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FINLEY ROASTED IN HIS OWN HOT AIR
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1 FREJ9EEXELVT W. W. FINLEY, •
J Wh« Wu the Chief Speaker at *
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♦ Chaniber of Commerce. •
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A sufficient time has elapsed for
all who were present at the chamber
of commerce dinner on Tuesday night
and those who subsequently read the
speech of President Finley to deliber
ate over it and pass an impartial judg
ment upon it.
The opportunity presented itself on
that occasion for a clear, straightfor
ward expression of the reciprocal
rights and duties of the railroads and
the people. Instead of that the speak
er confined himself, as usual, to a
wearisome and meaningless repetition
of glittering generalities.
We felt justified in assuming in ad
vance that much would be said of
“harmony and co-operation,” and w r e
were not disappointed.
In order that we may arrive at a
correct understanding of the situation
let us see what is the real meaning
of this “co-operation” between the
railroads and the people. It is the
duty of the shipper to contribute to
the business of the railroads, and that
he has done this is shown by the fact
that during the decade ending with
1904 the net earnings of the railroads
had increased 82 per cent. In com
merce and industry the country as a
whole has prospered as never before
in its history and the railroads have
naturally been the beneficiaries of this
prosperity.
And what have the railroads done
by'way of “co-operation”? Have they
met the people in a spirit of harmony
and good will? Have they extended
their mileage and increased their
equipment and reduced their tariffs in
proportion to the volume of business
done? Have they made such conces
sion to the shippers as would indicate
a real desire for “harmony and co-op
eration,” or have they pursued a course
of selfish aggrandizement at the ex
pense of the shippers?
In all fairness and seriousness we do
not feel that they have been fair to
the people. On the contrary we feel
and we know, from undisputed evi
dence, that such is not the case. It
has been a one-sided co-operation. The
railroads have been crying, like the
daughters of the horse-leech, “Pay,
pay,” but they have not paused in a
spirit of real harmony and co-operation
to say, “In these years of plenty we
have prospered through your indus
try and skill; the percentage of our
net earnings has increased four score;
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
A STINGING EDITORIAL PRINTED
IN THE ATLANTA JOURNAL
we will make you partners in our
good fortune; we will reduce our tolls
in proportion to our prosperity in or
der that you may share equitably in
the fruit of your toil; we will make
harmony and co-operation something
more than the dreams of altruists
or the vague promises with which
self-interest deludes a confiding pub
lic.”
Have the railroads of the south pur
sued any such policy as this? In all
candor, we think not.
On the contrary what have they
done? Their outbursts of gratitude
have merely been a lively sense of
favors yet to come. They have per
sistently and constantly trifled with
the people until appeals for “harmony
and co-operation” become a hollow
mockery.
Let us examine the record.
Railroad interests have dominated
legislation in Georgia until they hold
the state in the hollow of their hand.
Under the protection and friendly
consideration which they have been
enabled to secure they have built up
a vast system which literally stifles
competition and tends to perpetuate
its oppression. Instead of obeying the
law as the individual citizen must
obey it, they openly, flagrantly and
continuously violate the law. They
make a travesty of the statutes and the
constitution of the state from which
the railroads draw their life blood,
and so far from showing any spirit
of repentance, any disposition to go
their way and sin no more, they lose
no opportunity to exercise their des
potism in forbidding others to come
to our relief.
The prevailing prosperity and our
geographical position alike entitle us
to a reduction in the rates which are
exacted of the shippers of Georgia.
In the spirit of good fellowship or even
of common justice, are these conces
sions granted? Their answer is to
deny us even a readjustment of rates
which would enable us to compete with
our sister states under the natural
law r s of trade. Is this “harmony and
co-operation” or is it the species of
fraternity which prevails between the
sion and the co-operation of total
There has never been a time when
the people of Georgia were not willing
to harmonize and co-operate, but in
spite of alluring promises they have
been offered the harmony of compul
boa-constrictor and the lamb?
surrender. They have had neither part
nor lot in the terms and conditions
which have been imposed upon them.
They have been plundered on the
highway and asked to give thanks;
they have seen the solemn provisions
of their constitution trampled upon and
their protests met with the cynical in
quiry, “What are you going to do
about it?” THEY SEE THE SOUTH
ERN RAILROAD TODAY IN ABSO
LUTE AND UNDISPUTED CONTROL
OF THE CENTRAL OF GEORGIA
RAILWAY, A COMPETING SYSTEM
WHICH IS THEREBY RENDERED
HARMLESS AND NON-COMPETI
TIVE, IN UNBLUSHING DEFIANCE
OF THE ORGANIC LAW OF THIS
STATE.
These are the cold, plain, simple
facts.
Nothing could be further from our
thought than a personal arraignment
of the distinguished gentlemen who re-
cently sat at that banquet board.
They are men of culture and refine
ment. In all the social amenities of
life they are above reproach. As in
dividual citizens they are law abiding
and public spirited.
Why is it that in their official ca
pacity they obstinately refuse to rec
ognize the rights of the people and
the plain provisions of the law? Why
is it that they indulge in glittering
generalities w’hich are absolutely
meaningless so long as these funda
mental wrongs exist? Why should
they solemnly juggle words about “har
mony and co-operation” when the very
existence of the system they control
is founded on despotism and defiance
of law?
