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SMITH DISCUSSES FREIGHT RATES
AND DISFRANCHISEMENT OF NEGRO
AND REPLIES TO HO WELL’S A TTA CKS
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN.
SATURDAY JUNE 9. 1**.
if
Only Hope of Relief
; a Return to Popu
lar Government.
SAYS RATES HAVE GONE UP;
* SHOULD HAVE GONE DOWN
Tells Audience for Pint Time
Where Money Prom Piedmont
Bar Went—Scores Ring.
. In hi* Opening speech In the Joint
llscusilon with Clark Howell at the
I'oachtree auditorium Friday night, the
IE n. Hoke Smith said:
"Mr. Chairman, Ladles and Gentlemen:
"I have lived In Atlanta 31 years
this Is the first time I ever asked your
‘ ; ; irt for office. Two weeks before
announced my candidacy for governor
had no Idea of entering a contest for
i ha l high and honorable position. 1
" a i Induced to become a candidate
chiefly bscause so many of my fellow
tlsens throughout the state expressed
d'etre that I should lead a fight for
'polar government against railroad
and corporate rule, but I cannot deny
that the threats of exposures by Mr,
Clark Howell, marie through the col
imns of The Atlanta Constitution,
iiinulated me to the task.
I believe In popular government,
believe that the free and unrestrained
■ ul" of a majority of the voters builds
th<- rharacter of our rltlsens and brings
th, best government.
It can be easily shown that an alll
mi 0 of men, largely Influenced by the
political attorneys and agents of great
corporations owned outside the state,
due to the machinery of the Democrat
ic pirty, and, to a great extent, controls
th<- policies pf Georgia.
for twelve months past 1 have been
litfTlnir the people to throw off this yoke
n nd to take charge of their own af
fair". The necessity for such action Is
mads clear when you consider the bur
dins placed upon the people of Geor-
i only ask you to consider with
me tonight those burdens which grow
out ef tne unjust chnrges for carrying
j .i engers and freight made by the
railroad companies.
Entitled to Only Fair Profit
"The supreme court of the United
States has declared that a railroad
company Is a public carrier, a public
highway, and only entitled to charge
such rates for carrying passengers and
freight as are neceseary to eari) a re*
eonablo profit upon the money actually
put Into their properties. They should
rmt be permitted to make excessive
charge# to enable them to pay Interest
nnd dividends upon atocka and bonds
ued In excess of the money put Into
their properties.
“If we make a conservative estimate
ti died by the live great railroad sys
tem- doing business In this state and
i .impure this with the net earnings of
till systems In Georgia, we will find
that they are collecting between three
mill four million dollars annually from
'he people In Georgia In excess of a
fall interest upon their Investments.
"High freight rates are a tax upon
tin industries of the meases of the puo-
I'h A merchant or shipper may first
i "iv tho freight, but he adds what ha
hns paid to the price of his gooda and
tin- consumers return the money to him
tn the Increased charges he mutt make
rm a lint he sells. It Is the duty of the
mih ..ml commission to reduce the rates
"nd the duty of the governor to
that it is done.'
■f ir tho purpose of determining
whether the rates are excessive 1st us
u*o the chargee which the railroad
commission has permitted the South-
ion Railroad Company and tha Can-
t i'i» I of Georgia Railroad Company to
churn.' the people of the state. If we
compare th* rates for hauling freight
mi the** two roads with rates charged
by i mils similarly situated tn Houth
Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia
w' will flnd that the Oeorgla roads
make charges which avsrage 15 per
rent higher than those of the other
Mm. 1 named.
• r i.-nty-llve years ago n standard
t s r i r* for freight rates was adopted by
th. mllrnad commission. It waa a
regular schedule at rstee which rall-
pmoIh were permitted to charge for oar-
r> ing different classes of freight. Tha
ranon the Central and the Southern
were advanced until In 1(13 they were
pet tidtted to charge the standard tariff
and 5 per cent added.
Tho Commission'! Reason.
’ "In permitting this Increase the rail
road rompttsslcn gave aa a reason for
granting IK
fc- ""That the great financial depression
sll over the country, that has affected
every branch of trade, has been ae-
voreiy felt by the railroad companies of
Georgia.'
' While this may have been true In
]>■!>' for a number of years past the
milt -ad companies have been doing the
Ixigi it business tn their history.
• The buatnees of the Central railroad
ha* I screened since 11(3 over 100 per
Cem Its net earnings have also Ip -
IT. .mad over too per cent, while Us
mi., age has Increased less than 40 per
mu. During this time It has also In-
>ied from net profits tn addition to
net profits Just referred to, an
HON. HOKE SMITH.
■H* |»s i»mn » nri 1V1I fill . , • «•»(»*
avion# of a million dollars a year tn
betterments.
in the past ten years the Southern
Itullway Company has Increased Its net
. ruing* from five million dollars per
\. nr to twelve million dollars per year.
