The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-10
EIGHT GOVERNORS OF ALABAMA
1874-1901
No. 69-State Regul ation of Railroads.
Thomas Seay, Governor

, that u NJ Bush from Perry shall read
j. G. Bush from Mobile, in number 6S,
the next preceding number of this series.
to make the latter member OF TINS house
offer the bill TO carry out the retiring
Governor O'NeaI's recommendation, to the
effect that the state itself should provide
The security on official bonds-an exceed
ingly valuable reform, where history
should place credit.
The senate organized the same day by
the unanimous election of William j. Sam
ford from Lee president w. l.. Clay of
Madison secretary, and Thomas IL. Clark
of Montgomery assistant.
As senators, Dr. r. 7. simpson of Lau-
| derdale Col. j. f. Sheffield from Mar
shall, Sterrett from jefferson, Tayloe from
Marengo, L. A. Graham from Montgom-
cry, Willis Brewer from Lowndes, Daniel
Smith from Mobile.
The public had become generally i'm
terested in the new function of state
government, the railroad commission, in
active effect since 1880. with w l.. Bragg
president and Col Charles Pollard Ball
of Montgomery and James Crook of Jack
sonville associates, for four years.
This board had been selected by the
senate from the nine names presented by
Governor Cobb. in his last term. 1t served
four years. through the first term of Gov
ernor O'Neal, his successor. In O'Neal's
second term, beginning December, 1884
new members were selected for 1t, to-wit,
Henry r. Shorter of Eufaula, l.. w Law
| Ter of Mobile and c. W. Tunstall OF
! Greensboro. President Bragg did not
favor a second term for Governor o. Neal.
He was an outspoken partisan. few
years prior to the present time he had
vigorously opposed the denomination OF
| Chief Justice Brickell but in vain. Now
| he was perhaps the leading supporter OF
| McKleroy in his candidacy against the
| governor for second term.
In the report of the railroad commits
| sion for 1884, submitted to the Legislature
+! of 1SS4-5, there were seven ''recommen-
! dations of amendments of the act Gre
| ating the board.
| Be 1t remembered that at this time here
| indicated there was no Interstate com
merce commission. Twenty-six states had
| railroad commissions but these had
reached no concurrent line of action. No
general convention of state railroad com
missions had been held. No rates for
! the regulation of interstate railroad traf-
! flee therefore were recognized or in ex-
| istence.
The seven recommendations of the Ala
bama railroad commission known as the
| Bragg recommendations. were supple
mentary to its report of 1884. which doc
ument set forth in detail many good re-
| suits of state supervision of railroads
| Roadbed, bridges and trestles had been
| so kept in order that since the commission
work began no passenger had been in
| jured by accident to serious extent. Tho
better yphysical condition of the roads
! had INCREASED their value as taxable as
| sets and the books of the state auditor
| offered evidence of this gratifying fact.
| The report of the commission asked
| for enlargement of law to define and
| punish the offense of extortion oh the
| part of the railroad carriers. 1t asked
| for better law to define and punish il
! legal combination to fix unreasonable
rates by railroads. Overcharges on bills
of lading should be stopped by law.
Number T." the conclusion of the Sc.
ries of recommendations took into