The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-25
RATES TO REMAIN INTACT.
WILL NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE
SUPREME COURT DECISION.

The Knockout of the Freight and
Passenger Associations a Surprise
to the Raiiroads-SOuthern Ronds
Forming a New Freight Associa-
ton when the Decision Declaring
Such Associations Illegal Was
Handed DOwn-NO Action Yet De-
cided Upon.
The talk among railway officials yes
terday was the decision of the United
States supreme court. declaring the rail-
way freight and passenger associations
Illegal organizations.
The decision came Unexpectedly. and as
a great surprise to the officials, who did
not dream of such a contingency. In fact,
so little was such a thing as the assocla-
tons being declared illegal considered,
the roads in this section were just making
preparations for the disruption of the
Southern States Freight Association and
the formation of a new association to be
known as the Southern Freight Associa-
ton.
The traffic and executive officials of
nearly every road in the southeastern Sec
ton of the country were at Richmond
Monday for this purpose. They virtually
adopted code of agreement for the new
association, and were to meet next month
in Atlanta for its final ratification.
An official was asked yesterday about
the action of the meeting at Richmond.
lie did not care to say too much about
what was DONE as 1t would put the roads
In ridiculous position after the decision
the supreme court has just handed down.
lie said, however, that the preamble of
the code discussed and accepted stated
explicitly that everything is to be con-
Quoted in perfect accord with the stipu-
lations and requirements of both the in
terstate commerce commission and
the state railroad commissions.
That fact, he said, shows that
it is not the desire of the
roads forming the new association to join
in any scheme to antagonize those COM
missions ana the public interests they rep
resent. The roads represented at Rich
mond were those with but few eXcep-
tons, that are comprised within the ter
ritory of the Southern States Freight AS
ISOLATION, and a northward extension to
the POtamac river by the addition of the
Norfolk and Western.
The matter of the new associat ton has
become a second fiddle now, when the
probable necessity for the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
or radical alteration of all ASSOCIATE
presents itself. 1t is that necessity which
is now receiving attention to the neglect
of other matters that at most are depen-
dent upon the associations first being al
lowed existence.
Vice President Egan of the Central was
asked as to the effect the decision will
have upon the associations in the event of
its being enforced as a law, and their dis
ruption compelled. He replied: 1T viii
give the railroads a black eye because
they were getting matters in such shape
haf a1f ND
greater harmony than ever before among
railway officials. This condition was also
evident between railway officials and in
vestors in railway stocks, and patrons of
the roads were beginning to feel that there
is a stability in rates and that is just
exactly what every person engaged in
commercial business wanted"
The officials do not know just what Will
be done in the matter They have heard
of the roads in the west Withdrawing from
the various associations, but it seems that
the roads here have no intention of adopt-
| ing such plan until their attorneys have
been consulted and the decision OF the
| court has been received and carefully con-
sidered.
The members of the freight and passen-
| ger associations are in Geographic COM
munication with each other to see what
| should be done, but matters remain just
| as they were when news of the decision
| was received. 1t may be that a meeting
| of the associations will be called to take
| connected action, but such a meeting has
| not been called as yet. The Southern
| States Freight Association is in session at
! Old Point Comfort The decision and re-
| sultant action of the roads will not be
! officially discussed there, however. as it is
a subject to be left to the execution off,
| Gals of the roads to decide.
The meeting a Richmond was capaci-
| tated to take action on the matter, but
| the officials there did not learn of it until
| after the adjournment Had the news of
| the decision, which was handed down
| Monday, been received earlier in the day
| at Richmond it would undoubtedly have
met with consideration. 1t is not known
whether the roads will have to give up as
| sociationS altogether or not They may
| make such changes in the present ones
| as may be acceptable to the interstate
| commerce commission, and thus be allow
| ed to continue them. 1t is not believed
| that in the event Of the associa tions GO
| ing to pieces decentralization in rates will
! follow. Certain verbal agreements, with
! out any organized formation. an official
! stated last night, would probably serve the
! purpose of preventing rate cutting Even
| with the present associations it is moth
| ing more than an agreement and it rests
with the roads as 10 whether they shall
| keep it. Roads IN this immediate section.
| it is thought, would not in any event re-
sort to the indiscriminate slashing. of
rates that the Seaboard Air Line, for in
stance, engaged in last summer.