Ti . Is true, although, according to a
rptrcuUr Issued for the sale of bonds
oi tha Southern, It Is declared:
■ “That the bookkeeping force of the
s ohern has literally been obliged to
Hrark overtime In order to conceal the
^^Bvplus which has been piling up.'
Should Havs Bstn a Reduction.
■ "The same rule which gave three
roads an Increase of charge* for carry-
K tng freight In 1M1, It proper vigilance
i a<l been used by your public officers,
» mid have long ago brought to the
i ■. ; le of the state a reduction of
f> ixht charges. The net Income
practically without substantial value
and merely speculative stock. The high
rates the road has charged have given
to this stock now a market value of
eighty million of dollars more than It
had ten years ago. The railroads were
vigilant to obtain an Increased price on
account of hard times, but no one was
watching the interest of the public and
giving you u reduction as a conse
•luence of prospermia times.
“As an Illustration of the way In
which the people aro being unjustly
burdened by high freight rates, the
Southern railroad purchased the At
lanta and Florida railroad, built by
Atlanta capitalists, running from At
lanta to Fort Valley, for (271,000. It
has capitalised this property at 12.-
683,683, and Is undertaking to make
the people, by high freight rates, pay
this capitalisation.
It Is easy to understand from the
facts I have mentioned how the people
of Georgia are being taxed by the five
great railroad systems on local busi
ness alone, between three and four
million dollars a year In excessive
charges for carrying freight and pas-
aangers. The unjust charges placed
upon the people of our etate are not
limited to local rates. Georgia distrib
uting points In comparison with places
S mlTarly situated In other states suffer
otn severe dlscrltnlnntlons.
Comparison of Rates.
'Let us compare the rates charged
from tha East and the West to At
lanta with those charged to Nashville,
Tennessee, jil In title connection you
must bear In mind that what la true of
Atlanta la true of the balance of Geor
gia. The distance from New Tork to
Atlanta ta 8T< miles. Tha distance from
New Tork to Nashville la ISI miles.
Tet the rates per car load of 34,000
pounds are higher to Atlanta than to
Nashville on flrst-clase gooda per car,
$7(: on serond-clasa goods per car,
175; on third-class goods per car, »»«;
on fourth-class goods per car, 1102; on
fifth-class goods per car, <78; on sixth-
class gotids per car 151. If you. make
the comparison from New Tork to Cin
cinnati or Loutavtlle the discrimination
against Atlanta Is even greater.
"Different charges are made per 100
pounds for different classes of freight.
!sy a change of classification, moving
articles from cheaper classifications
Into higher-priced classifications, a
heavy Increase In freight rates an over
the Routh was made six yean ago.
About the same time an Increase was
made In the charges for freight on
coal of HI cents per ton. This was
done at a time when, by every ■
eonable rule, a decrease In the freight
charges of not less than 10 cents per
ton should have been made. Atlanta
handles 20 (00 care of coal annually,
thus making an Increase of about 3*0,-
000 to the coat of hauling this coal,
when there ought to have been a de
crease of over (50,000, It Is easy for
evefy man to understand how the coat
of hla fuel has been Increased by the
Improper conduct of tha railroad com
panies.
Applies to Many Georgia Point*.
'Although I have used Atlanta aa tha
l>olnt for this discussion. It can be
made with equal or more fore*. If 1
should use Griffin, or Macon, or Cor-
dele, or Valdosta, or Rome, or Colum
bus, or Aniertrus, or Albany, or many
other points In Georgia. It Is a plain
preposition that railroad companies
have not given tn Oeorgla the benefit
of her harbors or her rivers In furnish
ing water transportation, while they
have done so for other states when
fixing freight rates. It may he aug-
geeted that It la not a question which
can be Involved In a state campaign,
as state house officers have no power
to bring relief. With such a view 1
tho Central of Georgia railroad for th*
I. year 1(05 was 32,4(0,000, In addition to
the net profits spent for betterments.
This railroad company last year, after
paying Interest on fifteen million dot-
: Ian of Income bonds, a targe part of
M which, ten years ago, were worth about
•E ( cents on the dollar, had a surplus of
l' f "''.ooo from Its net Income
“The Southern railroad ten years ago
lee i< d sixty millions or preferred Block
«e hundred and twenty millions
■Georgia has two splendid harborn.
With but little expense steamboats
can be placed upon the ocean, sailing
from theso harbors to Eastern ports.
Mailing vessels come from Eastern
ports to these .harbors. Excessive
freight rales from th* ports to Intertof
points In Gaorgta prevent the Interior
points from receiving their proper ad
vantage by the use of transportation
from the East through tha port* of
Georgia.
