The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-21
ATTACKS THE ASSOCIATION.
THE sEABOARD AND ROANOKE hoy
COTT LIFTED UNTIL MAY 80.

A Hearing VIII Then De Had Before
Judge Speer-The Boycott and All
the Articles of Agreement of the
Southern Railway and Steamship
Association Declared to BE i'm ViO-
Iation of the Interstate Commerce
Law-JUdge Speer's order Granting
Temporary Injunction Served on
the Railroads Here Yesterday.
The suit Of the Seaboard and Roanoke
Railroad Company and the Raleigh and
CASTOR Railroad Company, parts of the
same system, against Receivers Conner
and Hays of the Central Railroad and
Banking Company of Georgia and others.
or in other words. against the Southern
Railway and Steamship Association and
the lines composing it, was filed in the
United States court here yesterday. to-
gether with the order of Judge Speer
granting the plaintiff railroad companies
a temporary injunction restraining the
roads composing the association from
| withdrawing from the Seaboard and Roam
oke the through rates which are allowed
| other competing lines.
In other words, this is a withdrawal
of the boycott by the Southern Railway
and Steamship Association against the
| Seaboard and Roanoke company until
the application for permanent injunction
can be heard, which will be according to
the order granted May 30.
The bill of the complainants also at
tacks the Southern Railway and Steam
ship Association, and seeks to have its
existence declared an illegal and invalid
one, claiming that it is formed in viola
ton of the interstate commerce law, or
the act Of congress entitled IAN act to
regulate commerce"
The filing of the bill here is of
interest on account of the fact that every
road entering Savannah is a member of
the association, with the exception of the
Florida Central and Peninsular railroad.
and the order of Judge Speer granting
the temporary Injunction until the APP
Plicaton can be heard was served on all
the railroads and steamship companies
here, with the exception of the Florida
Central and Peninsular, which is not a
party to the suit. The Central railroad
and all the lines of the Plant system are
made parties to the suit, and their rep
represen tatives and attorneys here were
served with copies of the order and sub
pOendS 10 De present at the nearing WHICH
has been set for May 30.
In brief the cause of the complaint OF
the Seaboard and Roanoke and It's allied
lines is that the commissioner of the as
ISOLATION, Mr.. E. B. Stahlman issued a
circular in which it was stated that all the
railroads which belonged to or were in
sympathy with the association, were TO
charge fixed published rates for
all through business that goes
TO the SeabOard and Roanoke or
its lines This action was taken by the as
ISOLATION on account of the fact that the
Seaboard. which was not member of the
association, did not conform to some OF
its established rules with regard to
through traffic, and it effectually cut them
off from receiving through business from
any territory into which lines belonging
to the association went.
1t kept the Seaboard out of through
traffic from the west when shippers might
have desired to route business over their
lines because it did not give them the ad-
rates charged on other lines
In fact. Commissioner StahIman's
action practically entirely stopped
all interchange of through business be,
tween its members and the Seaboard and
Roanoke. This action on the part of the
association the Seaboard claims is invio.
lation of the act of congress to regulate
commerce between the states. The cireu.
lar referred to was issued by Commission
er Stahlman on Feb. Is of this year.
The bill goes further and attacks the
Southern Railway and Steamship Associa-
ton together with the allied lines from
which II is formed. 1t alleges that the as
ISOLATION is formed for no other purpose
than for pooling business between the
roads that compose it, and in this connec-
ton cities the cotton traffice agreement
winch amounts to an apportionment of the
cotton from competitive points going to
seaport towns, by which those roads which
do not get their full share of the business
receive money consideration for the bal
ance. This, and other articles of the agree
ment the petition states are in violation of
the interstate commerce act, and it not
only requests that the boycott against tho
Seaboard be annulled, but that the articles
of agreement of the lines composing the
association be declared void and in viola
ton of the statute.
On account of the fact that the nro
rating of business with the Seaboard was
discontinued by the lines of the association
it is stated that shippers refuse to route
their business by that line as higher rates
are charged on the lines on which the bus
mess originates This, it is claimed. shuts
out competition, and is a violation of the
interstate commerce law
Pending hearing the Seaboard COM
pany asked Judge Speer to grant a TOM
pOIdry restraining order to prevent the
lines of the Southern Railway and Steam
ship Association from withdrawing from
II the usual and established system of |
through rates, from points on the lines
of the defendant railway companies. Judge |
Speer granted the temporary Injunction |
requested, preventing the lines of the as- |
ISOLATION from enforcing the order of |
Commissioner Stahlman and from with |
drawing through rates or through bills |
of lading based upon the order. until the |
matter has been decided at the hearing |
Copies of the order were served Yesterday /
on the agents of the companies here which |
are members of the association.
Receiver Conner of the Central was aslred /
about the bill and the order of Judge
Speer. 1T affects the Central railroad va1,,
little, he said. There never was much
interchange of business between the Cen-
trail and the Seaboard, and it is NOT in tba
order of things that there should be-"
Beyond this Mr.. Conner said there Voc
very little to be said about the order 60
far as the railroad business here was CON
cerned.
The counsel for the Seaboard and Roam
oke in this suit are Messrs. Leigh r. Wa+ts
and King & Spalding of AtIan+e grL