The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-02
BUSINESS FOR SOUTHERN PORTS.
Judge Chisholm Says that is what
Richmond Terminal Means.


Richmond Terminal Means.
The following is an extract from letter
written by Hon. w. S. Chisholm to a friend
in this city:
ut is astonishing to me that our people
continue In their state of blindness. They
are continually being carried off by some
ignts fdtuuS which they mistake for
patriotism, whilst the more practical people
OF the north quietly gather in all the COM
mer9e and all the business. Rail
roads running to the west, even as
far as San Francisco, are continually
combining and forming trunk lines. by
which the through business Of the country
is more economically and efficiently handled
without detriment to local traffic. The
business Of the country is thus secured for
the ports of New York, Philadelphia and
Baltimore, but when a company OF
gentlemen here, many Of them south
ern men, and others having large
interest in the south, endeavor to
make combination by which a great por-
ton of this business may be taken posses
sion of and carried TO Norfolk, Wilmington,
Charleston, Savannah, Brunswick snd
other south Atlantic ports, there is at once
heard hue and cry OF monopoly, and the
average southern legislator is Immediately
aroused. He puts on his armor, and with
all his might ghfits the future welfare and
prosperity of his section. He exhausts
himself on a sentiment, whilst his practi-
Gle northern neighbors watch him and take
every advantage of the situation.
The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia
Railway Company has two outlets toward
the north, one over the Norfolk and West
ern railroad to Norfolk, and the other over
the Shenandoah Valley to Baltimore, Phila-
delphia and New York. The Richmond and
Dauville also has two northern outlets, one
TO West Point on the Chesapeake bay, and
the other over the Virginia Midland to
Washington and thence to the north.
Very little business from either of these
lines has gone to any Of the more southern
ports, and not enough Of it even TO Norfolk.
The Terminal company, by combining
those two systems with the Georgia Central
proposes to throw the bulk of their bust
ness to Brunswick and Savannah, the short
lines to the ocean, and particularly to
Savannah, as that port is now equipped
with a fine feet of steamships; and as the
business increases, they hope next to cover
the port Of Charleston also with steam
ships, thus bringing to our sothern ports the
volume of business to which, by reason of
their geographical position, they are en-
titled.
Our wise legislators, however, seem to
be opposing the scheme by every means
known. even to the extent of having rail
road officials declared criminals and felons,
because we wish to retain for our southern
country the business which by the laws of
nature it should receive; and in doing so,
they are assisting not their own people, but
all railway systems which have an eastern
terminus north Of Norfolk.
Southern railroads, separately, each
working on its own account, cannot COM
pete with the northern trunk lines Such
competition can only be successfully carrisd
on by using the same means which are used
at the north, namely, the establishment of
trunk lines, maintained by combined
capital.
Il fear it is hopeless task to educate
some of our legislators to this view of the
case, but / am convinced that unless we
can accomplish some such purpose as that
at present intended by the Richmond Ter
minal combination, we will be powerless to
maintain competition with the northern
trunk lines and attract business to our
southern ports -