"With this question Is Involved what
Is now commonly known In Georgia as
the port rate fight, made by the At
lanta freight hureau for lower rates to
Atlanta, and If to Atlanta, then to other
Georgia points, from Savannah and
from Brunsa-lck. The Atlanta freight
bureau petitioned the railroad com
mission for a reduction of charges from
Savannah to Atlanta. So strong a
case waa made that at one time the
officers of the railroads conceded Its
justice and undertook to give tha re.
dilation, hut finally they failed to do
ao. The reductions asked for would
not have brought the chargee substan
tially below what u now charged In
Hcuth Carolina. North Carolina and
Virginia. It would not have brought
the rates lower than the chargee volun
tarily made by the Central railroad on
through haul from New Tork, Boa.
where the steamboat line la ono named
by the Central railroad.
Effects of Reduction Asked For.
“The money, therefore, which the
railroads would have received would
have been practically the same aa that
which they now receive as their pro
rata for ahlpmenta from tho East. by
water and rail. The benefit to At
lanta and to other Georgia points
Would have come from the free use
of uny vessels they desired upon the
ocean, and It was conceded that ocean
rates could be obtained at very much
less than the pro rata of charges now
paid on through shipments to the
steamers named by the Central rail
road. The effect, as a whole, of this
reduction of rates from Georgia points
to Atlanta and tn other Interior points
would have been to make the rate from
the East to Georgia points about 25 per
cent less than the present rates.
“Another benefit of this reduction of
Eastern rates would have been that
Western rates would have come down
In proportion, nnd the all-rail haul,
both East and West, would have been
reduced to meet the new water and
rail haul. Two of the commissioners,
Messrs. Joseph M. Drown and Warner
HUI, voted against the port rate reduc
tion. Mr. Pope Brown voted fhr It,
expressly stating that he, at the same
time, voted to make similar reductions
of rates throughout the state. Mr.
Joseph M. Brown gave aa hla principal
reason for refusing to vote for the
reductions, not that tb* proposed rates
would fall to be remunerative to the
Oeorgla railroads, but that the com
bined rail and water rates to the Eeit
would be so much reduced that the all-
rail lines, East and West, would be
compelled ta reduce their rates to meet
the competition; In other words, that
the unreasonably high rates now being
permitted by the Oeorgla railroad com
mission from the ports of Georgia to
Interior points In Georgia furnished the
rent opportunity for the railroad com
panies to give cities of other states
much lower through rates than were
given to Georgia points, and because
the reductions demanded lit Ueorgla
would Interfere with the unjust exist
ing through rate system, he would not
grant a reasonable reduction from the
porta of Georgia to Interior points. It
la hard to estlmato bow much lha peo
ple of our state are taxed each year
on account of this Inexcusable decision.
Atks Full Duet for Georgia.
“It may be argued that Georgia la
proape roue. This la undoubtedly true.
No living man has greater confidence
In tha future of Georgia than I. Rut I
ask that all be given to the state to
which It Is entitled. I believe that
Georgia has opportunities to become a
manufacturing state and a commercial
state, scarcely rivaled, not excelled, by
any stats In the Union. Because the
state la growing rapidly, because the
people are prospering ta no excuse for
preventing, by unequal freight rates,
the growth to which she Is entitled.
'The traveling men or Georgia build
up the business of the state and con
tribute Immensely tn the prosperity of
the raltroed com pontes. They have
been pleading for years to obtain
thousand-mile book*, good on ah rail
road system* and their connections In
the state, and they have naked for a
t-cent rate. The traveling men not
only serve those who employ them, but
they nerve the local merchants, and
they serve the whole people, by the
Information which they distribute
throughout the whole state with ref
erence to the commodities which they
sell. Their demand has been reasona
ble; the railroad companies nave turn
ed a deaf ear to It. The Southern rail
road, the Central of Georgia Railway
Comiutny, and the Oeorgla Southern
unit Florida Railroad Company, de
clined even to participate tn the use
of the Interchangeable thousand-mile
books. The railroad commission of
tieorgta has had the power all along
to fix this rate for the traveling men.
and lo make the books good on the
Houthern, Central and Georgia Houth
em and Florida railroads. It has fail
ed to do ao, and In fallng It has fatt
ed tn discharge a duty wtilch It owed
tho people of Georgata. In point at
fact, a fiat 3-cent per mile rate for all
passengers on the big systems would
be sufficient, after free passes to those
not entitled to them are eliminated.
'The freight charges collected from
the people of Georgia on local and
through business In excess of reason
able charges, and, therefore, unjust,
amounts to over five million dollar* a
year. The Georgia railroad commis
sion, If It were organised with men
who really desired to serve the peo
ple, and hacked by a governor who
waa really In sympathy with th*
movement, has the absolute authority
to reduce the local rates.
Something Can b* Done.
“Can anything be done In Georgia to
protect our people from the unjust In
terstate freight rates? There ta no
doubt that something ran be done.
