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iwpwmu^i SMITH DISCUSSES FREIGHT RATES AXI) DISFRANCHISEMENT OF NEGRO AND REPLIES TO HO WELL'S A TTA CKS ' - 'THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN. r ~ : ” P7 "V - ; ■ v i- — r - SATURDAY JUNE f, »0A i, \vh#»n th#*y <'onre«8lonn /'iKht. a coin the Only Hope of Relief a Return to Popu lar Government. SAYS RATES HAVE GONE UP; SHOULD HAVE GONE DOWN Time V Tells Audience for Firet Where Money From Piedmont Bar Went—Scores Ring. ) In till opening «|»«h In tha joint llacueslon with Clark Hawaii at tha l*eachtree auditorium Friday night, the H--n. Hoka Smith aald: “Mr. Chairman, Uidlaa and Gentlemen: "I have lived In Atlanta 36 yearn; thla la the first time I aver naked your support for office. Two weeka before I announced my rai.dldacy for governor I had no Idea of entering a contest for at high And honorable position. I waa Induced to become a candidate hlefly because eo many of my fellow dtlzena throughout the state expressed ^pdealre that I should lead a fight for : ruler government against railroad rand corporate rule, but I cannot deny .that the threats of exposures by Mr. 1 link .Howell, made through the col umns of The Atlanta Constitution, stimulated me to the task. ' i believe In popular government. I pellove thnt the free and unrestrained i ile of a majority of the voters butldk ihe character of our cltleens and brings i he beat government ► "It can be easily shown that an alll an" of men. largely Influenced by the i illtlcal attorneys and agents of great < "i i■orations owned outside the stale, directs the machinery of the Democrat- i< party, and, to a great extent, controls the policies of. Georgia. For twelve months past I have been m sing the people to throw ofr thla yoke a ml to take charge of their own af fair*. The necessity for such action Is Mj made clear when you ronstder the bur- d< ns placed upon the people of Geor- i-io. I only ask you to consider with me tonight those burdens which grow ■ nit of tne unjust charges for carrying ■ -'■engers and freight made by the railroad companies. Entitled te Only Fair Profit. “The supreme court of the United Pistes has declared that a railroad company Is a public render, a public highway, and only entitled to charge such rates for carrying passengers and freight as are necessary to earn a rea r-noble profit upon the money actually put Into their properties. They should not be permitted to make excessive i barges to enable them to pay Interest and dividends upon stocks and bonds Irmed In excess of the money put Into their properties. “If we make a conservative estimate of the real value of the properties con trolled by the five great railroad sys tems doing business In this state and compare this with the net earnings of tb. systems In Georgia, we win find that ihey are collecting between three rod four million dollars annually rrom no people In Georgia In excess of a f.iir Interest upon their Investments. "High freight rates are a tax upon tbs Inanstrles of the msesee of the peo ple A merchant or shipper may drat puy the freight, but he adds what he bus paid to the price of hla goods and Ihe consumers return the money lo him In the Increased charges he must make for what he aells. It Is the duty of the railroad commission to reduce the rates mid the duty of the governor to see tb.it It la dona. "Tor tha purposa of determining V bother Ihe rales are excessive let us iim the charges which the railroad < ommtaelnn haa permitted the South- ern Railroad Company and the Cen- ' I of Georgia Railroad Company to irge the people of the state. If we npare the rules for hauling freight L on these two roads with rates charged by roada similarly situated In Houth Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia will find that the Georgia roada m.tko charges which average It per ■ nit higher than those of the other Mates named. ‘ ’ ■ •Twenty-live years ago n standard ui-iir for freight rales was adopted by tbo railroad commission. It wot a regular schedule of rates which rail- rmula ware permitted to charge for car- r> log different claaaee of freight. The rates on the Central and the Houthern were advanced until In 1893 they were permitted to charge the standard tariff and 36 per cant added. The Commission’s Reason. ^ “In permitting this Increase the rail- road commission gave as a reason for sranting It: “That Ihe great financial depression ail over the country, that has affected every branch' of trade, has been ee- ! verely felt by the railroad companies of Ge.-i*la.’ f "While thlt may hnve been true In ]«!