The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-12

that railroad employees can get better wages. I will call the attention of the employees to the fact that this increase in freight rates will come out of the la- borers' pockets-laborers that are poorer than they, and who will eventually conl- pete with them for their jobs From this increase in rates the employees of Ala bama railroads will get the least part By far the greatest part of it goes out of the state to fill the unsuitable cupidity of what is known as the allied or spei cial interests. The real effort of the traf- fic managers of the Central and the Louisville and Nashville railroads, and of all the railroads, whose securities are far above their value, is to pay interest on those securities. As sure as doom S day, the price of labor, no matter where, is not permanently increased by statutes, but is regulated by the inevitable law of supply and demand. and whatever in creased tax the railroad employees may help the railroad authorities to secure from their brother workers in the state, they could not possibly make with these same employers any agreement not to put the wage scale on a basis of supply and demand nor on what a combination or union of employees can secure and | maintain. The increased freight rates are lure to cupidity, with no more body | than the false fly or minnows which fish l ermen cast for trout ftN ~ :.
 Railroad Rate Regulation
 Judge Jones decided against the state law transferring the power of the legis- | lature to the railroad commission to make and establish freight charges and rules governing the conduct of the rail- | roads toward the citizens and property | of the state. He also granted injunctions against the 21s -cent passenger rate and | the laws reducing the freight charges on i 110 articles of common production, con- sumption and use and against the law forbiddng the transferring of suits at l law from the state courts to the federal courts, commonly called the outlaw act.
 The federal court of appeals decided that the state through the legislature had | the right to make passenger and freight rates, provided said rates were not con- | fscatory. They also decided that the state had the right to delegate power to 1 the railroad commission to make rates and to make rules governing the conduct l of the public carrier toward the citizen and to exercise along these lines such power as the legislature might give to | them by statute.
 1 On March l. while Attorney General Garber and Messrs. Selheimer and Weak | ley were in Louisville trying the case | before the master, w. A. Gunter, Sr., Judge Jones ordered that the Central of Georgia and Western cases should be | taken up at once Judge w. s. Thorington | having been appointed master. There was probably no design on the part of the judge to weaken the states side by fore | ing the two trials to come on at the same time, but there was no considera- | ton shown the states interest in these cases. At best the state was at a great disadvantages It had been necessary for it to get the larger part of its evidence | from cross-examination of the railroads witnesses and from railroad figures.
 The Central of Georgia railroad, which is still contesting the rates, shows in- creased earnings in every department month by month. The Western shows large increased earnings and never in | the history of the South and North and the Louisville and Nashville have they had so much gross earnings and net rev | enue.
 To business man these increased earn 1 ings are an unanswerable argument that | the states rates are not destructive or | confiscatory. On the common ground of | equity, it looks as though the suits against the state rates should be dis missed. The Age-Herald, the morning daily newspaper of Birmingham, some time ago commented. upon the large in- | creased earnings of the Louisville and
 Nashville railroad. and said that 1t would
 be good thing If someone would confis- cate them again, and so it appears.
 Last year before the Louisville and Nashville had even completed their testi- mony before the master, when the state
 had not had the opportunity to offer
 a particle of evidence, when the opnaster had not made and could 4ot have made 1tx.rr wxxt.~ statement of the railroad showed in- creased earnings, When every external evidence showed splendid prosperity, at torneys for the Louisville and Nashville
 went to Judge Jones and petitioned that he should reinstate the injunction and | restore the rates. heard that the judge
 was advised that such proceedings would not do, and for the reputation of oui courts thank God 1t was not done, and the cases are still proceeding in the | regular course for decision.
 | Attorney General Garber in all the
 states railroad cases and all it's other legal business has been untiring and has rendered most patriotic and capable ser, vice. It is true that the cost of these suits both as to attorney fees and court
 cost have been large. It has cost fol the state for attorney fees $46.SS3 21, fol court cost $27, ,676. .54. Yet, if this admin | istration has accomplished nothing other
 than to settle the question of the states
 right to dominate and control every prop
 erty alike, to prove that there is no pow CT within the state greater than tht
 state, that the legislature mas the righ
 to enact laws uncontrolled by any inter est, that the governor has the right tt
 insist that every law of the state b,
 obeyed by every property and every in
 dIvidual, it would well be cheap at thu price.