The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-15
LEN, WOMEN
AND THINGS

in the movement of freight but in pas.
sengers.
Now do not for one moment conclude
that am going to enter upon labored
article on railroad administration or up
hold private ownership or plead fol
governmental control or advocate q
closer regulation OF railways
In the first place I am not compe-
tent. to and in the next place if
mad the ability 1 prefer to let Walker
d. Hines, Oscar Underwood, William
Jennings Bryan and one Plumb fight it
out among themselves without any as
sistance whatever from me.
1 hear so many people talk glibly
about what should be done with the
railroads that 1 have determined to
go slow with my advice for after hear
ing other amateurs propose all kinds
OF adjustments or settlements 1 am
sure that any tip from me would but
i add confusion to confusion without
adding any light upon the difficult pro-
blem.
have passed through SO many
stages in my thinking on the subject
that L am not so cocksure as 1 once
was in regard to the proper solution.
From a rank supporter of Individual
control I became convert of gov
ernmental ownership, and then after
nearing Walker D. Hines address at
the Tutwiler L fell under the spell Of
private management with further leg
,siative restrictions.
Now I am not trying tc minimize
the Importance Of finding a way out
of the present situation which threat
ems to tie up the great systems and
become fattle royal between the
owning corporationse and the thou
sands of employees to the hurt of every
line of business in me c1c1 try for IT'S
the big ducs ION up for s-l'..ment and
will not down even at the Presidents
bidding, being only postponed.
Before I got wound up on the long
prelude which I have Just concluded,
l had meant merely to call attention
to the fact that the war for the time
stopped the bitter rivalry which used
to exist between the various passenger
departments and put a stop to the
activity of the district passenger agents
most versatile corps of railroad di-
plomats who had the power to divert
fares to their respective lines.
I recall, one Count Bothas, a friend
who In the early eighties was not mere
ly aSpassenger solicitor for the Queen
and Crescent, but club man and
all round good fellow whose courtly
department smacked of old world courts
cast a glamor around his unique per
sonality making him society favorite
not only in Birmingham but everywhere
his road touched. 1 am sure that there
are many still living here who will
remember him with pleasure.
Ihen there was my good friend p.
Sid Jones. for years with the L. and N
He was conspicuous figure in rail-
road circles as well as in the business
life of the city. He knew the passen-
ger game like a book and in his dag
was able to hold his hand with the
best of the men in setting travel for
bis road. He has to hi, credit in Ala
bama some really big developments
in establishing colonies His work
lives in Cullman and at Thorsby.
-
Now have just picked out these two
as representatives of the type Of men
who used to make the fight for pas
senger traffic so keen and interest
ing. AS editor of the Alabama Baptist
was quite popular among the D. 2.
AS when the time for the state con
vention or the southern Baptist con-
vention rolled around. 1t fell to my
lot to introduce the various local AMI
out of town men at our ministers conf
ferences, and believe me some of the
passenger boys knew how to talk to
preachers, just as they did to lodge
men, old soldiers or any other organi-
cations needing transpor tation.
I am thinking~of my friend Hugh
Latimer, and of all the conventions
which during his apprenticeship as a
passenger man he was able to swing
and of how hard he used to fight for
business. and 1 am wondering if ct
times as he sits at his desk on the
ground floor of the Brown-Marx build
ing directing the local passenger ac-
tivities of the United States Railroad
administration, if he does not some
times sigh to get into real sure
enough old time rough and tumble
fight for business
And then there is Captain Mac
Gregor, banished from the old Frisco
office on Twentieth street into an Of
flee in the Jefferson county bank build
ing where he is practically hid. Won
der what are his thoughts as he sits
aloft and thinks of bygone times
when he used to plan and scheme to
land big delegation to go over his
route. There are other of the old
timers who have been taken from tnt
busy thoroughfares to be hid away or
tied fast with red tape.
A
Now you walk up to the desk at the
United States Railroad Administration,
and while treated courteously there
is no effort to route you as in the old
days when even the men at the win
dows in the depots used to pull for
special roads, whenever there was a
choice of WAYS tn reach the desired