The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-01

Absolutely the only thing the railroads agreed to do under the HENDERSON, O'NEAL SURRENDER was to CON TINUE in force the 2la-cent passenger rate. The 21a-cent passenger rate was no concession because we already had it as a result of long litigation and the decree of the Court which the railroads knew they could not reverse.
 As to the FREIGHT RATES, NOT A WORD IS SAID IN THE AGREEMENT ABOUT THEM except in the third clause the Railroad Commission is per mitted to exercise it's statutory power, which it already had, to revise the freight and passenger rates in the future. If the revision suits the railroads. they will adopt the rates revised If it does not suit them, they will file suits to enjon them So far as the freight rates of these railroads are concerned, We are exactly where we were in 1907 HENCE THE PEOPLE HAVE GAINED NoTfi- ING BY THE AGREEMENT WITH RE- SPECT TO EITHER PASSENGER OR FREIGHT RATES.
 so-CalIed Concessions In consideration of the SO-CALl4ED CONCESSIONS on the part of the rail- roads, MT. Henderson and the Railroad Commission AGREED TO DISMISS TtH | APPEAL that had been taken from the decree of Judge Jones rendered in 1915, ] and also agreed that there should be no 1 liability the part of the railroads for ! their failure to put in force the 212-cent 1 passenger rate during 1913 as ordered by
 the Commission; in other words, that they should not be required to redeem the coupons issued during the year 1915. Effect of Dismissing States Appeal The effect on the rights of shippers and passengers of the COMER AGRAlt- MENT WAS VERY DIFFERENT from that of the Henderson-O Neal agreement. ic IA l O'Neal- Henderson agreement FOR THE | IMMUNITY OF railroads FROM LIA- 1 BILITY for past excess charges that de- liives the people of the right to recover these excess charges. TIT IS THE HE | AGREEMENT TO DISMISS THE STATES APPEAL TO |. s. SUPREME, COURT, TAKEN FROM THE DECREE | CF JUDGE JONES and it's SUISSE l CUlENT DISMISSAL, that has THIS EFFECT.
 1 Rates Declared Void | BY THAT DEGREE the rates WE l HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR, both FREIGHT AND PASSENGER. were DE-
 CLARED VOID. So long as that decree WAS allowed to stand UNRENERSED, l therefore, there could be no liability on
 the part of the railroads from excess l charges, because, according to that de- l cree, there were no excess or unlawful
 charges. The Henderson-o'Neal agree l DRAWAL OF THE STATES APPEAL.
 and it's effect, therefore, was to allow tue decree of Judge Jones to stand. Con 1 sccuently, the EFFECT of the O Neal i Henderson agreement was to FOREVER l DEPRIVE the shippers and passengers | from April l. 1907, to June l, 1909, of the right to assert any claim for excess
 charges made during that period, 1 AMOUNTING TO ABOUT s3.00o,00o AS
 THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE if the AP- ! PEAL HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO GO | ON AND THE DEGREE OF JUDGE
 JONES HAD BEEN REVERSED. I Differences in ResuIts--A Contrast | The ONeal Henderson agreement, therefore, s ' R R E N D E R E D THE
 RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE of the State
 and gave them ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN RETURN. The Conner agreement of
 1907 GAVE THE PEOPLE LOWER
 PASSENGER and FREIGHT RATES ON | THREE -FIFTHS OF THE RAILROAD 1 MILEAGE of the State, thereby saving them nearly a MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR-a total to date of approximately 3 million dollars.
 This represents the difference between the Conner settlement of 1907 and the | Henderson O'Neal Surrender of 1914. In the first, six railroads agreed to dismiss
 their suits against the State and did put | in force the reduced statutory freight and passenger rates. In the second, the State dismissed ITS APPEAL to the IT.
 s State Supreme Court from Judge
 Jones' decree in the cases of all the con- testing railroads-and the decree of Judge
 Jones in all these cases, declaring the rates void, are thus made final and per-
 petual.
 Strong Man Needed
 You will agree with me- without argu. nent that the times in Alabama are such as to demand a strong man at the helm at Montgomery. We cannot afford to put any man at the head of our af- fairs who IS TAINTED BY EVEN A SUSPICION THAT HE IS BACKED BY SPECIAL INTERESTS or WILL BE WEAK ENOUGH TO YIELD TO THEM. Governor Conner is the one man who has
 been tried as by fire. You know him,
 we all know him, and know that he is EARNESTLY AND SINCERELY ALIGNED WITH THE PEOPLE.
 Nomination on First Ballot
 For the sake of Alabama I ask that
 you join with us who are manag ging his
 campaign, in special effort during these
 few remaining days to EMPHASIZE
 AND INCREASE THE MAJORITY AL
 READY WON and thus INSURE for \ the next four years AN ADMINISTRA-
 TON FREE FROM SCANDAL AN
 ERA OF PROGRESS in the PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND IN PUBLIC ROADS, and ONE OF GREAT HAPPINESS BY
 THE HEARTHSTONES OF ALL THE
 PEOPLE OF THE STATE. I remain.
 yours respectfully.
 'l ALEX M CAREER,
 Campaign Manager for ex-Governor B. Il B Conner