The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-05-13
Magrath is reported to have said:

"Ihe HreSlQenC OF JHe C0fHIRUia Tnu
Augusta Railroad has offered to- give the
South CapeEna Railroad Company for the
use Of their track between Granitevile
and Augusta, whatever the trains of the
Columbia and Augusta Railroad Compa.
ny. might earn between Granitcville and
Augusta. TO this proposition it had been
replied that the offer amounted to- moth
ing, and that the Columbia and Augusta
Railroad had never even offered q pro
rata of the amount of earnings between
Collmbi;. and Augusta"
What Mr.. Magrath meant by this
statement it is difficult to CONCEIVE. That
he should have misunderstood the import
of the proposition is not to be supposed,
for language cannot be more explicit than
that in which it is expressed. For the
use of the track of the South Carolina
Railroad Company between Granitcville
and Augusta, the Columbia and Augusta
Railroad Company proposed to pay over
"aU the receipts of its trains between
Granitevile and Augusta, and uice versa
from ireights and passengers" The
proposition, in its very terms, included
necessarily q pro rata on the through
freights, and travel passing over the
eleven miles of the South Carolina Rail-
road between Grantevlle and Augusta,
whether the freights or passengers came
from Columbia or Augusta, from New
York or New Orleans. In truth the
proposition involved more than what is
ordinarily known as q pro rata. 1t in
volved a proposition to Pay over not alone
proportion of the earnings represented
by eleven miles of the entire line. but q
proportion represented by that section of
the lire on which the freights and travel
will be the heaviest. Augusta is the
largest commercial city with which the
Columbia and Augusta Railroad is con-
nected and for years past, more than
three e-fourths of the traffic and travel Of
that portion Of the State, through which
il passes, has sought that market. With
the increased facilities Of access it may be
assumed that that city will continue TO be
the commercial mart of taat section OF
the State, and that the eleven miles of
the line next to Augusta will contribute
by TAR the most profitable section ofequal
extent between Columbia and Augusta
Under my offer, therefore, not only would
South Carolina Railroad Company have
received their pro rata on all through bu-
siness, but they would have received a
pro rata on all local traffic and travel
from and to Miles Mill, Pine House,
johnson and Ridge Spring Depots-a
distance of more than one half OF the en-
tire line. The offer was not in terms en-
pressed as pro ,ata; it was in fact from
so to 40 per cent moro than n pro rata;
and if the axiom in mathematics be true
that "the greater includes the less" the
proposition cannot be construed other
wise than on offer to pay "a pro rata of
| the amount of earnings between Colum-
bia and Augusta" To say otherwise is
to say that one is not offered SIS, because
the offer is S100 And yet this offer to
pay over the entire earnings from trcights
and passengers over eleven miles of the
Unequal, at the lowest estimate, to
one fifth ofthe entire earnings Of the Com
kpany-this Offer, Mr.. Magrath says.
! s'samountej to neshingF'
AS to the reasonabfencss and sufficicn-
cy of this offer, you will allow me fur
| thcr word:
The usual terms where two Railroad
Companies use the same track in the
South furnishing and keeping up
the engines, cars and coaches-have been
to divide the receipts or earnings, the
track taking one-half and the trains the
bother half. The proposition of the Co.
lumbia and Augusta Railroad Company
was TO furnish the engines, coaches and
cars, and do the transportation, giving to
the South Carolina Railroad Company
for the use of their track all the receipts
and earnings on the ii miles of their
track thus used, and yet the reply was,
that the proposition was too insignificant
to be entertained! cannot better illus.
trate the import of this reply than to
suppose the case, that one shonfd offer to
work for you for nothing, furnishing his
own rations, clothing, shelter and tools,
and you should reply: "Your terms are
unreasonable-you must do better than
that"
But it is said by the Hon. G.. a. Tren-
holm that these are not 'tfiber:lf terms at
ALL" He further says, 81 told him Mr..
Johnston) that his offer was equivalent to
taking away half our business, and give
us in return onc-tenth Of what he took
awaym The objection to such state
ment rs this is, that it is mere sophistry;
and that it should have been made is
somewhat remarkable, when one reflects
that it came from gentleman Of high
business character and intelligence, that
it was addressed to q Convention OF IN
telligent stockholders, who were asking
information on the subject, and that, too,
by one whose participation in the actual
administration of the affairs of the Com
pany would have we'll warranted HIM in
saying quorum magma pars tui"' When
the proposition, to which he refers, was
made, the Columbia and Augusta Rail.