The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-13
COMER EXPLAINS NEWSPAPER SUIT
 AND ORIGIN OF CASE
Litigation Began Following Publications During the Campaign for Railroad
 Commissioner

Tn +he Editor of The Age-Herald:
 You have printed statements of the libel suit trial of B. B. Conner vs. the Montgomery advertiser, which was de- cided April II. Appreciating that the CODY is not a clear statement of the facts in the case, and as this is a most important matter to me and my family please print this statement:
 In 1904 I was a candidate in the pri- mary before the people for the office of president of the railroad commis- sion, and on the platform that Aia- bama was railroad controlled; that the local freight rates of the state were high. much higher than those of neigh boring states, particularly that of Geor- gia. and the making of the rates by the railroad traffic managers was on the general principle of what the tranic would stand, and in the making of the rates the people had no representative; that under the protection Of the state the people should have their represen- tatiye. and that the rates should be capitalized.
 On the Saturday preceding the cleo tion on Monday MT. E. A. DeFunlak Ma. B. M. Starke and MT. Jones Moore all employees of the Louisville and Nash vile Railroad company at Birmingham secured MT. E. A. Dickert. section mas ter of the Louisville and Nashville Rail- road company, and had him make an affidavit that he was my first cousin and that as section master of the Louis villa and Nashville Railroad company he had done some work on the sloe track of the Avondale mills, or whicr I was president; that had taken him into my office, and as his first cousin. had tried to make him accept the morSy which was due the Louisville ana Nash- vile Railroad company.
 In glaring headlines. calling atten ton to my business methods and the kind of a man I was, as shown by this transaction, this was published Tn the Birmingham Ledger, Fhe Age-Herald the Labor Advocate and the Montgom' cry Advertiser, in the evening papers of Saturday, and the morning papers Sunday, the day preceding the cleo ton on Monday.
 Every railroad man connected wFh this libel should have known this was A libel. and that the full intent or 3' was to have disastrous effect on my candidacy before the people, and on my general character as citizen, ana as a business man. Unquestionabiy. Il did have effect in both these respects because many people read 1t who die not know me, ani tt live in tae rec crcs of the state forever
 I sued all the parties concerned tex- cent the Labor Advocate), coupling B. NJ Starke with the Louisville ant Nashville and E. A. DeFuniak an' Jones Moore with the Advertiser. Int suit against the Advertiser has beer in the supreme court thre times ol appeal by me. Each time we have secured reversals on account of illcsa rulings and judgments of the tria court. The suit against the Adve'' rtiser was for s25,oo0. In the judgmen yesterday for $500 in my favor, I hear' that the jury stood for nominal sun to s25,000 I, of course, believe i should have been a large amount, d: 1he attempt of the whole matter was tf nerpetrate a serious damage-how SC rious the damage has been no man car estimate.
 In the suit against B. M. Starke ant the Louisville and Nashville, the cour ruled the Louisville and Nashville could not be guilty and demurred then out of the case. The judgment ant