■- fra number of years past the i allroad companies have been doing the lurr- at business in their history. K “The business of the Central railroad has Increased since IMS over 1ft# per cent. Its net earnings have also -lg- cren-wd over 1M per cent, while Its mil* ge has Increased leas than 40 per ion. During this lime It haa also In- \(*tcd from net profits In addition to HON. HOKE SMITH. „„„„ ^ Jo, bring relief. of a million dollars a year In **“•““5 practically without substantial value and merely speculative stock. Tha high rates the road has charged have given tq thla 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 a reduction as a cones nuance of prosperous times. “As an illustration of tbe way In which the people ore being unjustly burdened by high freight rates, the Houthern railroad purchased the At lanta and Florida railroad, built by Atlanta capitalists, running from At lanta to Fort Valley, for 8176,#00. I has capitalised this property at 13. 683,683, and la undertaking to make the people, by high freight rates, pay on this capitalisation. “It la easy to understand from the tacts I have mentioned how Ihe 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 exoaaalva charges for carrying freight and paa- aengera. The unjust charges placed upon the people of our state are not limited to local rates. Georgia distrib uting points In comparison with places similarly situated In other state! auffar from severe discriminations. Comparison of Rates. Let us compare the rates charged from the mast and the West to At lanta with those charged to Nashville. Tennessee, -*ii In thla connection yon must hear In mind that what Is true of Atlanta la true of tha balance of Geor gia. The distance from New York to Atlanta la IK miles. The distance from New York to Nashville Is MS miles. Yet the rates per car load of 30,00ft pounds era higher to Atlanta than to Nashville on first-class goods per car, 373; on second-class goods par car, 876; on third-claaa goods per car, 3*6; on fourih-daaa goods per car, 3103; on fifth-claaa goods par car, 371; on sixth- class goods per car 364. If you make the comparison from New York to Cin cinnati or Louisville the discrimination against Atlanta la even greater. “Different charges are made ner 100 pounda for different classes of freight. By a change of classification, moving articles from cheaper classifications Into higher-priced class Idea lions, a heavy Increase In freight rate* all over the Houth waa made six years ago. About the same time an Increase was made In the charges for freight on cool of lu rents per ton. This was done at a time when, by every rea sonable rule, a decrease In the freight charges of not Isas than 10 cents per ton should have been made Atlanta handles :«000 cars of coal annually, thus making an Increase of about 360.- 000 to the coat of hauling thla coal, when there ought to have been a de crease of over 110,000. It Is, easy for •very man to understand how tha cost of hla fuel lias been Increased by the Improper conduct of the railroad com panies. Applies to Many Georgia Points, Although I have uaed Atlanta as tha point for this discussion. It can ba made with equal or more force. If I should usa Griffin, or Macon, or Cor- dele, or Valdosta. or Rome, or Colum bus or Amerlcua, or Albany, or many other points In Georgia. It Is a plain proposition that railroad companies have not given to Georgia tbe 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 be sug gested that It Is not a question which can be Involved In a elate campaign, ae slate house officers have no power With such a view I where the steamboat line Is one named by the Cthtral railroad. Effects of Reduction Asked For. “The money, therefore, which the railroads would have received would have been practically the same ax that which ,th#y now receive as their pro rata for shipments from the Bast by water and rail. Tho benefit to At lanta and to other Georgia points would have come from the free Use of any vessels they desired upon the ocean, and It was conceded that ocean rates could be obtained nt very much leas than the pro rata of charges now paid on through shipments to the steamers named by the Central rail road. The effect, ae a whole, of tide reduction of rates from Georgia points to Atlanta and to other Interior points would have been to make the rate from the Bast to Georgia points about 36 per cent less than the present rates. “Another benefit of this reduction of Eastern rates would have been that Western rates would have come doA-n In proportion, and the all-rail haul, both East ana West, would have been reduced to men water ami rail haul. Two of the commissioner*. Messrs. Joseph M. Brown and Warner Hill, voted agnlnst the port rat# reduc tion. Mr. I’opo Brown voted for It, ftxpreeely stating that lie, ut the same time, voted'to make similar reductions of rates throughout the state. Mr. Joseph M. Brown gave as his principal reason for refusing to vote for tho reductions, not that tbe proposed rates would fall to be remunerative to the Georgia railroads, but that the com bined rail and water rates to tho East would be eo much reduced that the all- rail lines, East and West, would be compelled to reduco their rates to' meet the competition: In other words, that tho unreasonably