The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-14

manufacturers to produce steel at the same price it can be obtained by manu- lecturers at ether points where steel is not made at all, notwithstanding 1t is made in great quantities in Birmingham.
 It seems to me that the quicker Bir- mingham recognizes the necessity of pro- curing fair rates and of enabling her manufacturers to procure the materials which enter into the makeup of their products, including steel ingots, at least as cheaply as ether points not so greatly favored by nature, then the sooner will something be done to bring about that end, without the bringing about of which We can never grow into a great manufac- turing city.
 l have no quarrel to make with, nor fight to wage upon. any person or or Sanlzation working for the upbuilding of Birmingham in any way. On the con trary, such effort, whether selfish or un- selfish, must meet with the approval of all good citizens
 l have been silent member of the Chamber of Commerce and all of it's pre- decessors ever since the organization of any such body after I came here, 31 years ago, and I do not doubt that each one of such bodies has accomplished good
 
 bodies have pecognized the fundamental truths that I have above called attention to and the necessity of overcoming the hand1caps which these truths suggest, they certainly nesd all the assistance that an aroused and~ enthusiastic citizenship can give them toward the removal of these difficulties as well as others.
 believe that friendly rivalry to- ward the accomplishment of everything about which there can be no question as to 1t being for the best interest of Bir- mingnam is a desirable way to bring about such accomplishment
 We know that the Chamber of Com- merce has had difficulties peculiar to fits organization and it's constituent mem bership in overcoming the two difficult ties referred to-
 I know that The Age Herald and every other loyal citizen desires to break these two shackles. I, personally. believe that immediately upon their being broken, Birmingham's progress would be ex- tremely rapid, and that at least 1000 900 inhabitants would fill this valley within few years without any artificial help I think that these two causes constitute an artificial strangulation. It seems to me that the natural man has the right to breathe and that just as surely city has right to grow by using her own natural resources without being smoth- cred by anybody under any right or pre- tense whatsoever, and that Birmingham is now being smothered.
 Entertaining these views, I have at tempted to discover the motives which have forced these conditions upon us. We cannot intelligently fight a condi- ton without knowing it's cause, and the first requisite of good physician is that he not only recognize symptoms but that he be able to determine what brought about such symptoms.
 Railroads primarily make freight rates. so one would naturally look to them to find the motive for such conditions and the motive seems to me to be plain. As g. matter of fact the various lines in Birmingham have been extremely liberal to Birmingham in fostering the produc- ton of raw material. Not only have they given liberal freight rates for trans porting coal, ore, limestone, etc., to the furnaces, but they have spent millions of dollars in providing trackage and other facilities for handling the immense production of the mines, quarries and furnaces of this district. An immense tonnage has been carried at reasonable rates. Is it not presumable that the railroads are moved by like motives as are all other selfish business interests? If so. does it not seem likely that when Birmingham has been made into a great producer of raw material the railroads, in their own interest, would desire that her development be confined to the pro- duction of raw, material? To do so would, of course, compel the shipment of raw material, such as pig iron, steel billets, etc, to other points to be there manu- factured and from thence transported by the railroads again to the various points of consumption, thus insuring at least two freights where only one would be collected had the raw material been made into p1oughshares, etc., at the point of production. viz, Birmingham.
 If this is so, then we have a very. powerful motive for the railroads to de- sire and to do everything to bring about