The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1886-01-30
A Nice Question.

company aud the Kansas City and
Memphis Railroad Company, now pend.
ing before the Senate, is one Of unusual
interest The facts entitled ~ consid.
Grafton in determining the contest are
about as follows.
The Memphis, Birmingham aud At
lantic Railroad Company own and
operate the line Of railroad running
from Memphis 70 Holly Spring. and at
the present session Of the Legislature
has been authorized u construct line
from Holly Springs by way Of New
Albany, Tupelo, and Fulton, in the d..
rection Of Birmingham. The Kansas
City aud Memphis Railroad Company
hiss applied for charter incorporating
the Kansas City, Memphis and Birming
mingbam Railroad Company, with a
view to tie extension Of the Kansas City
and Memphis Railroad Company across
the State Of Mississippi to Birmingham,
and a bill for that purpose is now
being considered by the Sena.e.
To this bill an amendment has been
offered which will, II adopted, prohibit
the Kansas City, Memphisand Brmiig
ham Railroad Company, from construct
ing ts road at any point in Nississippi
within twelve miles of the line Of the
Memphis, Birmingham aud Atlantic
Company. The question before the Sen
ate IL, Shall the amendment be adopted
Those who favor the amendment say
that there il every assurance that the
road of the Memphis, Birmingham and
Atlantic Company will be built, and
that there is no assurance that the road
Of the Kansas City, Memphis and Birm.
ingham Company will be built; that a
grant to the latter Company Of the right
to parallel the former will have an in
furious effect upon its scheme for the
building of the road and may defeat the
scheme; that If both roads are to be
constructed it is better that they shall
be separated by at least twelve miles, as
thereby larger number Of the citizens
Of the State would be furnished with
railroad facilities; that as both Of the
roads will not be built, IL IL better to
pursue the course which promises the
construction Of one, than to do that which
will destroy both.
The opponents Of the amendment say
That there il no evidence of the bad
faith Of tn, promoters Of the Kansas
City, Memphis aud Birmingham Rail.
road, and that as to future operations
they stand upon AZ good ground AS the
Memphis, Birmingham and Atlantic
Company; that the former Company
asks for charter to construct a road
through the State from the city of Mem
phis, in the general direction of Br
mingham, and the sole question should
be whether they shall be granted the
privilege; that II is not the policy of
the State to require railroad companies
to build their roads over particular
routes but TO encourage them to build
e,aJu ia ,ht, Gtato ,o a., A Ia. "A, l. a.a a. 49,,
start or whittier they 60; that no rail
roads in Mississippi or elsewhere are
protected in their charters from parallel
or competing lines, and that the request
now made by the Memphis, Birmingham
and .-tlahtic Company to be so pro-
tected against the encroachmeuts of the
Kansas City and Birmingham Company,
and that, too, by provision in the
charter of the latter, is novel in the
extreme; that it is not the policy of the
State to grant exclusive privileges to
corporations, but rather to encourage by
all legitimate means a spirit of healthy
competition; that the adoption of the
amendment pending would be dis
elimination of the most obnoxious kind,
because it would be a discrimination
against the Kansas City, Memphis and
Birmingham Company, and against no
other company that has ever been
chartered or that may hereafter be
There is but little doubt that the
Memphis, Birmingham and Atlantic
G, mpany proposes to build its rad ard
that speedily if the amendment shall be
adopted. Will they decline to build it
II the amendment shall not be adopted
If the building of the road depends on
the adoption of the amendment, shall
the people along the proposed route, to
whom /: is the dearest of all schemes
now in contemplation, be subjected to
bitter disappointment
Gentlemen of the Senate, you have
'ur sympathy.