Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-09-23
SOUTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY.

Inc following communication from Samue
Spencer, President Southern Railwa
Company, places Vice President st. j OH
of the Sea Board Air Line, in the posi-
ton of one who has made representation
concerning matters vitality affecting tn
public, which can not be sustained by tn
facts; and which statements Mr.. Spence
shows were not made unwittingly or upol
mistaken information, but with viciou
purpose to inJure the Southern Raiiwa,
and Its management.
We commend the communication for tn
frank, clear and fearless way in which 1
meets and resents the misrepresenta
tions of the party in question, and asl
its careful perusal by our readers.
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT,
~ broadway, New York, Sep. II, 1893.
Hon. l.. N. TRAMMELL, Chairman Georgi,
Railroad Commission, Atlanta, Ga.
DEAR SIR: My attention has been di
rected to the letters addressed to you
by Mr.. st. John, Vice President of ths
Seaboard Air Line, under the dates OIL
July 23d and 9th last, and as appre
ciate thoroughly the appropriate re
buke which you administered to him
In the first sentence of your reply oil
July 18th, shall not infiict upon you
a discussion of the merits or demeritt
of the points at issue between the
Southern Railway Company and the
Seaboard Air Line; but Mr.. st. John
has injected into his correspondence
with you 80 many untrue and incendi.
ary statements, regarding the Southern
Railway Company and its purposes,
and has 80 endeavored to use that cor.
respondence to mislead and to inflame
the public mind against this Company
that some authoritative denial and
rsfutation of his statements should be
made of record through the same me.
dunn of publication that was adopted
by him.
Until now / have forborne to take
public notice of these and other state.
ments equally untrue and misleading,
because outside parties injured by the
action of Mr.. st. John and his associ.
ates recently brought the entire subject
matter of the controversy before Court
for judicial investigation and for its
decision, which only recently has been
rendered, and until after the decision
any discussion would have been mani.
festly improper.
Mr.. st. Johns statement that the
Southern
''as is we'll known, owns every
share of the capital stock Of the
Central Of Georgia Railway" is
impossible of acceptance in the
sense intended by him, and require
distinct qualifications.
The Southern hae contingent bene-
fetal interest in that stock or its pro-
ceeds, but the stock is lawfully held by
others under Court decisions with
which your Commiss is familiar,
and the Southern Railway Company
has never exercised any control over
the stock, or either directly or indi
rectly over the operations of the prop.
erty of that Company, and it will not
even seek to do 80 except in full COM
pliance with law. The exact relations
of the Southern to the Central OF cieor.
gia Company, Is now under considera.
tion by your Commission, the South
ern is ready to give to you all facts and
in its possession in respect
10 it.
If the Central Railway is not con-
troled by the Southern Railway Com.
pany, then it follows that the latter has
no interest in the Georgia Railroad the
Atlanta & West Point, or the Western
Railway of Alabama.
Mr.. st. John charges that the South.
,rn
"compels the Atlanta & West Point
and the Western of Alabama to
refuse those through car arrange,
ments to the Seaboard Air Line
which they accordto the Southern.
The fact is the Southern has no power
ind has never attempted to compel or
20 influence the Atlanta & West Point
,r the Western of Alabama to refuse
'uch facilities or to do or not to do any
,ther thing. II the management Of
hose properties should see fit to haul
wo lines of cars to do the same volume
# business now done in one, the South.
rn would have no right to object and |
10 power to prevent it, but doubtless
III the stockholders of those compa.
lies would have just cause for com
'laint.
Mr. st. John says
"the Southern owns the route to
New Orleans, via Birmingham"
The Southern neither owns nor con.
rolls, nor has 1t any interest in, that
Inc south of Meridian, Mississippi
Mr.. st. John says
"of the lines centering at Atlanta
only the Seaboard Air Line, to.
wards the east, and the Western
q Atlantic, towards the west, are
free from the domination of this
the Southern corporation.
Even if the Southern controls, as it
oes not, the Central, the Central does
OF control, nor has it ever controlled,
be Georgia Railroad. The Louisville
Nashville Railroad Company owns
n undivided one half interest in the
'ase of that property, and, in full pro
'ction Of that interest, the Georgia is,
nd has at all times teen, operated as
n independent line. This insures its
eing at all times, and 1t is today, an
ctive competitor of both the Southern
nd the Central to the East.
The South Carolina & Georgia R. R.
nd the Clyde Line of steamers, all
ctive competitors to the East, reach
tlanta by the Georgia Railroad.
The General Manager Of the Georgia
or any one of its officers or
'irectors, will, l am sure, state to your
honorable Commission that no at.
'mpt, however slight, has ever been
lade By the Southern Railway Com.
any or its represen tatives to control
r In any way to direct or influence the
olicy or management Of the Georgia
Mr.. st. John says
"that the Southern Railway Com
pany controls three competitive
and parallel routes from Atlanta
to Macon, in this State"
The fact is that the Southern controls
ut one line between Atlanta and
Iacon. feel sure that the President
nd every officer of the Central Rail-
'ay will testify to your Commission,
to any other tribunal authorized to
lvestigate and pass upon such cues.