The Atlanta freight bureau mad* a
long fight against excessive Interstate
rate*. It carried the fight even Into a
roads, Milan they naked from tha city
local conraasion*. As a final result
this tight, u committee was appoint
rd to negotiate uith the railroad*. >
readjustment of rates waa thereby ob
tained which Mill save to Georgians
several hundred thousand dbllars each
years. It must always be borne ti
mind that having won a fight for re.
adjustment la Atlanta, the readjust
ment necessarily' followed to other
! point* In Georgia, and all over th#
state tho reduction waa made, aa well
aa to Atlanta. The fight waa made prl
| martly for Atlanta, but Incidentally for
I the whole state.
•Twelve months ago, I began calling
the attention of tha people of the state
to the Inexcusnble 35 per cent which
| the Houthern and Central railroads
wero charging In excess of the stand
ard tariff. I also called attention
the 20 per cent excess beyond the
standard tariff which the Atlantic
Coast Line waa permitted to charge.
I also have called attention to the
per cent In excess of the standard
tariff which the Georgia Southern and
Florida railroad waa permitted
charge. These excess charges had
been without excuse for years, but
nothing had been done to reduce them
I told the people that the agitation
the subject alone would help them,
said'In my Klberton speech last fall
that before the gubernatorial election.
Jelled with the work of the rally
commission upon the theory that the
railroad commission forced this great
saving for the people. I deny that any
auch saving has been made by any
body. I oak Mr. Howell for hla proof,
hut whatever It Amounts to, was ac
complished by your own fellow citi
zen* and In Spite of the blunders and
faults of the railroad commission.
Repealed Eight Out of Nine.
“The railroad commission refused the
port rates reduction. They passed nine
orders on freight charges in over
twelve months’ time and repealed eight
of them. The pnly order they had left
at the close of fast year reducing
freight rates waa one with reference
mat ueiure uir gunernuiurmi ein-uuis
the railroad commissioners would find
that they could no longer afford ti
continue In office without doing any
thing at nil for the people. As a con
sequence of the Agitation alone, the rail
road commissioners, In the early part
of the present year, reduced the 25 per
cent extra chargee allowed the South
ern and Central to 15 per cent, and .the
20 per cent allowed the Atlantic Coast
Line to 10 per cent, but they refused
to make the reduction on the Georgia
Southern ar.d Florida.
What Honest Commieeion Can Do.
"1 have shown that a proper reduc
tlon of rates from the ports to In
terior points will largely overcome the
present unjust through rates to Geor
gin points. Olve the people of Oeorgla
railroad commissioners with all the
power of th* state to regulate local
freight rates; give them full power to
Investigate Interstate freight rates,
and. If necessary, in behalf of the state
to fight before the Interstate railroad
commission for Just through rates
back your railroad commission with
governor who know* the evils, believes
they can bo remedied, and Is willing to
fight to remedy them; arouse all the
local commercial bodies In Georgia to
the support of the railroad commis
sion and the governor, and you will
find that the railroad companies can be
made to respect the rights of the peo
ple, but the state must carry the fight,
and not the Individual shipper.
“TherO Is an unmistakable Issue be
tween the peoplo of Georgia and the
railroads, and It must be fought out
until the people win their rights. I
would not do the railroads an Injustice,
but I demand for the people a square
deal, and I declare that they are not
now getting It.
"And the same Issue which exists
between the people and the railroads
exists between Sir. Howell and myself.
I -have championed the cause of the
people; he has done all that he could
to support tha other side. In hla for
mal announcement, In his speeches, In
editorinls published In his paper,
through letters by Joieph M. Brown,
Bnd published In his paper, he hnH en
deavored to show that my contentions
are unfounded, and he-has defended
the railroad commission and the gov
ernor. In his announcement he con
demned what he termed 'assaults pub
licly directed against the railroad Cbm
mlssloners.' And declared that 'the
local rates, which arc under th* Juris
diction of. the Georgia railroad com
mission, are- less thnn those of our
sister states of Alabama nnd South
Carolina.' He declared also ngulndt
any power of the railroad commission
to bring relief from unjust Interstate
rates. All over the state he hns de
fended the railroad commission and
vllllfied me for criticising them.
Says Howell Defends Roads.
According to the published report
In hie paper of a speech he made at
Mabelton, In Cobb county, he defends
the railroad commlelon, as now organ
ized, by declaring! 'Tour railroad
commission stands ready to rectify any
dtscrtmnatton In rates In tho state,
and theae are the only rate# over which
It has any power.’ And he added that
to atoves. which may have possibly
made a reduction In freight rates ol
less than 310,000 a year. It was dur
ing this period that Mr. Howell wa*
extolling the commission. Local rate*
then were excessive to such an extent
that they ought to have been reduced
14,000,400 a year. His railroad commis
sion, with th# valuable work It wa*
then doing, having mode a reduction
of 310,000 tn over a year, at the same
rate of speed, would have required 200
year* to give the people the local re
ductions to which they were entitled.
"I call on Mr. Howell to show the
order of the commission which saved
tho 31.000,000 he had talked about. He
can show none.