high rates now being permitted by tha Georgia i “ mission from the porta o Interior points In Georgia furnished the real opportunity for the r i aekcl As a final result nltteo was nppolnj led to negotiate with the railroad readjustment of rates was thereby ob- talned which will save to Georgians | several hundred thousand dollars each ! years. It must always be borne In ■ mind that having won a fight for re adjustment to Atlanta, the readjust. ! ment fiecessarlly followed to other points In Georgia, and all over tho , slate the reduction was made, as well j as to Atlanta. The fight was made prt ! marlly for Atlanta, but Incidentally for | the whole state. Twelve months ago. I began calling | the attention of the people of the state to the Inexcusable 26 per cent which , the .Southern and Central railroads were charging In excess of the stand ard tariff I also called attention to the 20 per cent excess beyond the standard tariff which the Atlantic Coast Line was permitted to charge. I also have called attention to the 26 per rent In excess of the standard tariff which the Georgia Houthern 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 of the subject alone would help them. I said In my Elbert,m speech last fall that before the. gubernatorial election, the railroad commissioners would find I that they could no longer afford to contlnuo In office without doing any thing at all 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 36 per' cent extra chnrges allowed the South era and Central to 15 per cent, and the 20 per cent allowed the Atlantic Coast Line to 10 per cent, but they refused to moke the reduction on the Georgia Southern and Florida. What Honest Commission Can Do* “I have shown that a proper reduc tlo.i of rates from Ihft ports to In terior points will largely overcome the present unjust through rates to Geor gia points. Give the people of Georgia railroad commissioner* with all the power of the state to regulate local freight rates; give them full power to Investigate Interstate freight rates, betterments. I "In the past ten years the Houthern Hallway Company haa Increased Its net earnings from five million doliare per , -or to twelve million dollars per year, 'i lia te true, although, according to a circular Issued for the sale of bonds mUrn Houthern, It te declared: “That the bookkeeping force of Ihe .- (u t hern haa literally been obliged to work overtime In order to conceal the - indue which haa been piling up.’ Should Hava Bean a Reduction. !•' “The same rule which gave theee i ada an Increase of chargee for carry- lac freight In 1133, If proper vigilance • .td been uaed by your public officers, would have long ago brought to tbe i -opts of tha state a reduction of f eight chargee. The net Income of ■ • Central of Georgia railroad fur the year IM6 waa ll.tW.o##, In addition te the net profits spent for betterment*. This railroad company last year, attar Ing Interest on fifteen mill on dol- of income boode. a large part of " ten years ago, were worth about ■ on the dollar, bad a surplus ef from Its net Income Houthern railroad ten years ago ■lily millions of preferred Mock “Georgia has two splendid harbors. With but little expense can be placed upon the ocean, tailing from these harbors lo Eastern ports. Sailing vessels come from Eastern ports lo these harbors. Excessive freight rates from the ports to Interior points In Georgia prevent the Interior points from receiving their proper ad vantage by Ihe use of transportation from the East through tha ports of Georgia. “With thla question la Involved what te now’eommonly known In Georgia ae the port rale fight, made by Ihe At lanta freight bureau for lower raise to Atlanta, and It te Atlanta, then to other Georgia points, from Savannah and from Brunswick. Tha Atlanta freight bureau petitioned the railroad com mission for a redaction of charges from Savannah to Atlanta. So strong a case waa mads that at on# time tha officers of tbe rallroida conceded IU justice and undertook to give tha re duction. but finally they failed to do so. The redactions asked for would not have brought the chargee substan tially below what u now charged In ■oath Carolina. North Carolina and Virginia. It would not have brought tha rates lower than the chargee volun tarily made by the Central railroad on 9 l t I r hundred and twenty millions a through haul from New York, Bos panics lo give cities of much lower through rate given lo Georgia points, tha reduction) demanded would Interfere with the Ing through rata system, I grant a reasonable redact ports of Georgia to Intarii la hard lo estimate bow ra pie of our state are taxi __ _ on account of thla Inexcusable decision. Asks Full Dues for 1 “It may be argued that Georgia la prosperous. This Is undoubtedly true. No living man hea greater confidence In the future of Georgia than I. But 1 ask that all be given to which It Is entitled. I believe that Osorgla has opportunities