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PAGE TWELVE AS TO UNCLE JAKE’S RAILROAD. (Continued from Page Nine.) The Railroad Commission ordered an exam ination of the property. Uncle Obe Stevens investigated the four prongs of the Old Reli able in two days and officially reported that the O. R. was just as reliable as ever. But the Herald and the Jeffersonian knew better, and they did not cease firing. Nor did the wrecks cease. Once a week, we had a smash-up on the Old Reliable. Then the anonymous expert was sent by the Commission to walk the track, from one end to the other. The report of Anonymous was something fierce. . So much so, indeed, that our new Commis sion peremptorily ordered the management of the Georgia Railroad to make certain re pairs within 30 days. Whereupon Maj. Cumming, with great dig nity and distinctness, “respectfully declined.” In fact, the Major was generally understood to have said to the Commission “You go to h—ll.” Here was a kettle of fish, indeed. To the amusement of mankind, and a few of the women folks, the new Chairman of the new Commission, wrote a delightful letter to Maj. Cumming, entreating that politest of gen tlemen to take a seat, and to remember what good friends they had been, and that there really was no cause for excitement or haste, and that the Commission really had not meant to say what it was understood to have said, and that the apparently peremptory order was nothing more than a sort of a rule nisi; and that the railroad could come up to At lanta, at its leisure and show cause, and so forth and so on, most soothingly. Whereupon, Seely of that interesting Geor gian, declared McLendon’s letter to be a re markable paper. And most of us heartily agreed with Bro. Seely. And now comes Col. Thos. K. Scott, mana ger of the Old Reliable, and the Com mission in substance, “I denied that any repairs were needed, and my attorney was instructed to politely defy the Commission ; but inasmuch as it is necessa ry to do something to keep down public in dignation, I now say that the defects which did not exist have been removed.” Col. Thos. K. Scott did not tell the truth when he denied the bad condition of the Geor gia Railroad—how can we believe him now? The Commission did not consider his word good, when he denied the existence of the de fects. The report of the expert proved that the Commission had acted wisely in refusing to believe Col. Scott. Are they going to accept his word as good, now? IF SO, WHY? The man who believes that Col. Scott has complied with the order of the commission is the same man who believed Col. Scott when he declared that the road was in good condi tion. * H H Honor 'Roll. Hon. F. D. Wimberly, Cochran, Ga. (“Blue Fred,” one of the old war-horses of the nineties.) J. F. Bush, Star City, Ark. GET YOUR CERTIFICATE READY. Macon, Ga., Dec. 4, 1907. After a full, free and frank con ference between the officers of the Farmers’ Union and the Georgia Bankers’ Association, looking to an agreement to control the movement of cotton, it was understood that while the officers of the Bankers’ As- WATSON’S WEEKLY JBFFER3ONIAN. J. M. Pate, Daleville, Ala. Thos. B. Parks, Collum, Ala. Ben. F. Kennedy, Chula, Ga. M. S. Lancaster, Murrayville, Ga. F. Yerkes, Veedersburg, Ind. (To be Continued.) * n Editorial Notes. ’By J. D. Watson. Judge William T. Newman, of the United States circuit and district courts, has hand ed down the most sensible decision on the railroad rate question that has yet been hand ed down. When the State railroad commission issued the order for a reduction of passenger rates in Georgia, the- Central of Georgia Railroad hustled to the United States court for an in junction restraining the commission from en forcing the order —claiming that the new rate was confiscatory. The railroads had done the same thing in Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama, and had found a Pritchard or a Jones to do as their lawyers told them to do. Therefore, the habit of having a United States judge re strain a state from enforcing a state law had become so firmly set that they “hiked” them seleves to the United States court and asked Judge Newman to run rough shod over the State of Georgia, as Pritchard and Jones had tried to do. But this time they struck a snag! Judge Newman has decided that a six months’ trial of the new rate law will prove whether or not it is CONFISCATORY more than the “hot air confiscatory” talk of the rail road officials and their lawyers. The decision means that Judge Newman re fuses to do as the other judges have done— prophesy what the new law will do. He does not undertake to decide what is a fact before it has been proved to be a fact, therefore, let the railroads try the new rate law for six months and, if it proves unprofitable, let them present the facts to the court and ask relief. But even if the new rate does not yield