Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-09-19
SAVANNAH. FLORIDA AND
WESTERN RAILWAY.
Extract from Gov. Browns speech
on the state COmmissiOn-Some
Interesting Facts.

Interesting Facts.
We present the following interesting ex-
tract from the speech made by Governor
Brown before the Committee on the Rail-
road Commission, and its acts as connected
with the Savannah, Florida and Western
Railway:
GA word in reference to the Savannah,
Florida and Western Railway. Colonel Bar
nett the other day held up a chart he had
made, which, he said, represented the sche
dule Of rates. He could not get 1t exactly
into his head until he got diagram, which,
he said, showed that the road jumped up
faster and higher than any of the other
roads. Therefore, 1t ought to be cut down.
There is a good reason why that road
should charge higher than the most
of the roads, even II it does what
his chart says 1t does l understand
there is $50 miles of that road, from Savan-
nah out to Southwest Georgia, that runs
through a country that produces very little
freight; then it goes into fine cotton coun-
try, and until lately there has been no
Western connection. They now have
road up to Albany which can compete for
the small business Of that place. There is
q long line of road to keep up, and most of
the way very little freight tits just simply
lLu POoclOlC W hCCP ~ Np anu p0J ShC OOhNO0
debt, and pay any dividends, at the rates
fixed by the Commissioners.
"There is what the railroad men call
fixed expense that everywhere applies.
For instance, you build bridge of wood 1t
does not matter whether You run hundred
trains a day, or only a train week, or one a
month, over it, that bridge will rot down
in the same length of time. You lay down
your cross-ties the whole length Of the road;
no matter how many trains or how few you
run, the cross ties will rot In about a given
time. There are other fixed expenses: the
salaries of officers, the maintenance of de-
pots, necessary repairs on engines and cars,
and good deal of other expenses of that
sort, that you cannot cut down, whether you
do much or little business. When
ever a road is run In a section
that has little business to do,
the people of that section must expect to
pay a higher freight than those who live
along a line where there Is much to do, or
where there are long through connections
which serve as feeders. Let me illustrate:
There is vast quantity Of timber between
Savannah and Montgomery county, in this
State that is worth fortunes II there were
any way of getting 1t to market. The pee-
pie are too poor to build a railroad. Sup.
pose a company Of capitalists were to say,
I'VE propose 20 build you road from Sa-
vannah into Montgomery county, and stop
there, and give you an outlet for your tim
ber.' What would be the increased value
of that country? Would not the prop
erty be worth four times as much as it is
now? A tract covered with large pine
timber would be worth large sum, that
is now not worth probably half a dollar
an acre. 1t would be simply absurd for the
people of that section to turn around and
say, you must charge as low a rate as the
Central per mile Rather than do without
the road, they can well afford to pay four
times as much. No company of capitalists,
with the Railroad Commission over them,
ready to take charge every time little
dividend was made, would build such q
road without some guarantee that the
freights shall be kept constantly up, so as
to make the capital invested pay dividends.
What man of sense would put his money
into road between Savannah and Mont
gomery county, for the benefit of the peo-
pie there, without such guaranty
"And that is very nearly the condition of
the Savannah, Florida and Western. It runs
into better county than the one supposed,
but it is absolutely necessary to put the
freight high enough to pay something to
capital, or capital cannot afford to keep IL
up and run It. Bridges will rot, or be I'M
safe whenever there is no income from the
investment to keep up repairs. The road
will soon be in condition for a ruu-off, be-
cause the rosdbed cannot be repaired, nor
the worn rails renewed. You must permit
them to take enough to keep the roads In
running order and pay something to those
who run It or that section canUOt be served
by railroad. Hence, say injustice has been
done to that railroad. have no interest in
that road, but am glad to hear Governor
Smith say they intend to correct this error
of the Commission. 1 think the sooner the
better.
"There was an inquiry made about the
salaries paid on that road, and an allusion
was made to my salary as President OF the
Western and Atlantic Railroad. Colonel
Barnett stated that got about as much as
the three Commissioners get. Well, do,
suppose, get nearly as much as that. l am
sorry they do not get more. l get seven
thousand dollars year. consider l am
worth that to my company, and do not in
tend 10 make less. Whenever they wish to
get rid of me they can easily do so by re-
ducing my salary one dollar. 1 can put the
same amount of time into other business
and make more money than the salafy they
pay me. Railroads generally select men
who are competent and worth the
money. In this they have been wiser than
the State has been. The State does not pay
its officers adequate salaries. When | was
in the Executive office | recommended a
bill to raise salaries and vetoed a bill to
lower them. l say the State would be bet
competent men to manage the public In
terest. True, you find men always willing
to fill these offices. But take your Supreme
bench-you do not get men who are willing
to stay there long. They take the position
for the honor, and hold it for time, but
they do not stay there all their
lives as they should, to make themselves as
competent as they could be. You may
make all you will out Of my salaries and the
salaries of the officers of the other compa-
MES. have managed the road as we'll as
could. For several years we made no divi-
dends. After some years we issued batch
of income bonds, which we are paying out
OF our present incomes. l do not know
how we shall succeed toward the end of the
lease. Thus far we have put the most we
have made into Improvements.
"In the next place, while asking for more
power, my friend Barnett, who is so honest
as TO believe 1t all right, goes little further
and advances his theory as to the great
good the Commission has done to the State
of Georgia. His theory is that the Railroad
Commission is enrichiDg the State. once
heard of a professor who had theory he
thought great deal of, and on advancing it
one day, he was told that 1t looked very fair,
but unfortunately the facts were in the
teeth of the theory. Then so much worse
for the facts = was his prompt reply.
laughter My friends, Barnett's theory is
that the Railroad Commission is enriching
Georgia. All you have to do is to give more
power TO the Commission aud We'll all get
rich. But in practice, the facts do not agree
with his theory, though l suppose with him,
1t is only so much the worse for the facts
Laughter.
"Another point. II is claimed that the
railroads have been doing better under the
Commission than ever before. And Colonel
Barnett went on to boast of this, and point
ed out in what their prosperity consisted.
| asked him II some of It was not due to
the general condition Of the country. He
hesitated a moment and said "a little
Well, I think a little of It was due to the
present condition of the country"
Mr.. Barnett-"You misunderstood me-"
Mr.. BroWn-"No, l took the language
down when you uttered It, and Governor
Smith limited strongly at the same thing. If
the Commission has done all this, then their
modesty is entirely too great, and they have
not stated the half of what they have done.
Why, the stock Of the Texas and Pacific q
few years ago was worth only five cents In
the dollar. 1t sold lately at seventy. or
course the appointment of the Georgia
Commission raised it. The stock of the
Memphis and Charleston went at or 9
cents before the Commission was appointed.
1t has since been nearly up to par. The
stock of the Central had been down to 35;
since the Commission has been appointed
It has been selling as high as 40. Doubt
less it was the Commission that did 1t. The
stock of the Georgia had been very low and
ft nouid NOT nav dividends Init now thew