A unique situation presented itself
Tuesday night. Around that hospitable
table sat the men who largely control
the destinies of this state. The ex
ecutive officers of the leading rail
roads centering here were face to face
with the leading representatives of our
industrial and commercial interests. If
the facts as we have presented them
are not correctly stated why would
they not, as a tribute to the intelli
gence of the public, give the facts?
IF IT IS NOT TRUE THAT THE
SOUTHERN RAILROAD DOMINATES
AND CONTROLS THE CENTRAL OF
GEORGIA RAILWAY—IF IT IS NOT
TRUE THAT FREIGHT RATES IN
GEORGIA, AS A RESULT OF IN
TERSATE AND INTRASTATE DIS
CRIMINATIONS, ARE AT LEAST
THIRTY PER CENT HIGHER THAN
THE AVERAGE FOR ALL THE SUR
ROUNDING STATES, WHY WOULD
THEY NOT STAND UP IN THEIR
PLACES AND TELL US WHAT ARE
THE FACTS?
For if these facts are true as stated
it is idle to talk to us of “harmony and
co-operation.” They but palter with
us in a double sense; they “give the
word of promise to the ear and break
it to the hope.”
They place themselves in the atti
tude of trifling with the most vital
question of the hour.
We want some straightforward
FACTS, not soothing syrup for a fret
ful child. WE WANT TO KNOW
HOW LONG YOUR ROAD, MR. FIN
LEY, IS TO CONTINE OPERATING
THE CENTRAL OF GEORGIA RAIL
WAY UNDER THE SHALLOW AR
TIFICE OF A “HOLDING COMMIT
TEE,” THE CHIEF MEMBER OF
WHICH WAS INVITED TO SIT AT
YOUR ELBOW TUESDAY NIGHT
AND TO DELIVER A RAILROAD
SPEECH, in the presence of four hun
dred representative citizens of Geor
gia.
Every man within the sound of your
voice wanted to know when this dis
crimination against Georgia in favor
of other states in the matter of freight
rates is to cease. They wanted to
know why Georgia, situated alongside
of the Atlantic ocean, with magnifi
cent harbors, is denied reasonable
rates to the Interior.
They want to know when dividends
on fictitious values are to give place
to an expenditure for betterments, in
order that some security may be
thrown around the people and the
carnival of death which has made your
road notorious may have an end.
Those who are co-operating with you
by literally glutting your system with
traffic want to know when you propose
to enlarge your equipment so as to
handle this enormous business. They
want to know why the Atlanta, Birm
ingham & Atlantic railroad was not al
lowed to enter Atlanta, in accordance
with previous arrangements, over the
Central of Georgia railway. If your
memory was not fresh on that point,
perhaps President J. F. Hanson,- of the
Central, could have supplied you with
the data.
These are the questions which the
people of Atlanta and of Georgia wish
ed to hear you discuss, Mr. Finley.
They are not airily academic. They
are practical questions. They come
home to our daily needs and fears.
THEY LIE AT THE ROOT OF THIS
UNFORTUNATE CONTROVERSY,
AND OUR DIFFERENCES CANNOT
BE ADJUSTED UNTIL THESE
QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED.
It was a magnificent opportunity,
Mr. Finley. Did you rise to it? Did
you, for that special occasion, when
the representatives of the railroads
and the representatives of the people
were mingling in fraternal good-will,
and the latter, at least, were anxious
to come to a correct understanding
of conditions present and prospective,
lay aside that pleasuing homily on
“co-operation” and MAKE US A,
SPEECH —A REAL speech, Mr. Finley,
full of meat and marrow, and tell us
when we are to be released from the
body of this death?
You did not, Mr. Finley. You gave
us the same specious arguments, the
same old selfish appeals. When you
come again it is hoped that you will
give us a real speech. When you do
this and follow it up with good works
to confirm your change of heart you •
will receive an ovation such as you
have never received before. “Harmony
and co-operation,” now and hereafter,
will suffuse you like the playful waters
of a perfumed sea.
WATSON’S INDEPENDENCE.
(From The Cosmopolitan.)
In these times when the great vested
interests are assiduously reaching out
to influence or subsidize our public
men and many of our orators and
pulpiteers, there are happily some dis
tiguished exceptions. Thomas E. Wat
son is one of these. In a long career
of public usefulness, devoted to cham
pioning the perpetuity of democratic
institutions, he has abundantly proved
this. His ability and influence have
made him a shining object of insidu
ous temptations to betray the cause
of the people, but he could never be
bought.
It is our pleasure to record that
Mr. Watson has started and is now
conducting in Atlanta, Ga., a new mag
azine called “Watson’s Jeffersonian
Magazine.” Our readers will doubtless
recall Mr. Watson’s connection, as ed
itor, with “Tom Watson’s Magazine.”
Mr. Watson found that the capitalists
in control of that publication constant
ly hampered him in his aim to bring
out the truth as he saw it. He, there
fore, abandoned the post, and the mag
azine became defunct.
Wiser with this experience, Mr. Wat
son has established his new magazine
on a basis which will give him absolute
independence of expression. This,
above all things, is what he most val
ues. He owns the magazine entirely
himself, and no one will be asked to
put a dollar of investment in it. Those
who buy and read it will be sure to
get the truth as Mr. Watson sees, be
lieves, and understands it