lo become a manufacturing stale and a commercial state, scarcely rivaled, not excelled, by any state In the Union. Because the state te growing rapidly, because the people are prospering 1s no excuse for preventing, by unequal freight rates, the growth to which she Is entitled. "The traveling men of Georgia build up Ihe business of the state and con tribute Immensely tu the prosperity of the railroad companies. They have been pleading for yeara lo obtain thousand-mile books, good on ah rail road systems sand their connections In the state, and they have asked tor a 3-cent rata. The traveling men not only serve those who employ them, but they serve 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 •ell. Their demand has bt ble; tlm railroad companta ni a deaf ear to It. Tha 8< road, the Cehtrat of oeor company, and the Oeorgl and Florida Railroad Co cltned even to participate of the Interchangeable th books. The railroad cot Georgia haa had the pow to fix this rate for the tra and to make the books ■ Southern, Central and Get; ern and Florida railroads. •d to do eo, and In fating ed to discharge a duty w» Ihe people of Georgaia. fact, a fiat 3-cent per mile passengetk on tha big ays be sufficient, after free pas not entitled to them are elli •The freight chargee vol the people of Georgia on through business In excess able charges, and, therel amounts to over five mlllli year. The Georgia rallroi •Ion, If It were organised who really desired to eer pie, and backed by a governor who was really in sympathy with the movement, has tha absolute authority to reduce the local rates Something Can be Dene. “Can anything be done In Georgia lo protect our profile from the unjust In terstate freight rates 7 There Is no doubt that something can be done. Tbe Atlanta freight bureau made a long fight against exceealva Interstate rates. It carried the fight even Into a am). If norcssary, In behalf of the state to fight before the Interstate' railroad commission for just through rates; bock your railroad commission with a governor who knows the evils, believes they cun be remedied, and Is willing to fight to remody them; arouse alt the local commercial bodies In Georgia to tho support of the railroad commis sion and tlio 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 light, and not the Individual shipper. “There is an unmistakable Issue be tween tbe peoplo of Georgia and tha 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 J declare that they are not now getting It. “And the same Issue which exists between the- people and the railroads exists between Mr. Howall and myself. I have championed the cause of the people; he has done all that he could to support tha other aide.. In his for mal announcement. In his speeches, In editorials published In hla paper, through letters by Joseph M, Brown, and published In hto paper, he has en deavored to show that my contentions are unfounded, and he has defended the railroad commission and the gov ernor. In his announcement ha con demned what he termed ‘assaults pub licly directed against tho railroad com missioners.’ Anil he declared, that ’the local rates, ni|lch are .under the Juris diction of the Georgia railroad, com- mission, are Jess .than thoile of our etoter states of Alabama nnd Houth Carolina.' He declared also against any power of the railroad commission to bring relief from unjust Interstate rates. All over the state he has de fended the railroad commission and vllllfled me for criticising them. 8ays Howell Defends Reads, "According to tbe published report In hto paper of a speech he made at Mabelton, In Cobb county, he defends the railroad rommtstoh, aa now organ- teed. by declaring: ‘Your railroad commission stands ready to rectify any dlacrimnatlon In rates in the state, and these are the only rates over which It has any power.* And he added that •thff fact to that few discriminations In local rates 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 Tha Atlanta Con stltutlon on August I. IMi. he elabor. ately defended the railroad commission and termed my campaign one of ‘gen eral vinification of tho officials of this elate.' He terms my crltlcsms as ’sin ister’ and ‘misrepresentation!.’ He then declared that 'back of It all there Is nothing more substantial than the desire of other men to hold office.' Ho closes hto editorial defending the rail road commission with the statement that ’the campaign of misrepresenta tion and vlUlflcatlon against them must and will prove an utter failure.* • “Now, I Invite Mr. Clark Howell to meet the facta of unjust local freight rales that 1 have brought to Ms atten tion. I Invite him to dlacuks my criticism of the railroad commission ers with reference to Interchangeable mileage and reduction of passenger rates. In- what respect have I mads a S lsstatement? In what respect am I accurate? Not long ago the point waa made e th. ..Mlt.llwatlnn n* ttiM I’tnlrll sA*d he railroad I yo .. ry that thelcoi railroad commission forced thiH great | err saving for tin- i-'-'-*.!