The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-09-17
REPLY OF Mr.. ST. JOHN
concluded from Second Page3

1t row passes legally under the control
of the company with which I am con-
| nected. and l understand that there is
circulating In the atmosphere all around
| the question as to what is to be the flu
| ture history Of that property. The
leaoing apprehension on that subject I
think Is that. being legally under the
control OF the Southern railway, 1t may
be made so subordinate to that as to be
detrimental to it's interest and detri-
mental to yours"
In illustrating the relations which
would exist between the Southern and
the central you took as your illustra-
| tlon the relations existing between the
Central railroad and the Ocean Steam
snip Company, whose entire capital
stock is owned by the Central, and you
said as follows: THE Central Railroad
company built up the lines of the Ocean
steamship Company and the New Eng
land and Savannah Steamship Com
pany. All the freight received and
brought out by these lines was not re-
ouired to go to the Central railroad,
put they have always been operated
principally in their own interest, and
the interest of the Central railroad, the
| owner of all their stock, has been sec
ondary. Does it require any stretch Of
| imagination upon your part to apply 1t
to the Southern'S holding all of the
Central railroads stock. The ownership
and incidentally, instead of directly,
ALI say. that the Southern Is going to
ask of the Central is that where the
Centrars interest does not conflict its
influence. power and business shall be
thrown to its owner"
II these quotations are not direct
statement upon your part that the
Southern. at the time when the present
Central OF Georgia Railway Company
took possession of the Central railroad,
nf oil thA ttaI obs 1lr
of that railroad. L fail to understand the
English language. That being SO. when
did the Southern'S interest become a
contingent beneficial interest in the
stock? Who is the immediate benefi-
ciary. who holds the legal title? For
| whom is it held? When have all these
| things been done? If 1t is held under
| court decisions giving the manner OF its
holding. with which the commission is
| familiar. where are these court decisions
| to be found. and what do they disclose?
WHY is it that the commission is now
vainly endeavoring to ascertain where
the ownership of the stock rests, and
why are the exact relations of the
Southern to the Central of Georgia now
under the consideration of the commits
sion?
1t is very easy to say that certain
| thing is not SO. but if the statement
which you made in Savannah is not
now correct. please, do not tell the peo-
| Die of Georgia what is not 50. but fully,
frankly inform them what is the true
condition. They do not care what may
| be the technically legal scheme by
which verbal compliance with but
| practical evasion of their constitution
and laws has been attempted. They are
| after the substance and desire to know
whether or not behind all forms the
competition which their constitution
guarantees to them has or has not been
| infringed.
| If the Central railway is controlled by
the Southern Railway Company
through complete stock ownership, I
presume that you will not deny that the
| Southern has an interest in this way in
the Gecbgia railroad, the Atlanta and
West I+.nt railroad and the Western
| railway Of Alabama, if il owns no in
| tereSt therein. instead of over the route
via Birmingham, which, according to
| the statement of your letter ii owns
| from Atlanta as far as Meridian, Miss
In this connection permit me to say that
| | fail TO perceive that the Southern does
not for all purposes of competition in
| Georgia. which was the sole point under
| discussion in my letter TO Commission
| Frammell. own the route from Atlanta
to New Orleans via Birmingham, when
| according TO your own confession il
| owns all that route from Atlanta, Ga.
! through Birmingham to Meridian Miss
and thereby as eifectually debars the
| Seaboard Air Line from sending its
| passenger cars on to New Orleans by
that route as If the ownership of the
| Southern extended every foot of the
way.
But to bring the matter to its last
| ANALYSIS l ask you this question: As
YOU do not use your route from Atlanta
| to Meridian for through cars between
| Atlanta and New Orleans are Won
willing to make Il through connection
| Tor passenger business to New Orleans
! with the Seaboard Air Line over this
route upon the same terms which YOU
| have over the Atlanta and West Point
railroad and Western railway of Ala
! bama. or will YOU still insist upon mon
opolizing the route via the Atlanta and
| West Point and Western railway of
Alabama. and in excluding the Sea-
board Air Line from your lines via
| birmingham?
| / understand from your letter that
YOU admit the ownership by the South
ern railway of the Atlanta and Florida
railroad: also OF the old East Tennessee
| line.
If | am correct in the assertion that,
stripped of all form. the ownership of
the capital stock of the Central railroad
| rests with the Southern, and, II you
were correct in your statements In Sa-
vannah that the Central had passed UNI
der the control of the Southern as such
Stockholder. then / am unquestionably
correct in my statement that the South
crn railway owns and controls three
compelling lines between Atlanta and
Macon. Ga. and l submit that I am
not only correct in the statement that
such ownership is in violation of the