"I ask Mr. Howell to show- wlrai ex
cuse he has for saying that the rail
road commission secured tha reduction
In Interstate rates that was obtained
about twelve months ago. T call his
attention to the fact that In tils own
paper In mentioning these reductions
he has said: ‘Roads make concessions
to Atlanta committee.' Again! In the
same article his paper publishes: 'It
was only after a hard' struggle •
that Atlanta's committee was able
secure from the railroad officials the
reduction.' This wa* hla account of the
reductions when the agreement to make
them was reached.
"How Inconsistent ta the position' _
Mr. Howell! In 'one breath he de
dares that the railroad commission of
Georgia obtained these Interstate re
ducUons, and In the next breath
declares that the Georgia railroad
commission can do nothing toward rec
tifying excessive Interstate rates.
“I call upon you, Mr. Howell, lo de
fend yqur claim that tlie.rallroad com
mission secured the reduction to which
I have referred. I call 1 upon you to
explain your claim that the reductions
amounted to a million dollars a year.
I call upon , you to tell the people of
Atlanta why you published at the time
that the committee,representing the city
of Atlanta, secured the reduction that
the committee Secured them, and then,
subsequently, you changed your post
tlon and gave the credit to the rail
road commission you were seeking
defend.
“The truth about It Is you eannot
successfully defend the attitude of your
allies on the railroad commission, nnd
not being able to defend them you can
not successfully defend yourself.
Refers to Copied Editorial.
"But I ask you, Mr. How-ell, to turn
to your paper under date of Febru
ary 16, 1906. There you have copied
on your editorial page an editorial
from The Macon Telegraph. You copy
It without, censure. You give It In a
sense your editorial approval. By
copying It without criticism you have
carried to the people of Georgia an
unjust criticism upon the citizens of
Atlanta.
■“That editorial charged Atlanta with
seeking an undue advantage In freight
rates over the other cities In Georgia.
It charged that Atlanta was seeking
the port rate reduction for Atlanta
alone, and not. for Interior points In
i eorgla. It charged that as aoon aa
bn. Pop* Brown rendered his decision
you meant by domesticating foreign
corporations? 'Will you tell thl
enc# what you meant when you said
you w ere opposed to permitting foreign
corporations to remove their cases to
the United States court? I will await
your discussion of this subject with
great Interest, and 1 will, furthermore,
be prepared, In my concluding remarks,
to furnish jny own position with refer
ence to It.
"I have declared time and again that
today an alliance exists between the
leading attorneys and hired political
agents of the big railroad systems In
Gaorgta and the ring In charge of the
Democratic etate machinery.
“Let us be historical. Eight years
ago a chairman of the state’ Demo
cratlc Executive committee was chosen,
nnd Hon. Fleming duBIgnon
selected for the postllon. He was at
torney for the Plant System and the
Southern Express Company. Two
year* later, Hon. E. T. Brown
mads chairman. He was attorney for
the Seaboard Atr Line railroad. Four
years later, Hon. M. J. Yeomans was
made chairman, and Hog. J. J. Spald
ing vice chairman. Mr. Spalding was
attorney for the Louisville and Nash
vine railroad, and his firm was con
stantly engaged In heavy litigation fo:
other railroad companies. Mr. Yeo
mans appointed Judge Hamilton Me
IVhorter from the state at large i
member of the state Democratic Ex
ecutive committee.
McWhorter and Supreme Bench,
“The fibst startling evidence >f the
Influence of the polltcal attorney came
to the people of Georgia when it was
ICarned that Governor Terrell lender
cd a place on the supremo court
bench to Judge Hamilton McWhorter.
His position as political 'it.orney of
the Southern Railroad Company Is too
well understood to need discussion.
For years he had not been practicing
law, but had been practicing politic".
Hla appointment count only hnve neon
made for the purpose- of permitting
him to show to the officers of the
Southern railroad his Influence with
the head of the Democratic party m
Georgia. While this may have been-
valuable for him, it I" also Important
that the people of Georgia should un
derstand this Influence. as well
railroad officers.
“Startred by the Influence of Judge
Hamilton McWhorter with tha govern
or, we look hack and find that u rail
road attorney has been practically at
the head of the slate Democratic Ex
ecutive commutes ever since Govern
or Candler was elected governor, and
that Mr. Yeomans, two years ago, put
the political agent of the Southern
railroad, side by side with one of your
railroad commissioners, ns memlier*
of the executive committee from the
state at large.
“What business has a man who runs
politics In the Interest of a great rail
road company managing the affairs of
the Democratic party? Tho Dome
cratlc party Is supposed tu servo the
great masses of the people. There Is
conflict of Interests between the people
and the railroad companies; on tho ono
side, the railroad companies are seek
Ing to tax the people with high frelgnt
and passenger rates to the lull extent
of their ability; on the other side, the
people are demanding their Just lights.
The power of the state alone can pro
tect the people. The railroad com
panies are certainly strong enough to
take care of themselves.
