The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-18
The Seaboard's Vice-President
Repeats His Charges.
AGAINST THE SOUTHERN
Spencer Admitted in a Speech
Ownership ofthe Central.
THE sEABoARD NEVER FOR SALE
Discusses the Southern System and
Charges it With Violating the
Georgia State Con-
stitution.

stitution.
yice-president st. John, of the Sea-
board Airline, arrived at lnman Park
last night and remained there in his
car On his way down from Ports
mouth ne read President Samuel
Snancer.'s letter to Colonel IL. N.
TrammeH. and wrote a reply to the
Southern's president. One was expect
ed. but hardly so soon. However, TINS
is a spirited correspondence.
MFR. st. John devotes the greater
part of his letter to the consolidation
Of various lines by the Southern and
declares that the consultations were
unconstitutional He quotes from
speech which Mr.. Spencer is said to
have made in Savannah on the night
the Central was re-organized, when
Mr.. Spencer spoke of the Southern's
interest in the property.
Mr.. st. John also reiterates the
charge that the Southern controls the
Georgia and the Atlanta and West
Point. Toward the close he takes up
the origin of the rate troubles on the
Chesapeake Bay. He denies that any
one able to control a majority of the
Seaboard's stock ever offered to sell
it to Mr.. Spencer.
Mr.. ST. John has not written in
personal vein, as was expected, but
confines himself principally to argu-
ment and he pays Mr.. Spencer a com
pliment in passing. Mr.. st. Johns let
ter is as follows:
MIR. ST. JOHN TO MR.. SPENCER.
sMr. Samuel Spencer, President
Southern Railway Company, No. so
Broadway, New York, n. My Dear
Sir-I am in receipt of your open let
ter to Hon. l.. n. Trammell. chairman
Georgia Railroad Commission. At
1anta, Georgia, and mailed contempor-
aneously to many other persons
throughout the country, in which you
undertake to reply in behalf of the
Southern Railway Company to my
letters Of July 23rd and eth, addressed
to Chairman Trammell.
IT am extremely glad that, although
you approve of the silence with which
Chairman Trammell thought proper
to treat the matters to which direct
ed his attention concerning the viola
ton BY the Southern Railway Company
of the constitution and laws 81 tne
State of Georgia, you have deemed it
appropriate to make reply thereto,
even after this long interval of time.
The reason for my pleasure is that 1t
not only enables me to deal directly
in the discussion with the responsible
head of the Southern Railway Compa-
NY, but it gives to the people of the
State an opportunity of securing from
you that full and complete answer to
a number of questions which are seri-
ously occupying the public mind. and
to which alone the Southern railway
and those connected with it can make
full answer.
THE subjects under discussion are
of too great Importance to the public
for it to care at all for any personal
controversy, and although exception
might be taken on my part to some of
the expressions applied to me in your
letter, am too deeply sensible to
the real Importance of the issues to
suffer these expressions to in any way
interfere with their proper discus
sion. All that / desire, and / feel sure
that on reflection you will concur with
me, is that the fullest and most COM
plete understanding may be given to
the public of the railroad situation
which now exists in Georgia. / regret
that you should not have seen fit to
sooner reply to my letters of July 23rd
and 27th, while the facts therein con-
tanned were fresher in the public mind.
I fail to perceive why the Injunction
suit brought by Mr.. Averill, as receiver
of the Port Royal and Augusta rail-
road, and so earnestly supported upon
the hearing by the answer of the
Southern Railway Company, and the
arguments of its able counsel, should
have been any greater obstacle to an
earlier reply than is the injunction
issued upon the 10th of September
at the suit of certain merchants of
Augusta, and now pending and undis-
posed of. The only reason which sug-
gests itself is bhat perhaps the attitude
and relation of the Southern Railway
Company. to these two suits was differ
ent.
THE STATE CONSTITUTION.
CAS- I understand your letter, you
challenge the accusation brought by
me against the Southern Railway COM
pany that it is owning stocks in rail-
road companies and is controlling and
operating railroad lines in the State
of Georgia in violation of her consti-
tuition and laws.
1.-THE constitution of Georgia pro,
vides that the general assembly of
this State shall have no power to au-
thorize any corporation to buy the
shares or stock in any other corpor-
alton in this State, or elsewhere, or
to make any contract or agreement
whatever with any such corporation
which may have the effect, or be in
tended to have the effect, to defeat and
lessen competition in their respective
businesses, or to encourage monopoly,
and all such contracts and agreements
shall be illegal and void
ITO further carry out this constitu
tim in 1902 fba Ia1icIafY1r IF Georuia