Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1876-05-30
From the Index-Appeal, May 22.l
The Atlantic, Mississippi and
Ohio Railroad Company and
Mr.. John COllinsOn, of
London.

We had shared in the very general
| hope that the delays which had been
| obtained, from time to time. in the
proceedings now pending in the Unit
| ed States Court, by the counsel for the
| foreign bondholders of the Atlantic,
Mississippi and Ohio Railroad Com
pany, avOwedly to await the arrival
from London of their immediate
| representative, indicated on their part
| a desire to meet the authorities of the
company with a view, it possible, to
some satisfactory arrangement of the
matters at issue. We learn that upon
his arrival in New York, this agent,
Mr.. John COllinsOn, of London, gave
such direct intimatiou of desire for
conference, that arrangements for a
meeting were made and were about to
be cOnsummated, when the appear
ance of his recent sudden and unlock
editor circular, addressed to the bond
holders of the several divisions, at
once seemed to render unnecessary
that conference which he himself had
both sought and and invited.
During the interim necessarily oc-
curing between the date of overtures
for a conference and the appearance of
his circular, truce should have right
ly been considered as existing; and for
this reason the company has, as we
are advised, forebone comment upon
the discreditable manner and I'M
worthy means by which the foreign
bondholders have been induced to
consent to the Inauguration of hostile
proceedings against it, 1t was fairly
to have been presumed that Mr.. Col
linson would have regarded himself
as bound by this truce to abstain not
only from direct and open, but from
covert and secret hostilitiss during its
continuance, the more especially since
it had been procured at his request,
but it would seem that he has NOT been
mindful of the manifest prOprieties,
but has lent willing ear to the per-
suasions of the hirelings and hench-
men of Tom Scott, especially during
his recent quiet trip to Baltimore, and
that, thus encouraged, he has
promulgated his recent circular, an
nouncing, for falsely-alleged reasons,
an assumed withdrawal of confidence,
on the partof the foreign bondholders,
from the administration of the COM
pany,
BY this action Mr.. Collinson would
seem to have burnt his bridges and
entered upon an aggressive war. Ger
tainly he has absolved the company
from any further TetlCence as to its
acts and the policy which has dictated
them, while in attempting to impugn
the motives and impeach the integrity
of the administration of the company
as a preteXt for his action and an sX-
cuse for his conduct, he has opened up
the way for q review Of his own posi-
ton In respect thereto. HIN the course
of this examination the war is carried
into Africa, no one will be more to
blame therefor than Mr.. John Collin
son. 1t will then be seen that the
"tendeTest NerCiesN which this British
attorney will extend to 'all equitable
rights other than their (the foreign
bondholders) Ol0Rh comprehend moth
ing less than the utter destruction of
every stockholding interest. and the
subversion, entire and complete, of the |
divisional bondholders' claims to
those of his clients.
Like all new proselytes, this Mr.. |
COlllnson feels, that in order to win |
the confidence of new associates, he |
must he more jealous In pulling down |
than he was In building up this COM |
pany and its administration, In W hose |
enthusiastic praise he was but recently |
foremost aud iOddest.
With these Introductory remarks |
we propose briefly and sucoinctly to |
examine and discuss Mr.. Collinson's |
circular, the cause, real and alleged, |
which have led to the proceedings in |
the United States court, their effect |
upon the stockholders' and divisional |
bondhOlders' interests; and last, but |
not least, 10 exhibit To our people the !
character and conduct o. this Mr..