The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1853-03-18
"HOW THEY DO BUSINESS AT LOU.
DON"

The Chattanooga Advertiser of the 18th,
contains an extract from letter purportng
to come from business man of Charleston, ir
which the writer makes, what we conceive, to
be very uncaled for and unjust attack
upon the Depot Agents of the East Tennes-
see and Georgia Railroad at Loudon. lie
says their mode of doing business, making
up charges, and forwarding produce, is such
that he can't begin to understand them
1t is possible part of his statement may be
true, and still the mode of doing up the bu-
siness at Loudon be all right and straight,
and easily understood by any gentleman of
ordinary business capacities. But there are
two classes of ignorant people in the world
those who can't understand, and those who
don't want to- and wont. To which the wri-
ter of the extract in the Advertiser belongs,
is not for us to say. Suppose now this gen.
teman of such obtuse business perceptions,
was concerned in Commission House at
Loudon, another at Augusta, and third at
Charleston, instead of at Chattanooga and
the two last named points, does any one be-
lieve he would have the least difficulty in
understanding the mode of doing business
by the agents on the East Tennessee and
Georgia Road'
But perhaps we are giving the subject too
much attention. From the time of the re-
organization of the Road, there has been n
little, sneaking opposition to the enterprise,
and good deal of it has originated about
Chattanooga. AT first it assumed the posi-
ton that there was no necessity for railroad
running parallel with the Tennessee river,"
a stream that usually goes dry about six
months in the year. Next, if built it would
not get any business to do, And now when
the road is getting all the trade of the upper
country, the Chattanooga folks, or at least n
portion of them, can't understand how it is
and are astonishingIy surprised that planters
should allow their produce to pass over the
road rather than ship it to Chattanooga by
the "Lady of Augusta" So far as the town
of Loudon is concerned, it wouldn't make
the difference of a continental copper to us if
there was no town there at all, although we
are of the opinion that people have just
the same right to establish business houses
at that point as at Chattanooga. But we
do feel some interest in the success of the
East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, and
are out of patience with the continual efforts
to niure it. We know there is not better
road any where that it is us well differed as
any other-that its business is as we'll con-
Quoted, and that during the whole time it has
been working, no accident of a serious char
acter has occurred, while on every other rail-
road accidents involving loss oflife and great
destruction of property are continually hap
pening The facts speak well for the man.
agement of the road, and at once refute the
charges of its enemies. =.
We have said nothing of the evident gusi0
with which our friend of the Advertiser well
comes the little extract of his "Charlcston
correspondent" that "needs no comment
from u.s." If it was worth while to make
the effort it would be an easy matter to pre-
vent n commission house or two at Chatta-
nooga, Augusta, and Charleston from getting
much of the trade of upper East Tennessee,
but all the commission houses of those
points combined cannot prevent the East
Tennessee and Georgia Road from getting
all the carrying trade of that section, be-
cause dealers will always avail themselves of
the cheapest, most direct and safest route to
market. That route for the up-country folks
at present is to take the railroad at Loudon,
as every one knows who has given tho sub
ect the least consideration.