*-. 1 deny that any such having lias been made by any body. I ahk Mr. Howell for his proof, but whatever It amounts to, was ac complished by your own fellow clti- sens and In spite of the blunders and faults of the railroad commission. Repeated 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 only order they had left nt the close of last year reducing freight rates was one with reference toves. which may have . possibly mode a redaction In freight rates of less than 110,000 a year. It was dur* ing thin j.«rl'*d Mar Mi If«*v\*-11 was extolling the commission. Local rales then w4re excessive to such an extent ’ hat Mw > ought t'. l..i% *■ !»• «-n r«-du- ••«; 14,000,000 a year. His railroad commis sion, with the valuable work It was then doing, having made a reduction of $10,000 In over a year, at the same rate of I, u mild hav i»*'|i:lred years 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 the $1,000,000 he had talked about. He can show none T ask Mr. Howell to show what ex- cuuo he has for saying that the rail road commission secured the reduction In Interstate rates • that tva.* obtained about twelve months ago. I call his attention to the fact that In his own xiper In mentioning these reductions te has said: 'Hoads make concessions Atlanta committee.' Again in the wtme article his paper publishes: 'It was only after a hard struggle • • that Atlanta’s committee was able to secure- from the railroad officials the reduction.’ This wns his account of the reductions when the agreement to make them waa reached. "How Inconsistent la the position Mr. Howell! In one breath he de. dares that the railroad commission of Georgia obtained these Interstate re ductions, and In the next breath he declares that the Georgia railroad commtaslon can do nothing toward rec tifying excessive Interstate rates. meant by domesticating foreign orations? Will you tell this audl what you meant when you said you were opposed to permitting foreign corporation* to remove their caset the United States court? I will at your discussion of this subject v great Interest, and I will, furthermore, be prepared, in.my concluding remarks, to furnish my own position with refer- to It. your claim that the railroad com- mission secured the reduction to which I have referred. I call upon you to explain your claim that the reductions amounted to a million dollars a/year, t call upon you to tell the people of Atlanta why you published nt the time that the committee,representing the city of Atlanta, secured the reduction that the committee secured them, and then, subsequently, you changed your poll tlon and gave tbe credit to the rail road commission you were seeking to defend. "The truth about It to you cannot successfully defend the attitude of your allies on the railroad commission, and not being able to defend them you can not success fully defend yourself. Refers to Copied Editorial. "But I ask you, Mr. Howell, to turn to your paper under date of Febru ary II, 1906. There you have copied on your editorial page on 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 peoplo of Georgia on unjust criticism upon the cltlxcns of Atlanta. That editorial charged Atlanta with aeqklng 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 npt for Interior points In Georgia. It charged that os soon as Thla stock waa ton or Philadelphia, vis Savannah, local temporary hold-up of the rall- UatadtaetoEJMI that the capitalisation of the Central of Georgia railroad today waa exces sive. and that Its charges for carrying freight and passengers wars sufficient ly. high to enable It to earn dividends on an over-capltalltatlon. Mr. Howell promptly sprang Into the arena with hla paper and declared that the capi talisation at the Central today waa not aa great per mile aa It waa before Ihe war. I pointed out to him In my columbua speech that by the reports of the Central Itself 'la capitalisation before the war waa IIMH per mil*, and It to now I1M40. He haa left bta Inaccurate statement In defense of the road without explanation or apology. Challenges a Reply. “We are supposed to have come her* tonight for a debate. I show that he haa defended the railroad comlmaeton and has defended the present local rates. 1 call on him to discuss them In detail and show In what regard my criticisms are incorrect Mark what I tell you, fellow cltleens, ha will not undertake to discuss them; he can not do It. • I have already called your atten tion to the fact that the Atlanta freight bureau and tb! chamber of commerce of the city, aa a result of tbe fight they made and the negotiations they held •nth railroad efftclals. Induced a reduc tion of interstate freight rates over a year ago, which wlU ears the people of Georgia. K to hoped several hundred thousand dollars a year, the exact amount It Is Impossible to tall. Mr. Howell. In hto earnest effort to back up hie friends on tbe railroad commission, appointed by hto friend. Governor Ter rell. has told the people of Georgia both la hto formal announcement sad In hto speeches all over the state, and in hto editorials, that tbe railroad com mission through lu orders obtained this reduction of Interstate rates. Ha put tha figures showing the amount saved annually at from S*oa.