The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-27

miles was put through the squeezing
process.
Next Morgan, through Samuel Spen-
Ger and A. b. Andrews, secured the
Georgia Southern and Florida by buy
ing a controlling share of it's bonds
Then the Southern people began to
realize the real object of this combina-
! ton of capitalists, viz, to absorb every
railroad which might be competitor
and put the sections traversed by the
Southern completely in the grasp OF
Morgan and his associates by GLOWING
them to dictate terms OF freight rates
and to have a complete monopoly OF
the railroad business. In spite OF OPP
position the Southern bought or leased
road after road and by lobbying IN
State Legislatures has killed OF sever
al plans of companies to build compel
ing lines. The company secured what
is really perpetual control OF the state
railroad of North Carolina, one OF the
best dividend payers in this country,
at ridiculously low rental rms is
to be investigated, however, and the
courts NAV be asked to take a hand
by stockholders in the road and set
aside the lease ION the ground OF con-
spiracy."
To show how the Southern has taken
everything in sight in the way of a
competitor the following is list of
its captures:
Miles.
Memphis and Charleston Rail-
road. Chattanooga to Mem
phis. Tenn. (now securing con-
troll. So. .......... $40
Atlanta and Florida, Fort Val
lay. Ca, to Atlanta .. 100
Georgia Southern and Florida,
Macon, Ga, to Palatka, Fla. 2S5
North Carolina Railroad, Colds
boro TO Charlotte, N. Co.,. $50
Louisville Southern, Louisville
10 Lexington, Ky. ......... 100
Knoxville and Ohio, Knoxville
to Jellico, Tenn. ..... SIS
Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio. A
Alabama Great Southern, Chat
tanooga, Tenn, 40 Meridian,
Miss. .............. 344
Chattanooga Union. ... AZ
branches. 49,. 1900
Trying to get) Cincinnati
Southern from Chattanooga,
Tenn, to Cincinnati, Ohio -. 335
Atlantic Coast Line, (practi-
cally controlled by it) ...... 1887
Total. :. =. :. ............ 5,444
Southern Railroad, without
these additions. =. .......... 1900
Grand total.... ;. ......... 1904
And this enormous system of 10000
miles, forming a network of lines from
Washington to the Mississippi River,
and ramifying the States of Virginia,
the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Miss
issippi, Tennessee and Kentucky is
being utilized by the New Workers TO
get every dollar out of this devoted
country that can be obtained. The
cities of Macon and Rome, Ca, and
Greenville, S. G., are samples of South
ern towns which it controls. Freight
tariffs have been raised to and from
these places so per cent in some cases.
At McMinnville, Tenn, several facto-
ries have been compelled to shut down
by reason of its freight charges. At
Spartanburg, S. c., cotton mill owners
have been forced to form company to
build an Independent road, which will
give them relief from its oppressive
tariffs. A similar movement is on foot
at Concord, n. c., another manufac-
turing city. And these are but a few
instances.
Still Morgan has not crushed out all
competition yet. They have a rival in
the Seaboard Airline. This railroad
is less than 1000 miles long, with
branches, but is owned by wealthy
Southerners, much of it's securities
being held in Baltimore. 1t completes
with the Southern between Atlanta,
Norfolk and Washington. Two years
ago the latter tried to secure major
ity of its bonds, but failed. Then it
began work to shut off the Seaboard's
resources and to cripple it whenever
possible.
The Seaboard Airline was attacked
through the Southern Freight Asso-
citation, which was really another
name for the Southern Railway, and
a boycott declared against it by that
body on charge of cutting rates. This
was proven false and the boycott lifted
by order of the court. As a result the
Association went to pieces. The last
effort against this competition was to
place line of steamers on Chesapeake
Bay, between Norfolk and Baltimore,
and to cut rates in opposition to the
Bay Line of steamers, which is the
Northern connection of the Seaboard
Airline This has caused war Of
freight rates, which is now in progress,
as the Seaboard is fighting vigorously
Such is the manner in which Nor
gan's monopoly has progressed up to
date If he can secure control of the
Seaboard Airline he has crushed out
his last competitor and has most of
the South at his feet. Under these cir
it is small wonder that he
is using every effort to accomplish his
object by every means.
What the end will be no one can say.
If his railroad company is forced again
by the rate war into bankruptcy it is
small concern to him, as no other firm
but his is powerful enough to re-or-
ganize it, and to again place it on its
feet means millions to him by mani