The whole organization of the
Democratic party should be with the
state officers In the struggle for the
rights of the people. When you trans
fer that organization to the control of
the hired political agents, or the regu
lar attorneys of the great railroad com
panles, you give up that Instrument
which alone can b$ used to protect the
people from unjust taxation In high
i bagwempils
favoring thqnort rate* for Atlanta, and
other points in Georgia as well, he was
promptly displaced as a candidate.
"You well know that the Atlanta
freight bureau In Its fight for port rates
took the position before the railroad
commission that the reduction should
be made to -Atlanta, and also to other
mints In Georgia. You well know that
:his attack upon Atlanta waa simply
an Inexcusable effort to array other
jarte of Oeorgla against me In my race
for governor, upon the theory that "
would give special privileges to Atlan
ta and antagonize other cities In the
state. You know that the attack upon
the Atlanta freight bureau by Tho Ma
con Telegraph was Inexcusable, and
the fact is that few discriminations In 'yet you copied the editorial and never
local ratee'are now complained of.' He
put himself clearly In the attitude of
not only Indorsing the railroad com
mission, but Indorsing the existing lo
cal rates.
“In an editorial In The Atlanta Con
stitution on August 3, 1(05, he elabor
ately defended the railroad commission
and termed my campaign ono of 'gen
eral vinification of the officials of this
state.' H* terms my critlesms as 'sin
ister' and 'misrepresentations.' He
then declared that 'back of It all there
ts nothing more substantial than the
desire bf other men Jo hold office.’ Ho
closes hla editorial defending the rail
road commission with the statement
that 'the campaign of misrepresenta
tion and vinification against them must
and will prove on utter failure.'
“Now, I Invite Mr. Clark Howell to
meet the facts of unjust local freight
ratee that I have brought to hla atten
tion. I Invite hint to disease ray
criticism of the railroad commission
ers with reference to Interchangeable
mileage and reduction of passenger
rates. In what respect have 1 made a
misstatement? In what respect am I
Inaccurate?
"Not long ago th* point waa made
that the capitalization of the Central
of Georgia railroad today waa exces
sive, and that Its charges for carrying
freight and passengers were sufficient
ly high to enable It to earn dividends
on an over-capitalisation. Mr. Howell
promptly eprang Into the arena with
his paper and declared that the capi
talisation of the Central today was
not aa great per mile as It was before
the war. I pointed out to him In my
olumbus speech that by the reports
f the Central Itself 't* capitalisation
before the war waa 310,000 per mile,
and It ts now- 129,000. He has left hla
Inaccurate statement tn defense of the
road without explanation or apology.
Challenge* a Reply.
We are supposed to have come here
tohlght for a debate. I show that he
has defended the railroad continuation
and haa defended the present local
rale*. I call on him to discuss them
In detail and show In what regard my
erltlclame are Incorrect. Mark what I
tell you. fellow cltiiens, he will not
undertake to dlacuaa them; 4ie can
not do It.
lifted pour voice or your pen to defend
the conduct of your fellow citizen*
from the false charge. You actually
circulated tho false charge through
your paper. I want you to tell your
fellow citizens tonight how you expect
them to support you for governor with
such a present rocorfl, during the pres
ent year, as a part of your present can
didacy.
Support of Railroads.
|l cun well understand how your
course will give you the support of the
officers of railroad* located In Atlanta,
and of the political attorneys located In
Atlanta, and of those whom they can
control, hut there your support will
stop. You are not meriting by your
conduct the support of your fellow cltl-
sens at large.
"It Is true that In general language
you say you aro In favor of justice to
the people, hut when you come to ape-
Iflc expressions you line yourself up
m the railroad side, and you naturally
and logically today are receiving their
support.
"In the editorials In your paper you
have declared In favor of domesticat
ing all the railroads doing business In
this state. In your formal announce
ment you said: i bellevo that they
should be compelled to litigate In the
courts of this state all questions aris
ing between them and the people.'
“Now, I ask you to tell your fellow
citizens how you propose to domesti
cate foreign railroad corporations, and
how you propose to prevent suits
against foreign corporations from be
ing removed to the United State* court.
When you inode this declaration surely
you meant something, and knew what
>ou were talking about. I Invite you
In this joint discussion, face to face,
speak out, so that our fellow cltlsens
may know for what we really stand.
freight and passenger rates.
Criticizes Committee's Actlen,
'Let us turn to tho state Democratic
Executive committee which met here
the last day of April. Instead of wait
ing until the open meeting and dis
cussing all matters publicly in the in
terests of the people, a caucus waa held
to shape things In the dark. The
three leading spirts of that caucus
were Judge Hamilton McWhorter, po
litical agent of the Southern railroad;
Judge Enoch Callaway; a corporation
attorney, at times representing clients
xriltlcally as well as In the court
iouse, and Hon. Warner Hill, your
railroad commissioner. There you see
the close Identification of your rail
road commissioner and the railroad
K lttlclans. There you see the si
nce Inside the Democratic organiza
tion controlling It.
