES REVIEW OF
 KOLB-JONES FIGHT
Says Jones' Environment Was Such That He Could Not Help Enjoining the Railroad
 Rate Laws

|
 Former Gov B. B. Conner yesterday
 made public a lengthy statement in re- |. ply to criticisms directed toward him by
 Judge Thomas G. Jones of the federal
 district court. The former governor does
 not mince words and his statement makes
 unusually spicy reading
 In it he takes occasion to show what
 the new railroad rates have meant to
 Alabama. pays neat compliments both to
 Woodrow Wilson and Judson Harmon,
 sprlnkes in a little Latin and French
 for seasoning and uses some English in
 discussing Judge Jones which cannot
 readily be misunderstood. He compares
 Judge Jones to Ballinger and Lorimer
 in ''whtewashing over his acts and says
 they were just as sincere"
 He says 'the granting of those injunc-
 tions was a fearful mistake" and in
 reciting certain acts of Judge Jones says
 ..Busteed and lswayne did no. worse.
 But it is not till he hears the close Of
 his long statement that the former gov-
 ernor gets really vitriolic. He says Judge
 Jones was elected governor of Alabama
 by the same methods used in the Til-
 den-Hayes contest" and that Judge
 Jones IS the only man in Alabama who does not kndw that Kolb beat him by the largest majority ever given any gov ernor in the state'
 Regarding the threats about calling out the militia Governor Conner says "The only time that l threatened to call out
 the military was when word was brought to me at the capitol that Judge Jones
 had said that he would not arrest me
 for contempt because of respect for my
 position as governor. I replied to this
 that if he attempted it I would have
 him detained until I could get from Tus-
 caloosa Drs. Searcy and Partow, the
 states expert alienists to examine his
 head"
 '' Statement in Full
 The former governors stayement in full
 is as follows:
 On March II. 19l1, aeH Thomas aseo4.s
 Jones, judge of the inferior federal court
 lt Montgomery, issued an article flay- ing me, edited sarae, both in the papers.
 and In pamphlet, and wrapped it in the minutes of his court. all because in my 1 last message to the legislature recited, | as was the custom and right, the chron- | ieles of the legislature, and the import- l ant incidents of my administrations
 That he and his court formed an epi- sode in that message was not my fault, | was not the states fault. but was his 1own-the message was true.
 | That he should explain 'whitewash over and vituperate is part of his ca- | pacity and custom; Bainger and Lori I mer did the same, and were just as sin cere.
 Any person reading that document will 1 he is jurOmnftent
 to try the railroad rate cases, vicious. | exaggerative, prejudiced, partisan, not a vestige of judicial temperament l credit him with ability. but charge that With partisan railroad environment and ex-
 aggerated vanity, he was pre-determined
 to grant the injunction, and the rail-
 roads were fully cognizant of this bias and used it to carry out their full pur- pose.
 ,.,The granting of those injunctions was | a fearful mistake He states that he had to-and that Is true. His lifelong railroad employment, his consuming de- sire to be spectacular overcame him. Ihe opportunity which he had for construc- , tive statesmanship, the opportunity TOT | "the rule of reason,' for common sense judicial and self-abnegating patriotism, l were all cast aside, and the powers Of his court were used to suppress the leg , islature executive and civil authorities.
 and the people of the state. Busteed ana Swayne did worse.
 Under Their Control Alabama for many years had been Tn lthe control of the public service corpor- ations In consequence there were the lhigh express and freight rates, and the , lowest public service property tax Vaiu- ation,' and the most onerous business con ditions. The legislature and adJudication of the laws were under their control The
 railroad commissioners, whose appoint ments and the laws governing whom
 were yised by the railroad, were paid by , direct assessment on the ra1lroaus ana
 this under statutes passed by the rail- road lobby or third house In other words the railroads paid and controheo them.
 5 .sNew Hampshire California and New : lJersey were conspicuous examples of rail road bossism' and control, but no state , ever suffered the absolute control that Twas exercised by them in Alabama "Judge Jones, before he was legislator 5 lana afterwards, before he was governor 3 and afterwards. before he was member 1. of the constitutional convention and after 7 wards before he was judge (there will be no a afterwards) was in their employ. Ills mariner was the hired man of the raii- roads. whose entire business was to man
 age the policies and politics or the state. , He was paid large salary, ana was ! nrononted by every controlling influence . not to nractice before the courts but to-
 nractIce during the legislature, and in :, political meetings. and to fix the senti- |, ment of the political leaders throughout the state.
 .eInside of Judge Jones' office, as shown |, bv the co-partnership, and knowing the I uses which the railroads made of this con- = trol he must have been assenting to the stoning of the people, just as Saul of . Tarsus was consenting to the stoning of Q Stanben only. unlike Saul, he has never : seen the light which came with the resur-
 rection of the peoples rights-he is yet a
 Pharisee, and when he goes into the
 temple of the state he casts his eyes
 around and thanks God that he Is not like
 other men.
 s '.It is common knowledge that the pub lie service corporations furnished the :, money to maintain democratic machine :, politics. Tn the fight which was made to a break this control they furnished large !, sums of money and had numbers of their employees active throughout the state with a Advertisements and libelous statements concerning me. It was brought out in the a l ~~rtv,