The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-23

GENERAL ALEXANDER ON JUDGE
SPEER's DECISION.


able Effects of the Decislon-It Will
Not Affect the Terminal Deal at All
What Gen. Alexander Says about
the Consolidation - He Favors the
Proposed Celebration.
Gen. E. P. Alexander, president Of the
Central railroad, was not inclined to discuss
the decision of Judge Speer in the Savan-
nah, Dublin and Western litigation when a
MORNING NEWS reporter sought to draw
him out yesterday he said that he had
not yet seen the full text of the decision,
and had not consulted with counsel since
the decision had been rendered. He said
that the purchase of the Short Line
was made in good faith, but the
| Central had found the Fort Valley route
impracticable and another route had
been agreed upon. He would feel very much
elated, he said, if the decision would succeed
in bringing about refunding of the money
! paid for the disputed franchise
If the decision has any effect at all upon
| railroads, he said that it will be to discour-
| age building the little short lines which in
a majority of cases are started to get the big
railroads TO buy them up, and if it is once
| settled that they cannot be bought, they will
| not be built
IN FAVOR OF CONSULTATIONS.
Gen. Alexan Ter entered upon the sub
| ject of railroad consultations. 1t has
been his study night and day, he said, to
enlarge the trans portation facilities of the
| Central system. He has been embarrassed
| by the lack of transportation facllitie for
| both the railroad aud the steamship line
He has succeeded at last, he said, in getting
| things in shape SO that in the next twelve
months greater facilities will be added than
| in the past five years. 1t is not consoli-
dation, he said, that the people of Georgia,
or of the territory tributary to Savannah,
| need fear. The movement is we'll directed
| effort of the friends Of Savannah to
| see that her territory is not invaded
or infringed upon and trade that belongs
here diverted to Norfolk. There is no
reason to fear advanced freight rates. If
there is any fear of adj ancing rates it is, he
said, a senseless one. There will be no dis
| elimination against the people of Georgia,
said Gen. Alexander and it is ridiculous to
talk about it. There is first a state railroad
commission, and second, an interstate com
MERGE commissi N with guns trained to fire
upon the railroads at the first sign of adj
vanclng freight rate. In fact, sad Gen.
Alexander, the railroads no longer are free
to establisn their own tariff. The commits
sioners do it FIR them.
BETTER FACILITIES AFFORDED.
Gen. Alexander went on to explain that
the consolidation of great railroad systems
results in giving better facilities for the
prompt handling of the products of the
country, for it enables them 10 secure big
bank accounts to equip roads to handle the
freights promptly. Under the old system,
with inadequate facilities, freights must of
necessity move more slowly ard the tariff
necessarily is higher. The facilities are the
great thing after all. The great railroad
oil los hr,ll aY,I
country rapidly instead of destroying, and
he cited the fact that while the population
of Europe is denser and the railroads are
not weakened by high tariff on their
roadway and rolling stock, yet freights are
moved at a lower tariff, even in sparsely
settled portions of this country, than in
Europe.
With a sweep of his hand over the terri
tory naturally tributary to Savannah, and
| indicating on the map how Norfolk sought
to deprive Savannah of what is rightly her
due, the general said that the recent consoli-
dation is not question Of Savannah seek
ing to invade the territory of another, but
to demand and hold what belongs to her.
sAvANNAH's POSITION
Her peerless position on the Atlantic coast,
superior to any other on the southern sea-
board, Gen. Alexander said, has been recog-
nized by those who were instrumental il
efecting the consolidation. The deal, he
added, will not be affected in any way by
Judge Speer's decision. A company, organ
lied under the state laws, has bought the
stock Of another company legally organized,
both empowered to buy and sell. No rail
| roads have been bought. Agitation of the
| unconstitutionality of such transactions,
| Gen. Alexander says, will not be encour-
a Sed by these who desire to advance th o
material interests of Georgia. The Central
is doing much, has done much, and under
the consolidation is prepared to do much
more, he esaid, to develop the re-
| sources OF Georgia and tributary
territory. There never was any rea-
son to doubt it, but to the credulous
| the fact that the Ocean steamship feet is to
be increased and the railroad carrying
facilities to be largely added to ought to
satisfy them that the Central expects and
seeks to make Savannah great distribut-
ing point
THE PROPOSED CELEBRATION.
Gen. Alexander was asked what he
| thought of the movement to bring the bust
ness men of Birmingham, Memphis aad
Kansas City to Savannah and give them a
| reception worthy of the opening of their
section TO direct communication with Sa.
vannab. He replied that the Central will
| be one OF the strongest supporters of such
a commendable enterprise. The Central.
| he said, Is advertising Georgia this year
1
car of progress, laden with the products OF
| Georgia, on exhibition throughout the
states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois this
year; next year it will invade the north
west. The Central is publishing a paper
which follows the car and is
being widely distributed. The Central
| has no lands to advertise. 1t is advertising
the state, its resources and its capabilities.
1t has, keeping pace with the increasing
traffic that it is drawing from the north
west, established agencies to acco nmodate
its growing business. That Savannah will
be the gamer by bringing the people of the
west and north west here to see for them
selves the uhrivalled facilities, Gen. Alex
ander says needs no elaboration. The
Central. he says, will not only bring them
here, but will do its full share to make them
feel at home. He suggests March or April
as the time, bat the time he prefers to be
determined by the business men of Savan-
nah. The Central is ready whenever the
people are, and he looks upon the move
ment as one which. carried out successfully,
will bear gooe fruit
Charged with Modelling with the Mails.
Charles Green (colored), of No. SO West