"Now, what relation do these men
bear to the candidacy of Mr. Howoll?
I do not know one who la falling to
support him. True, Judge Hamilton
McWhorter says that he Is for Colo
nel Jim Smith, but may be that this Is
the beat way to help Clark Howell.
To be entirely candid, however, I be
lleve there are others Judge McWhor
ter would rather tee governor than
Clark Howell. He naturally fears It
Clark Howell Is governor, Albert How
ell may supplant Hump McWhorter.
“But let us come down to the fight
over the Democratic executive commit
tee of Fulton county. The merchants,
manufacturers. and workingmen went
to the court-house and elected there an
executive committee, taken fresh from
their ranks. They Intentionally put
upon that committee a number
friends of Mr. Clark Howell. These
friends of Mr. Clark Howell were In
duced to withdraw from the committee
and Mr. Clark Howell threw all hla In
fluence behind what la called th*
Felder committee."
Personnel of Committao.
"Let us see who some of the men
are upon this committee—Mr. Howell's
friends, whom he wishes to manage the
affairs of the Democratic party In Ful
ton county. The chairman Is Mr. Tom
Felijer. He la tho. attorney for Ar
mour A Company> He Is attorney for
Armour A Company In their refriger
ating ear business, In the struggle that
Is going on by the nation and state to
pul an end to the exorbitant charges
which they make for handling fruit In
refrigerating cars. The vice chairman
of this committee le Mr. Robert Alston,
REMARKABLE DEMONSTRA-
TION IN SHORTHAND.
Convincing Argument That High
Rate of Speed with New Meth-
ods Discounts All Systems.
In the assembly hall of Boswell 1 ,
Business College, at 191 PeaditreJ
street, was given last night one of
moat remarkable short hand demon
stratlons ever witnessed In Atlantic it
was attended by a large audlen,;
disinterested people, many of v.:,om
are highly educated and compe l
stenographers, who have had yearn "5
experience In Graham, Pittman and
Munson short hand. All were agreed
that the results obtained In the one
weeks study of Chanter Shorthand
surpassed any record aver made In from
four to six weeks' study In the « y ,™
tame with which they are acquainted
Nek stddenta who had. never studied
any system of shorthand took up this
system Monday morning, and after five
days' study, wrote from dictation ordl.
nary business letters (practice matter)
at the rate of more than 100 words per
minute. Professor Spencer then wrote
on the board any matter handed him
from the audience, which they read
without the slightest hesitation
We claim that the system Is marvel-
ous, and it is marvelous. We do not
claim that students can make high-
class stehographers in ten or fifteen
days. That is Impossible. We do not
claim that it can be mastered In less
than one-half.the time required for
Graham, Munson, or Pittman, written
with a greater rate of speed and read
three times as fast.
We guarantee that all students who
are prepared for the course will be
able to write 100 words per minute
and read their note* with perfeto ease
In from six to twevle weeks' time. Stu
dents who are not able fo do this can
call at the office and have their money
refunded. As to our ability and willing
ness to,do this, we refer to Maddox-
Rucker Banking Company.
“I pointed out In my Madison speech. °, nB of ‘he attorneys for the Atlantic
that the only way to prevent foreign
corporations from removing their caeei
to the United State* court was to re.
quire them to organize local corpora
tions In Georgia, and to transfer thetr
property to these local corporations,
and to operate their properties through
their local corporations.
"In your Tococa speech you said that
had persistently taken the poaltion
that I would take every railroad In
have already called your alien- .Y forel « B c ‘*P' t *' out
mon Mock. Thl* stock was tan or Philadelphia, via Savannah, local temporary hold-up of the rati
tlon to the fact that the Atlanta freight
reau and the chamber of commerce
of the city, as a result of the fight they
made and the negotiations they held
with railroad officials. Induced a reduc
tion of Interatata freight ratee over a
year ago, which will save tha people
of Georgia. It la hoped several hundred
thousand dollars at year, the exact
amount it Is Impossible to toll. Mr.
Howell, jn hla earnest effort to bock up
hla friend* on th* railroad commission,
appointed by hi* friend. Governor Ter
rell. has told the people of Oeorgta
both In hla formal announcement, and
tn Ma speech** all over the state, and
In hla editorials, that the railroad com
mission through .11* order* obtained
this reduction of Interstate rate*. II*
baa put th* figures showing the
amount saved annually at from 3(00,
too to 31,000.000, and he has sought to
maks the people of the
state feel sat- I repeal
the hands of Its owners and force
them to place the roads on the block
and sell them out You declared, re
ferring to me: 'He said he would not
permit a road owned or operated by
foreign capital to serve the people of
Georgia. This 1a confiscation pure and
simple.'
Demands Hawaii's Authority,
Now, Mr. Howell, I want you to
show your authority for any such
statement ever having been made by
me. The real benefit to be derived
from Joint discussions can come from
putting propositions to each other and
lading out the real truth. I say to you
that 1 never took auch a position, and
you are utterly inexcusable for charg
ing me frith It.
