The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-12
FREIGHT RATE DISCRIMINATION
AND ARBITRARY CLASSIFICATION OF RAILROADS

ing made restraining order granted by the courts against
the of the rates.
Subsequent to obtaining restraining ORDER the Southern
Railway to federal court certain
suit and doing technically violated the outlaw act which
prohibited foreign corporation from removing case from
state the penalty of which was the forfeiture
since been declared ana
repealed the meantime the Southern Railway was unw
tngy placed attitude of being OUTLAW its license
having Under these conditions the Southern
Railway officials with the Governor for conference
A compromise made with the Governor by which the
Southern Railway exchange for having it's license rensaed
agreed to put into effect the statutory rates. effective Sep
tember addition the Alabama Great Southern when
was one Railways subsidiary lines (Which road
was on the which road by the terms OF the
required to charge the standard rates. and the
earnings that time its lines within he State
per cent greater and are now 3o4 ?er
greater than the amount mile received by the L. ~
lines within the State of Aabama) was authorized by the
Governor to increase Class The Railroad Commits
declined ratify the agreement placing the A. III s. IN
Class 3 and placed it in Class z, above stated
BY 1907 between the Governor and
Southern Railway effective December 1907 the Southern
Railway granted authority and collect rates
Class railroads The agreement was ratified by tho
Railroad Commission in its general order No issued November
25 1907.
After the Governor had wiped the statutes providing
substituted therefor he called an extra
that his agreements might become law by
legislative The Legislature called together for
express purpose and also that the original act might be cut
eight and be made eight specific acts the object
being injunction then obtaining against the
original act.
This was done in November 1907 with
Alabama Great Southern greatest in Class had its
advanced by Governors rs cent? (re
eced by the Railroad Commission December 49, 1907 and
revised cent? The Southern Railway with earnings Of
S62 per mile had its advanced cent? to Class g.
while Line with earnings Of $5914 mile
the San Francisco, with earnings of 1211 mie
and Railway Alabama with earnings of $s771
per in with the L. NJ whose earnings
per mile in Class L. These last named railroads
were required to charge standard minimum
Legislature in separate and distinct sessions
fixed NJ then earning $9sOs mile and
Atlantic Coast Line, then earning $5914 mile. %
than the rates fixed for the Alabama Great Southern
with earnings s1245s me the Railroad Commits
did later make cent change in the A. e. s. essih-
cation.
Without consultation with the Legislature almost
datey following adjournment the Governor under date of
permitted railroad advance its the
greater of the One Hundred and Ten Commodities and
be ratified by the Railroad Commission
San Francisco Railroad by with
placed in Class That railroad then
earning 2l mie and granted 20 cent increase
the L. N which earning only $990S mile
the process of elimination find after the
entered into by the Governor that there remained railroads
Class which required charge the standard scale of
the Louisville Nashville Railroad earning
per mile and the Western Railway of Alabama earning ss7
per mile while Alabama Southern Railroad earning
me authorized increase it's
further in mind that these agreements
into with certain railroads. in with the
law enacted by the State Legislature fixing the
Determinations of similar nature nduged in, each
leaving the Louisville Nashville Railroad
both its main line and branches well all lines
increased earnings placed in lower classes Notwhsand
ing the greater earnings of other roads the required
to charge the minimum
This is simple of fact which verified by the
official records in the Capitol We submit that the
has been treated unfairly and has been unjus Disseminated
against We believe that the majority of the people
fair and that why the people with frank state
ment of conditions as they actually exist
IN narvnnan m