Evening star., 1945-01-27

ate without delay voted as requested,
leaving the question up TO the lower
house.
Very clearly Gov Arnall is out to
take leadership in the movement to
hberalize the Democratic party In
the South. As seen from Washing
ton, where he already has attracted
considerable attention. the young
Governor is either going places or
riding for a fall
Mr. Arnall is offering the South
new pattern for prosperity and
for decentralization of government;
new pattern of States rights.
The Governor believes that. given
a fair chance, his own State can
emerge from the war with its feet
firmly on the road to prosperity. He
sees Georgia (given a fair chance)
developing its own resources. agri-
cultural, industrial, commercial, in
way to provide an abundant life
for its people. To obtain this chance,
he has gone to the United States
Supreme Court asking that an end
be put to what he calls a conspiracy
of the principal railroads of the
country against his State Actually
he considers it a conspiracy against
all Southern States. but he speaks
only for his own.
Convincing Complaint.
The alleged conspiracy consists of
maintaining a freight rate structure
which operates to prevent the
growth of industry and commerce
in Georgia. This is an old, but con-
vincing, complaint of the Southern
States They have sought unsuc-
cessfully for many years to break
down the discriminatory rate struc-
ture. Gov. Arnall has decided that
relief can be obtained only through
the courts. Since the suit he offers
charging conspiracy under the
common law and violation of the
Federal antitrust laws-is between
a sovereign State and citizens of
other States, he has asked the Su-
preme Court to take original juris-
diction. The nine members listened
with obvious interest a few weeks
ago when the Governor appeared
to present his plea.
The people of Georgia, said the
Governor. have right to enjoy the
prosperity and the opportunities
which the progress of the Nation
brings. Yet, because of the rail-
roads conspiracy, he said, markets
have been put beyond the reach of
Georgia's citizens and. for lack of
markets, crops have not been grown,
factories built. funds invested, en-
ployment created, resources ex-
plotted, nor the State economy de-
veloped as otherwise it would have
been.
The Governor believes he will |
win his case. Meantime he is con-
vinced that Georgia can help itself
in other ways. When Georgia s
young men come back from the
war he wants them to stay at home
and develop the State. Georgia has
been one of the States whose sons
are attracted by greater opportuni-
ties elsewhere. Too many Of the
lads with ambition and ability. those
the State can least afford to lose,
are drawn to fairer fields. Since
Georgia has natural resources equal
to those of any other State, the
Governor is convinced thai under
fair conditions this emigrati ton can
be stopped.
Would Finance Homes.
To interest the returning veter-
ans directly, he would have the
State finance home loans on terms
better than those of the Federal
Government. The veterans. he be-
neves, are an excellent financial
risk and the State would profit from
the undertaking Further, he sees
no reason why the State should not
set up an RFC of its own to aid
business. Operations Of the RFC
have proved profitable for The Fed
eral Government. he says, and the
State, with more intimate knowl-
edge of its own borrowers, could
operate in the same field success
fully Business and industrial ex-
pansion, with increased employ
ment, Is the result sought.
The State itself is in good finan-
cial shape. The Governor has
pledged to free the State entirely
of debt by the end of his term and
since the net Indebtedness is now
less than s7,000,000, reduced from
$4,000, 900 in two years, this does
not seem too difficult. A board of
agricultural and industrial devel-
opment is working continually on