The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-22

railroad lies in it's freight and not it's passenger traffic? And yet you al lowed great and additional freight bur dens to be placed upon the people and only got in return one-fourth of one cent concession in the passenger rate.
 If you did what l charge you with, you either made very foolish or else an iniquitous bargain, didn't you, MT. Conner? And would you consider such a man fit to run the great state of Alabama?
 Without venom or replying in kind, if the bunch should be in jail,' may l ask, without offense, if, by the same token, you would not have to go along with them?
 Honesty is the best policy, MT, Conner. even in politics.
 I have before me draft of your compromise agreement with certain railroads, and certain phases therein strike me as so remarkable that 1 am tempted, even at the expense of being tedious, to set them forth verbatim. Paragraph of your compromise agree Iment reads as follows:
 Eighth: It is agreed and
 understood that no right or inter-
 est of the railroad companies here
 in named shall be affected ad-
 versely in respect to the rates and
 matters covered by this agreement
 by any legislation to be enacted
 at any extra session of the legis-
 lature of Alabama, held prior to
 the next regular session of the
 legislature, and that the governor
 and the railroad commission will
 do all things necessary on the part
 of the state to protect the con-
 panies herein named in respect to
 the rates and the matters covered
 by this agreement" { Signed) STATE OF ALABAMA,
 By B. B. COMER, Governor.
 Here you actually agree over your own signature to wield the big stick and control the legislatures co-ord- mate and independent branch of gov. ernment-and further, that you would give these railroad corporations i'm munity and protection from any law op posed to your agreement This looks more like a despotic autocracy than the sovereign free state of Alabama.
 The commission by it's recent agree ment has now accomplished permanent regulation and settled the much vexed matter
 In view of the fact that the state would have to take an appeal to the United States supreme court to re verse, if possible, the decision ren dered against it in the lower court which appeal meant drawn out and ex pensive litigation, and in view of the fact that $210,000.00, as I understand had been paid out for expenses at | tributable to the rate controversy an6 lattorneys fees, and attorneys fees were continually being paid out at the rate of $1000 or more per month, ii would seem the wise thing to do just what the commission did do. Most people had, l believe, thrown away the coupons; possibly one-fiftl were preserved, and possibly not SC many. 1 am reliably informed a cer 1 tain negro porter had picked up up wards of $16,000 of coupons that had been thrown away; however, the mum Der saved is pure conjecture and guess work, and there is no accurate and trustworthy information to be had al to the number.
 So that the question at once arises why continue the fight? The only thing to be gained would be the col lection of the statutory coupons (tht commission made coupons being col lectible, anyway).
 Well, in order to collect or pull ou the chestnuts," for these coupon hold CTS, expensive litigation would have tt go forward and lawyers fees be paid ] this would have to come out of the pockets of the taxpayers, and so fal as the greatest good to the greates number was concerned, it looked like swapping dollars and keeping things stirred up to boot
 But, MT. Conner, since you have seer fit to raise such hue and cry anen he coupons, cannot refrain from in l1u1ging in 'deadlv parallel' and giv ing the pertinent clauses in your com promise and that of the commission 1t would seem. however. that yours con ,eded more than the commissions.
 The commissions clause is as fol lows:
 "Fifth: It is further under
 stood and agreed that in the mak- I ing of this settlement and provid-