“But tu come back to what you said
with reference to your own position.
this audience what a
Coast Line and the Southern Express
Company. Upon this committee la
found Mr. John D. Little, on* of th*
attorneys of the Central railroad and
one of the counsel In Georgia of the
Louisville and Nashville railroad.
“Upon the committee Is also found
Mr. Albert Howell, one of the attor
neys for the Southern railroad, the At
lanta and West Point railroad, the
Western Union Telegraph Company
and th* Pullman Palace car Company,
and th* attorney In Georgia (If not
still, certainly last year) of the New
York Mutual, New York Life and
Equitable Life Assurance Companies.
Also Mr. Hollins Randolph, attorney
for the Seaboard Atr Line. Mr. How
ell la trying to put Into authority this
committee with a representative on it
of nearly every big railroad corpora
tion In the Mate.
Now, I have not criticised any of
theae gentlemen discourteously, but I
have called attention to a condition
that exists—the controlling presence
and Influence of the railroad lawyers
and hired politician* In the Demo
cratic organisation In Georgia. .
"And 1 have called upon th* people
free the state from this Infiuinc*.
They are active factors In that part of
2* **2° CI »‘ ,C Pf*? * n Oeorgla with
which Mr. Howell Is allied. They are
“ part of what may be properly called
The Reigning Dynasty in Georgia,' or,
In common Anglo-Saxon, The Con
trolling Political Ring.'
People Mu*t Take Control.
“If the people of Georgia are to
really take control of their own af
fairs, If they ore to really obtain pro
tection from exorbitant freight and
mssenger rates, If we are to really
have a government by the people anil
not by the corporations, then the cor-
1 mratlons must be beaten by first de
feating their agents who seek to con
trol, and you must beat the political
allies of their agents as well as the
agents themselves.
'Ths danger from the control of the
state by the railroad companies and
their allied corporations Is not limited
to the power which their agents and
attorneys exercise Th t»lftlcal affairs.
It culminates with the contribution of
money to political campaigns.
"I charge that-railroads In Oeorgla
have sougbt to control the state sen
ate nnd that money has been contribut
ed to the campaigns of member* of the
legislature and of those even higher
In authority.
"The old-time system of presenting
matters to the legislature, when the
general Counsel and the superintendent
of the road would go to the capital nnd
argue a question upon Its merit* before
a committee and then go home, has
passed away. In Its place the political
attorney and subordinate agents, gath
ered from different part* of the state,
undertake, through political Influence,
to prevent legislation which the cor
porations oppose, and to pnss legisla
tion which they desire. Political pull
has (aken the place of an appeal to the
real merits of questions being consid
ered. Let the political attorney be
backed by funds of the corporations to
help elect or defeat a member and hl«
power ta enormously Increased.
Attacks Entire 8yst«m.
I attack the entire system ns dan
gerous and hurtful. I call for legisla
tion which will make It a crime for
any corporation or association to con
tribute money to elections of member!
of the legislature or state house of
ficers. I believe that the entire use
of money either to buy voter* or lo
hire men at th* poll* should be for
bidden by statute. I favor legislation
which will limit the right of un em
ployed attorney, or agent, to appear
before a committee and m»ke an ar
gument In public. I would make It a
crime for them to undertake to con
fer In private with legislators, and I
would require every man who takes
an employment to at once regfster the
fact or hla employment with the sec
retary of state.
“I believe that every candidate for
a state house office, or for the legisla
ture, should bo-required to file, un
der oath.' a statement of just what he
spends In connection with his candi
dacy, what he spends for It. ape
where he get* the money from.
"I am opposed to convention nomi
nations. I favor not only a resolution
to be passed at the next Democratic
convention, requiring that future nomi
nations shall be at the ballot box, hut
I also favor legislation which will fl*
the time for our primaries, and require
that our nominations for legislators
and state house officer* shall be at the
ballot box. • ,
"Our state senate la composed of for
ty-five men, twenty-three being a ma
jority. Under our present system
rotating senators, first letting
county and then another tn the sena
torial district, name the senator, ana
under the further. »y*tem of requiring
the other couatles of the *enotorial
district to accept the selection of tn-
oounty from which the senator 9
come. It is really only necessary ' r
tha corporations and special!nteri\
to control twenty-three counties In tn
•tat*. It give* them the power earn?
to control the state senate and to him *
any legislation to which they op
poaad.
Favor* an End to It.
"Thl* la far from being government
by the people, and I favor aril™
Continued on Pag* El*v«n.
To Driv* Out Malaria
And Build Up th* •y* 1 *'"
Take the Old Standard.
TASTELESS CHILL TONIC. T«®
know what you are taking. Tne J
mula Is plainly printed on erery
showing It la •Imply Quinine and iro
In a tasteless form. Tho Quinine
out the malaria and the Iron build* p
the Byitem. Sold by all deal** - * *
years. Price 50 cents.