The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-12
Conner CR|T|C|SES
DIRECTORS ACTION
Says They Had No Right to
IndOrse Rate Increase
TAX ON THE CONSUMER
Declares ) Per Cent Increase in
Freight Rates Will Mean Increased
Tax of $10O, 100000 on Pro-
ducer and Consumer

EX-Goy. B. b. Conner does not approve
of the action of the board of directors
| of the Chamber of Commerce in indors-
! ing the petition of the eastern railroads
that they be granted an increase, of 5
| takes the position that the directors had
not the right to indorse this petition.
Following are the governors remarks:
For many years | have been MEM
Der of the Birmingham Commercial club.
which club was recently merged into the
Chamber of Commerce. Yesterday the di-
rectors of the Chamber of Commerce
passed a resolution indorsing the request
of the eastern railroads made to the in
terstate commerce commission, to increase
their freight rates per cent The real
intent of this whole proposition is that
all the railroads are to have horizontal
increased freight rate of per cent.
"The directors of the Chamber of Com
merce, in their resolution state that this
increased freight charge will enable the
railroads to buy more equipment-rails,
lumber. cross-ties, etc..-greatly helping
business. OF coursei Statisticians esti-
mate that the increase of per cent on
freight charges would be an increased
tax upon the country of $1O0,000,O00. This
$1O0,000 600 would be levied on the producer
and consumer of the country The direc-
tors of the Birmingham Chamber of Com
merce would possibly not pay a cent of it.
Exceeded Authority, he says
THE directors had no authority what
ever to associate the Chamber of Com
merce with this resolution. The people of
Birmingham of Jefferson county and of
Alabama are absolutely opposed to it. The
directors have as much right to telegraph
in the name of the Chamber of Commerce
and the people of Alabama, to President
Wilson to withdraw the currency bill
that 1t disturbs business to restore the
Aldrich-Smoot tariff bill; that the Tn
derwood-Simmons bill is hurting manu-
featuring business of every description
and disturbing every other business; to
repeal the income tax law-that it's hurt
ing business.
'They have as much right to telegraph
President Wilson to declare for the peo-
pie of the United States that the only
legitimate tax that can be levied that
will not hurt business is on production
and consumption-the one that the farm
er pays; that he must stop every agi-
tation; restore the tariff taxes: repeal the
income tax law, because the reduced tar
iff taxes-all the benefits go to the COM
mon people-the producer and consumer
and that the income tax Is levied on the
prosperity of the country--on the people
who are able to pay-and that this crowd
must be left alone with their moneys and
business, because they help business; that
the unrestricted taxes upon the people
are all right because they enable the
| taxer to buy more goods and create more
| prosperity. To whom?
| Taxes on Shipper
| "The Alabama cotton crop this year
was 100000 bales, and will bring $780,
| 000,000 The railroad taxes against the
shippers this year will be $40,0 900, or
| nearly half the cotton crop.
| rs 1t thoughtful in the directors of
our commercial bodies, without even no.
tice or discussion before the members, to
| petition as the directors the interstate
| commerce commission to increase the rail-
road taxes against the farmers per cent =?
That is just what it means-nothing
| more"
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