- ### to 11,000,000. and ha has sought to make the people of the state feet eat- Hon. Pops Brown rendered hto decision favoring the port rates for Atlanta, and other points In Georgia as well, he was promptly displaced as a candidate. “You well know thdt the Atlanta freight bureau In Its fight for port rates took the position before the railroad commission that the reduction should ba made to Atlanta, and also to other mints In Georgia. You well know that this attack upon Atlanta was simply an Inexcusable effort to array other >«rt» of Georgia against me In my race for governor, upon the theory that I would give special privileges to Atlan ta nnd antagonise other cities In the state. You know that the attack upon the Atlanta freight bureau by The Ma con Telegraph waa Inexcusable, and yet you copied the editorial and never lifted your voice or your pen to defend the conduct of your fellow dtliens from the false charge. You actually circulated the false charge through your paper. I want you to tell your fellow cltlxcns tonight how you expect them to support you for governor with such a present record, during the pres- •nt year, as a part of your present can dldacy. Support ef Railroads. ' "I can well understand how your course will give .you the support of Ihe officers of railroads located In Atlanta, ahd of the political attorneys located In Atlanta, and of those whom they can control, but there yottr support will stop. You are not meriting by your conduct the support of your fellow dtl sens at large. “It to true that In general language justice to you say you are In favor of JustL the people, but when you come to ape- elite expressions you tine yourself up on 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 domeeticat- Ing all the railroads doing business In this state. In your formal announce ment you said: 'I believe 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 cltlxens 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 Stales court When you made this declaration surely you meant something, and knew what you were talking about. I Invite you In this joint discussion, face to face, to speak out. so that our fellow cltlsena may know for what wa really stand. "I pointed out In my Madison speech that the only way to prevent foreign corporations from removing their caeca to the United States court waa to re quire them to organise local corpora tions In Georgia, and to transfer their property to these local corporations, and to operate their properties through their local corporations. "In your Tococa speech you said that I hod persistently taken tbe position that I would take every railroad In Georgia operated by foreign capital out of the hands of lu owners and force them lo place the roads on tbe block and sell them out. You declared, re ferring to me; ‘He said he would not termlt a road owned or operated by orelgn capital to serve the people of Georgia. This to confiscation pure and simple.’ Demands Howell'e 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 dtocuaelons can come from ratting propositions to each other and lading out tha real truth. I say to you that I never took such a position, and you are utterly Inexcusable for charg- 'nsmi with It. Tlut to come back to what you aald with reference to your own position. * repeat will you tell tills audience what "I have declared time and again that today an alliance exists between the leading attorney* and hired political agents of the big railroad systems In Georgia and the ring In charge of the Democratic state machinery. "Let u- |.c historical. Eight year* ago a chairman of the state Demo cratic Executive committee was chosen, and Hon. Fleming duBIgnon was selected for the postllon. He was at torney for the Plant System and tho Southern Express Company. Two years later, Hon. E. T. Brown wa* made chairman. He wa* attorney for the Seaboard Air Line railroad. Four year* later, Hon. M. J. Yeomans was made chairman, and Hon. J. J. Spald ing vice chairman. Mr. Spalding was nttorney for the Loulavllle and Nash ville railroad, and his firm waa con stantly engaged In heavy litigation for other railroad companies. Mr. Yeo mans appointed Judge Hamilton Me Whorter from the state at large i member of the state Democratic Ex ecutlve committee. McWhorter and Supreme Bonch, ’The Urn startling evidence if the influence of the polltcal attorney came to the people of Georgia trher. It was learned that Governor Terrell tinder place on the, supreme court bench to Judge Hamilton McWhorter. His position, as political at.orney of the Southern Railroad Company I* too well understood to need discussion. For years he had not Oeen practicing law, but had been practicing politics. Ills appointment route only have been made for the purpise of permitting hint to show to the officer* of the Southern railroad hi* Influence with tit# MM of the Democratic party Osorgla. White this niny have been valuable for him. It I* olso Important that the people of Georgia should un derstand thto Influence, us well as the railroad ufficera.