The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-04
THEIR DAY IN COURT

Reports of the financial condition of the Alabama Power company, published last week, show an increased gross earning for 1922 over the preceding year of nearly twenty-five per cent, and an increased net earning of sixteen per cent. This is 8 fine showing and one indicating abundant pros perity. At least, it is sufficient Justifiea- tion of those who, in the public behalf, successfully opposed the attempt of former Public Service Commissioners Cooper and Gaillard to fix nasty valuation of the companys property, valuation on which the company could have raised its rates twenty-five to thirty per cent, representing millions of dollars and forming burden that the industries, the merchants and the households of Alabama would have had to bear.
 Had it not been for the protest, initiated by President Patterson of the state com mission, strongly supported by the testi- mony of Accountant Aldredge and Engineer Mcdonnell, and the courageous and con- vincing arraignment of the valuation by Governor Kilby in special message to the legislature, all of which was given the light of day through the columns of The Age Herald, when corporation spokesmen and journalistic organs were seeking to defend the action, this wrong would have been per petrated upon the people of Alabama, and this victory for the public interest would not have been obtained.
 It is difficult to understand the view of those who cavil at the fancied overcharge for engineer services, and yet remained silent during the critical time when the associate commissioners were on the point of handing millions or the peo ple's money to the power company, or else sought deliberately to delay any ap1 prehension as to the manner in which the valuation was arrived at. The public can have no patience with that species of propa- ganda which attempts to throw discredit upon the new commissioners because they re-employed the accountant and the engi- neer whom the two outgoing commissioners, almost as their last official act, discharged because they refused to remain silent and to compromise their professional reputa- tions by conniving with the two commis- sioners in their purpose of perpetrating an act of public injustice. To speak of these alleged OVercnargeS or d IHInoT HdCuIe de devastating expenses" and to ignore the fact that the accused engineer and the criticized accountant were among those chiefly responsible for saving the people millions of dollars, indicate very we'll how it is sought to hound out of office and position all those who do not serve the private inter- est when it conflicts with the public welfare.
 Those who opposed the power company's aggression from the time the first alarm was sounded Have the satisfaction of know ing that they have chosen the better part. They stood and are standing on the principle that the private advantage can never be al lowed to triumph over the public welfare and the Public Service Commission is well within it's rights and is amply justified in this course when 1t unhesitatingly and openly defends its policy and answers its critics. As The Age-Herad said at the first, so well proven, by events: "In the long even tuality no sort of corporate control can pre- vail over the public advantage. The people are not without their defenders, and it can well be expected that they will have their day in court"