The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-10
A STATE ROAD SKIRMISH.
VEE PRESENT LEssEEs WON'T PAY
TENNESSEFS TAXES.

StahlmanS Resignation May be OulI
Temporary.
ATLANTA, Ga, Dec 9.-Interest IN thG
state road lease business is approaching
white heat The special Western ard
Atlantic committee met this afternoon anC
two letters that were presented told them
that crisis was at hand. President Joseph
L. Brown wrote TO Acting Chairman
Graves, of the committee, letter which Is
interpreted as a positive refusal &c
pay the taxes due tke state Of
Tennessee, amounting to about $1,000
Another letter addressed u the same COM
Inittee by J. W. Thomas. president Of the
Nashville, Chattanooga aud st. Louis rail
road. the new lessee Of the Western and
Atlantic. referred 10 the probability of exc
Cutions being taken out by the state OF Ten
nessee. and expressed a hope that SONS ad-
Jusrment Of the matter may be had
Immediately, as his company does not mean
TO assume the conduct Of line entanglei
In lawsuits.
THE OLD LESsEEs FIRM
The old lessees feel assured o! their
position, and of being able to bring the
state to terms. One OF their lawyers told
the NEWS correspondent tonight that
solution is wanted OF the claims question,
and that his side was disposed to force the
issue. Gov. Northen has made an appoint
ment with the committee for conference
tomorrow, when the above matter will De
considered. Some members of the commit
tee eyed these two letters aSkance Com
plications have been expected, but they
can't convince themselves that this Is not
move to crowd the situation.
The NEW LEssEEz
Others are found who hold to the idea
that the new lessees want to get out of
like to have their several claims
passed on before Dec. %, the time
when their tenure expires Specula-
ton has it that to-day's move is
10 secure an adjustment Of the betterments
and other often-canvassed claims IL is
understood that next week will bring about
a conference between Mai. J. B. Cummings
of Augusta, Julius Brown aud Col Edward
W. Baxter of Nashville to decide on course
of action.
sTAHLMAN's RESIGNATION
In this connection it may be mentioned
that the report of Maj. E. B. Stahlmans
resignation from the vice presidency of the
louisville and Nashville road has been
quietly laughed over. He is now at the
&imbau house, and the role he
PLAYS is supposed to be not ex-
resignation is firmly held to be as thor
oughly a part Of a well arranged pro
gramme. to which be was party fash
ioner, as are either of the letters sent to the
legislative committee by Gov. Brown
and Col. Thomas; The situa-
ton is hit off thus: Mai,
Stahlman resigned temporarily 70 relieve
abe Louisville and Nashville from the re-
sponsibility for what may be done in pro-
tecting the old lessees for The new leSseeS wers
in part also the old lessees, and the old and |
new appear tonight in this new move 10
push their clAims
THE SEACHY RESOLUTION.
The Seachy resolution TO submit the
claims of the present state road Iessees TO a
board of final arbitration and award had
already made rousing fight in the legisla-
ture inevitable before the important CON-
Inunication Just received from the old and
new lessees came to hand 1t " as reported
favorebly in the Senate to-day, but divided
the finance committee, 10 which IL had been
referred. significantly near the middle. A
majority of one signed the report The
res, then, as presented has only q single
amendment The effect of that is to deny
the lessees the right of objection to the
arbitrator appointed. They must uacon-
ditionally accept the judges offered them or
get no hearing. Messrs. Nunnslly, Hill,
Williams. Lamb, Calder and Cabaniss !
signed the report. but, seeming to
think an explanation necessary, filed
considerations by which they were
governed: The relations between the
state and the lessees have been entirely sat
isfactory. The tenant has scrupulously
performed It's part OF the contract The
contract nears its end, and necessarily and
unavoldably there are matters to be ad-
Justed; and now, at the end of a twenty
year lease, for which the lessee has not been
IN default for a single hour or as to a single
cent, there remain, as in every such case,
rights Of both parties TO be adjusted.
IL there were no question Of a fair
allowance to the lessees for improving the
property, still other questions are admitted
TO exist, which by themselves require action
by the legislature and at this session. It
might be assumed that the se-called better
ments question hes no existence at all.
ADMITTED QUESTIONS.
"Stin other questions which all sides rec
ognize as existing, cry aloud for settlement
Those admitted questions relate to the roll
ing stock, and may be stated thus: Ought
the state 10 reimburse TO the lessees the
taxes they have paid on the states prop
ertys If so, how muchi What legal and
equitable Ctissts has the staCef Are the
lessees under obligation TO deliver
TO the state any rolling stock? If so, how
muchl II the rolling stock is not delivered
in kind, what must the lessees paw to the
state in discharge of this obligationa Here
are questions that must be settled. Who
will settle theme The legislature cannot 90
SO directly. 1t has neither time nor oppOr-
tunity for the task. The best il can DO is
70 create g commission, carefully selected
by the authorities Of tue state, To whose
arbitrament and award the lessees agree TO
submit. Without some such action the
legislature will be trusting to some lucky
chance to steer the state past crisis which
is almost upon it. In just eighteen days
the new lessees will call on the state TO
deliver to them the property they have
leased. Admit for the sake of argument,
that the state will be able to deliver he
roadbed and appurteHauces, viii is be able
TO deliver the rolling stockg
DON'T OWN IT.
"It must be borne in mind that the state
does not own any Of the rolling stock now
in use on the road Instead Of ownership Of
the rolling stock, 1t has claim on the
present lessees TO satisfy that claim by pay
ing the value Of that rolling stock In money,
which money Is to be invested in new
rolling stock for the benefit Of the new les
sees. Right here two questions arise: /.
How is the amount of money TO be as
certaiuedg 2 Win the old lessees pay the
amount or any part Of it, while the state