The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-13

an idea occurred to him Of quite anothe'
spin down the ringing groove OF
change" TO that which he was accustomed
why all this fumbling and spelling Of peo-
pies namesl Why not treat them anony-
mously, and number theml Why not
| strip of stiff paper or pasteboard, printed
with names of stations and class, consecu-
lively numbered for accounting purposes,
and dated on the day Of issue to prevent
| fraud! Two machines could do it.n And
off went Thomas Edmondson to think it
over with his friend Blaycock, the watch
maker; and together they made the first
machines, But to get the new system in
troduced was not easy. The Newcastle and
Carlisle directors would have nothing TO do
with 1t. A ticket rack was. however, set up at
Bromsgrove and at all the other stations TO
Cheltenham by the old road which went to
the east OF Worcester. The terms for the use
of the Invention were half sovereign per
mile OF road per year; ana at these terms
other companies rushing in where the Man
chester and Leeds, Birmingham and
Gloucester, had not feared to tread,
Thomas Edmondson soon grew rich. But an
honest man was Edmondson as well as an
ingenious one. As soon as he had the funds
be called his old creditors together and paid
his debts in full; and then, with clear con-
science, he resigned himself to live on his
royalties, find other use for his money and
earth on which he had conceived his happy
idea.
Aplea Of illegality by the Georgia Rail
road and Banking Company has been fled
IN Atlanta. The company objects TO paying
the county tax assessed In accordance with
the provisions of bill passed in 1889. Quite
number of roads have demurred from tine
payment of the taxes, and fl. fas have been
issued in accordance with instructions from
fhn frf.l Law To, a o.
Issued and placed in the hands of the sheriff
Of Fulton county for collection. The amount
OF the f. ia. was $l2 so, taxes on net earn
ings, as prescribed in the bill OF 1889. on
the Georgia Railroad and Banking Com
pany for 1890. The sheriff levied on a
walnut bookcase aud an Office desk, for the
forthcoming Of which property the COM
pany gave bond Of $50 pending u contest
Of the legality of the claim. In the plea of
illegality, filed this week, the Georgia Rail-
road and Banking Company, through its
president, Charles Fl. Phinizy, sets up the
claim that the charter Of the company was
granted by an act Of the Georgia legislature
Dec. 81, 1888, in section Is of which act it
was provided that the stock and branches be
subject to not more than one-hsH
of per cent. per annum of the
Tho stock Of this defendant was subscribed
under that charter, and on the faith of its
provisions the corporators accepted the act
of incorporation and expended the stock
subscribed in the construction and equip
ment of the road and its branches, which
provisions have lever been repealed or
changed by consent of the defendant, who
has continuously enjoyed the rights and
franchises. The company further claims
that the tax for which the writ was issued
and brought to be collected, by virtue of
section of an act providing for system of
taxation on railroad property in each county
in the state through which the road passes.
approved Oct. 16. 1889, is tax upon the
net earnings Of defendant in excess of one
half OF l per cent There is
no valid law under which the writ is coll
lectible, and that the act of 1899 is of no
effect so far as it attempts to repeal por-
ton of the charter of said defendant or to
impose any other tax greater than one
half OF per cent. per annum on the net
earnings of defendants Investments in cap
itsl stock. Further, that the act is in COM
f1ct with the first paragraph of section 10,
OF first article Of the constitution of the
United States, in that it impairs the obliga-
| ton of contract. The plea concludes with
the allegation that the only tax that can be
| lawfully levied is on the net earnings of the
defendant, and is one-half of I per cent
payable to the state of Georgia, which has
been duly assessed and paid for the year
| 1890.