^^^^^^^H^^^H “Startled by the Influence of Judge Hamilton McWhorter with the govern or, wt! look back and And that n rail road attorney has been practically at the heud of the slate Democratic Ex ecutive commtttu j ever since Govern or Candler was elected governor, and that Mr. Yeomans, two years ago, put the political arent of the Southern railroad, aide by side with one of your railroad commissioners, as members of the executive committee from the state at large. "What business has a man who runs politics In the interest >f a great rail road company managing tho affairs of the Democratic party? The Demo cratic party la supposed to servo the great masses of tho people. There to a conflict of Interests between the people and the railroad companies', on tho one side, the railroad companies are seek ing to tax the people with high frelgnt and passenger rates to the full extent of their ability; on the other side, Ihe people an demanding their just rights. The (tower of the state alone can pro tect the people. Tbe railroad com pantos are certainly strong tnough to take care of themselves. “The whole organisation of the Democratic party should be with the state officer* In the struggle for the rights of the people. When you trans- BAGWELL'S PUPILS REMARKABLE DEMONSTRA- TION IN SHORTHAND. Convincing Argument That High Rate of Speed with New Meth ods Discounts All Systems. far that organization to the control of the hired political agents, or the regu lar attorneys of the great roUroad com- panlrs, you give up that Instrument which alone enn be used to protect the people from unjust taxation In high freight nnd passenger rates. Criticizes Committee's Action. Let us turn to the state Democratic Executlvo 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 Mlltlcally as well ae In the court louse, and Hon. Warner Hill, your railroad commissioner. There you sec the close Identification of your rail road commissioner and tha railroad jolltlclana. Thera you see the al ienee Inside the Democratic organisa tion controlling it “Now, what relation do these men bear to the candidacy' of Mr. Howell? I do not know one who -to foiling to support him. True, Judge Hamilton McWhorter says Jhat he to for Colo nel Jim Smith, huCmay be that this Is tha best way to help Clark Howell. To be entirely candid, however, I be lieve there are others Judge McWhor - ter would rather see governor than Clark Howell. He naturally feare If Clark Howell to governor, Albert How ell may supplant Hemp McWhorter. "But let ue 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 . 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 hto In fluence behind what to called the “Felder committee.” Personnel of Committee. Let ua see who some of the men are upon this committee—Mr. Howell's friends, whom he wishes to manage the affaire of tbe Democratic party In Ful ton county. The chairman to Mr. Tom Felder. He to the attorney for Ar mour h Company. He to attorney for Armour A Company In their refriger ating car business. In the struggle that to going on by the nation and state to put an end to the exorbitant charges which they make for handling fruit In refrigerating cars. Tbe vice chairman of this committee to Mr. Robert Alston, one of the attorneys for the Atlantic Coast Line and the Southern Express Company. Upon this committee Is found Mr. John D. Little, one of the attorney* of the Central railroad and one of the counsel In Georgia of the Louisville and Nashville railroad. “Upon the committee to also found Sir. Albert Howell, one of the attor neys for the Southern railroad, the At lanta and West Point railroad, the Western Union Telegraph Company and the Pullman Palace Car Company, and the 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 8eaboard Air Line. Mr. How ell te trying to put Into authority this committee with a representative on It of nearly every big railroad corpora tion In the state. Now, I have not criticised any of these gentlemen discourteously, but I have called attention to a condition that exists—the controlling presence and Influence of the railroad lawyers and hired politicians in the Demo cratic organisation In Georgia. -And I have called upon the people to free the state from this Influence. They are active factors In that part of the Democratic party In Georgia with which M£ Howell te allied. They are a part of what may be properly called In Ihe n*sembly hall of Baeneir. Business College, at Its Peaehtre. street, wa* K lven last night one of the most remarkable short hand demon! stratlons ever witnessed In Atlanta it was attended by a large audience ,1 disinterested people, many of whn „ are highly educated and compe em stenographer.