The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-23

| The Terminals Lease of the Central.
1t looks very much as if there would be
an effort made in the legislature to have
the contract by which the Richmond Ter
minel controls the Georgia Central railroad
declared illegal and void. The alliance
almost unanimously adopted resolution
demanding the enactment of a law to en-
force that provision OF the constitution
which prohibits the consolidation OF rail-
roads chartered by the state. The majority
of the legislators are alIiancemen, and it is
to be expected that they will act in accord
ance with the resolution of the alliance con-
ventioD.
Col. Livingston, the president of the al
lance, exerted his influence to the utmost,
It is said, TO defeat the resolution. He
failed to control the convention, or any
considerable part OF it, oa the railroad
question. II is even said that when it was
found that he was such strong friend of
the Richmond Terminal many OF the mem
bers of the convention regret ed that they
voted to re-elect him president. They eve
wished they had listened to the charges
Gov. Northen desired to- make
against him. IL Is --srrange that
the feelings Of these ms6lbers with respect
to Col. Livingston Underwent 50 radical
change In SO shSrt a time. They knew just
as much 81 him before the convention re-.
eiectGu and enthusiastically Endorsed him as
tp1,ey do now. but they preferred to consider
Gov, Northen, who is a straightforward
man and sincere friend of the farmers, AN
enemy and hold up Col. Livingston as their
friend and trusted leader. They acted with
their eyes wide open, and, If their chosen
leader should not prove to be entirely true
to what they consider alliance interests
they will not have the excuse that they
were deceived.
| But what lively shaking up of railroad
| interests would be effected by the passage
| OF an act to enforce tho provision Of the
| constitution relative to railroad consolida-
tions and combinationsl The Central holds
| quite a number of roads by leases, and
the stocks of these roads would not be worth
| great deal il the leases were broken. The
Southwestern and the Georgia road are
leased properties, and their stocks are
away above par. But whore would they be
| if the resolution Of the alliance convention
should be made effective9
1t may be that the Richmond Terminal
is a huge monopoly which is taking from
the people their substance, but according to
a recent publication in the Now York Her
| aid it hasn't taken great deal of their sub
| stance yet. 1t is living upon its own sub
stance mainly, its various systems not hav-
ing earned enough to pay anything more
than fixed charges and remarkably small
dividend upon their stocks. Thus far in its
career the Richmond Terminal has not OPP
pressed the people, but it threatens to hurt
those who hold its securities.
The people who have ground for COM
plant are the minority stockholders, not
the farmers The farmers have a commits
sion TO protect them, the minority stock
holders have to look out for themselves.
But if all the leased roads in Georgia
were forced to keep up separate organiza-
tions they would have to raise the rates of
transportation or go into bankruptcy If
they are making nothing now, they would
make less if their expenses were increased
and their opportunities for getting business
were diminished. But perhaps the mem
bers of the alliance convention knew what
they were about when they adopted the
lease breaking resolution. 1t is to be
hoped they did. If they acted from pres
judice and without clear understanding
of the railroad situation, they are unworthy
of the confidence of their constituents.