profits,'it will not prove that the new rate is CONFISCATORY. The property is NOT confiscated until the TITLE and RIGHT of POSSESSION are taken away from the own er. n Judge Samuel H. Seabury has set a prece dent in New York City that ought to be fol lowed by Judges of State courts throughout the country. For some time there has been litigation over some of the street railway systems in New York City. As usual, the street railways had gone to the United States courts to seek relief from the New York courts, taking themselves away from the jurisdiction of the State courts. But Judge Seabury would not have it that way. He took jurisdiction any way, taking the ju risdiction away from the United States courts, and appointed receivers to take charge of the street railways. We are glad to note that one of these re ceivers is the able and upright young lawyer who managed the Watson campaign in New York in 1904. Judge Seabury was one of the first prominent Democrats of the East who an nounced his intention of supporting Mr. Wat son, instead of Judge Parker. And he was sociation could not commit any of its members to any line of policy, yet they earnestly recommended that the banks and bankers of Georgia co operate with the farmers in carry ing out their purpose as far as their individual ability would permit, and that it was their belief that if farm ers should take their cotton to ware houses and get receipts therefor, they could take those receipts and adjust with creditors their obligations by creating new obligations based upon cotton receipts as collateral. Joseph S. Davis,, Pres’t. Ga. Bank ers’ Associations. L. P. Hillyer, Secretary Ga. Bank ers’ Associations. R. F. Duckworth, Pres’t. Ga. Farm ers’ Union. J. L. Barron, Sec.-Treas. Ga. Farmers’ Union. faithful to the end. Judge Newman has sanctioned the view for which the Jeffersonian has all along contend ed—that judges who enjoined states because of rate regulations were assuming to act as prophets rather than as judges. Let him study the question more profoundly and he will agree with the Jeffersonian in the further contention that no law can be confis catory which does not dispossess the owner and destroy his title. Those who are claiming that clearing house certificates are as good as government money, have evidently overlooked the accounts of the experience of some Americans in Europe. Some of these travelers went abroad, as most travelers do, with most of their money, deposited in banks at home and taking letters of credit instead of the cash money with them. Things went well until they needed money, and then they found themselves up against it. The New York banks were issuing clear ing house certificates in place of money, and the foreign bankers did not care to let out their real money on letters of credit from such banks. The traveler could not relieve his condition by cabling to New York for money for the New York banks would not pay out anything but clearing house certificates. Thus the traveler found himself a stranger in a strange land without money or friends to help him get home, and sometimes without enough to pay his hotel bill. Some incidents are cited where travelers have been forced to sell their belongings in the way of wearing ap parel to get enough money to pay their pas sage back to the United States. Yet you hear people say they had as soon have a clearing house certificate as a ten dollar gold piece. The Chicago bankers and the New York bankers seem to have lost a little friendship over the recent money troubles. The Chicago bankers make the startling an nouncement that the New Yorkers played a slick little game on them. According to the Chicago bankers this is the way it was done: The New York bankers persuaded the Chi cago and other western bankers to deposit their money in New York, as most banks’ throughout the country do. W hen their money was safely in the hands of the New Yorkers, the New Yorkers kept it. When a Chicago bank wanted its money back, it got New York certificates instead— leaving the Chicago banks, and the banks throughout the United States, without money and forcing them to issue certificates too. In the meantime, the New York bankers were making loans with the other banks’ money and getting a big rate of interest for it. Quite a slick game, and one that may not have been given away had not the rascals in the two cities fallen out. n The silk-hatters who put out these nasty little Clearing House Certificates, when 'they are in honor bound to give depositors their money, should be given a tase of the criminal law. J. G. Eubanks, Bus. Agt. Ga. Farm ers’ Union. (Note: The New York bankers, not being able to pay their debts, issued Certificates to that effect and sent them out to circulate as money. Wlwt the bankers did, the farmers are go ing to do. Next will come somebody else. Oh! what a fine time we are going to have!)