*, who have had years of experience In Graham, Pittman and Munson short hand. All werTagre!d that the result* obtained In the one weeka study of Chartler Shorthand surpassed any record ever made In from four to six weeks' study In the svs- terns with which they are acquainted Nek students who had never studied any system of shorthand took up this system Monday morning, and after five daya’ study, wrote from dictation ordi- nary business letters (practice matter) at the rate of more than 100 words per minute. Professor Spe.icer then wrote on the board any matter handed him from the audience, which they read without the slightest hesitation. Wo claim that the system to marvel- ous, and it it marvelous. We do nut claim that students can make high- class stenographers In ten or fifteen day*. That to 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 aa rest. We guarantee that all students who are prepared for the course will be able to write 100 words per minute and read their notes with perfetc ease In from six to twevle weeks' time. Stu dents who are not able to 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. The Reigning Dynasty In Georgia,’ nr, In common Anglo-Saxon, 'The Con trolling Political Ring.’ Paoplo Must Take Control. ■If the people of Georgia are te really take control of their own af fairs, If they are to really obtain pro- tectlon from exorbitant freight and passenger rates. If we are to really have a government by the people and not by the corporations, then the cor porations must bo 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. •The 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 In political affairs. It culminates with the contribution of money to political campaigns. “I charge that railroads In Georgia have sought to control tha state sen ate and that money haa been contribut ed to the campaigns of members 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 and argue a question upon Its merits before a committee and then go home, ha* passed away. In Its place the political attorney and subordinate agents, gath ered from different parts of the state, undertake, through political Influence, to prevent legislation which the cor porations oppose, and to pass legisla tion which they desire. Political pull haa taken the place of an appeal to the real merits of questions being consid ered. Let the political attorney b« backed by funds of the corporations to help elect or defeat a member and hi* power to enormously Increased. Attacks Entire System. "I attack the entire system *s dan gerous and hurtrul. I call for legisla tion which will make It a crime for any corporation or association lo con tribute money to elections of members of tho legislature or state house of ficer*. I believe that the entire use of money either to buy voters or to hire men at the polls ehould be for bidden by statute. I favor legt»l»<> 1>n which will limit the right of an em ployed attorney, or agent, to appear before a committee and make 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 an employment to at once register me fact of hto employment with the sec retary of state. ... "I believe thnt every candidate tor n state house office, or for the legwa ture, should be required to file, un der oath, a statement of iu»t whet n« •pends In connection with hto canm dacy, what he spends for It, ana whan ha gets the money from. “I am opposed to convention no™ nations. I favor not only a resolud " to be passed at the next * convention, requiring that fntun romb nations shnll be at the hallot box. » I also favor legislation which the time for our primaries and reqn that our nominations for togtoj**?.. and state house officers shall be at ballot box. • . ..... “Our state senate I* composed of < ty-flve men, twenty-three being * Jority. Under our P«“ n { ’f’l <,n* rotating senators, first rountr and then another m tne * , torlal district, name the ** n » , ' > 1 r ' 1 rtng under the further system of requifi the other counties of the •* n “. ft,, district to accept tbe itltctlon of m county from which the eenat^ tot come. It It really only n * c f , f*.7„,t* tha corporations and special to control twenty-three counts* in t state. It gives them the P°« e , r A'n c x to control the state (Mate and any legislation to which the) are r posed. Favors an End te It . This te far from being by the people, and I favor action ej Continued on Pago Eleven- To Drive Out Melsrit And Build Up Take the Old Stands!*), G""' TASTELESS CHILL TOMt. _ know what yon are taking- mute I* plainly rrlnted Iron showing It i* "imply In a tastelef* form. Tbe 9 u * n . n ,.|,u up out the mnlar'.n and the Iron bxt jj the system. Sold by all dealers f* years. Price SO cents. m