Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-04-06
The Lease Of the AIRLINE Railroad.

All ANAAAAOGda " -
Danville, was the result of efforts Of
what is known as the Dsnville Railroad
syndicate. This syndicate was inaugu-
rated by Mr.. VIM. P. Clyde, of New
York, and Gen. T. NJ. Logan, Of Rich
mond, and started put by purchasing
the interest of the Pennsylvania Central
in the Richmond and Danville Railroad
from Richmond to Greensboro, n. G.,
which purchase carried with it a long
lease of the North Carolina Railroad
from Goldsboro to Charlotte. This pur-
chase was followed in rapid succession
bE the control of the Western North
Carolina Railroad from Salisbury to
Ashville, now being extended to a juno
ton with the East Tennessee, Virginia
and Georgia Railroad via Point Rock
aud Norristown, the purchase of the
Charlotte. Columbia and Augusta Rail
road. extending from Charlotte to
Augusta, Ga, Through COlumbia), the
purchase of the Greenville and Colum-
bia Railroad from Columbia, S. c., to
Greenville, Ca, the purchase Of the
S~partanburg and Union and Spartan
burg and Nashville Railroads, extending
from Aston, S. c., through Spartan
burg. in the direction of Ashville and
the East Tennessee, Virginia and Geor-
gia Railroad.
These last purchases are believed to
have been made as a flank movement
upon the Atlanta and Charlotte Air
Line. should it fall into adverse hands.
It's lease, however. if finally success
full, will complete the system, and give
Norfolk, via the Atlantic, Mississippi
and Ohio Road and Burkeville, or via
the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad and
| R4Ieigh, an unimpeded chance to con-
troll the shipments Of almost the en-
| tire State of North Carolina, a large
| part of South Carolina and Georgia, and
to be in intimate connection through
[ Georgia with the cotton fields of Ala
bama.
1t will thus be seen that the object of
securing this lease is to penetrate into
the section of country largely tributary
to this city, and to take of to Norfolk
much of the business which has hereto
fore found its way to the ocean at Sa-
vannah, or, in other words, to build up
the Virginia seaport atthe expense OF our
own. This is why the Richmond
and Danvile Road was so very anxious
to secure a Ease of the Georgia, and had
it succeeded then its line would have
been complee. 1t would have ad-
vanced into theheart of the State right to
our very doors, and carried away from
us to Norfolk Thousands upon thousands
of dollars worth o. the commerce which,
through the medium of our railway
system, has heretofore been retained in
Georgia, and made Savannah the first
cotton port of the South Atlantic.
Such efforts by riva lines of railways
outside the State to inare the business
of Georgia and Georgias great seaport
and build up, with bushes legitimately
: belonging to this section, he seaports t.
the nornI IF us, should receive the care
: full considerable of the Legislator,
when it assemblies III Tuly. Under tn,
terms Of our State constit ton If will
4 doubtless be somewhat of d;alorl
!, matter to provide agalxt tn,
danger with which we WI h,
constantly menaced by such comb,a
tions. That instrument expressly pr
< hibits the Legislature from granting a.
1t corporation in the State authority
I make 4 contract or agreement whs
L ever with any other corporation Wink
le ..mav have the effect TO defeat or lesst
rS a.:- .r to encourage monopoly
~ Under this clause of the c0nstitutiU
Do our Georgia railways are placed at
;, great disadvantage, in that viii
they are virtually prohibited ther
W. by from forming any combination
! whatever, foreign corporations outsie
} the State can unite and form all md
ner of unions, syndicates and railTA
systems which, as in the case Of tbs A
ANITA and Charlotte Air Line leas, ma
combine, and work together to the m'
terial damage of our State and section
, 1t was doubtless to circumveni just sue
schemes that the recently proposed leas
Of the Georgia by the Centrd was sug
gested, which lease, it has been stated, wa
abandoned because of ~inuperable lega
obstacles to its consumption.
/, There is, nevertheless, n point tina
may be taken advantage of by the Legis
lature to enable our Georgia railroads t
provide against schemes formed outsid
the State to the detriment Of tn
roads and the State. The constitution
provides that no combinations shall h
made for lessening competition or en-
c~ouraging monopoly. Nothing i
said, however, against our roads com
bining for protection, and it may becom
absolutely necessary that such authorit,
be granted. Our State and section
certainly should not be permitted to Ii
at the mercy of foreign corporations ant
combinations. Certainly that was neve
the intention of the constitution, anC
public policy demands that such a con
dition of affairs should not exist. Thi
is a subject of great and vital interest Il
our citizens, and it is one to which tn,
Legislature cannot give too earnest at
tention.
A CABINET CRIsIs.-A Washington
dispatch saws: ct is freely stated tina