The Charlotte Democrat., 1897-02-25
The Passage. of the
N. c. Lease Bill.

The severance in two of the South
ern RAILWAY Company's lines De-
tween Was bington and tho Sontn is
seriously threatened by the passage
Tuesday night by the lower house OF
the North Carolina legislature IN
Raleigh of the bill which has been
pending for some weeks past to
annul the lease under which the
North Carolina railway passed into
the control of the Southern Railway
Company, says the Washington Star
There does not seem to be much
doubt that it will pass the Senate,
and, as Governor Russell has already
tated his purpose to sign 1T II II
reaches him. the bill, it may reason
ably be expected, will soon become a
law.
The bill-i intended to be far
reaching in its effects, and seeks not
only to abrogate the lease of the road,
but to prevent the Southern compa
ny from building parallel line, for
which it has charter from Mocks-
Vile to Statesville.
The approval of the bill referred
TO will, it is safe to assume, mark
the outbreak of very active hostIlI-
ties between the Southern and the
Seaboard Air Line, as it Is well un-
derstood that the latter is very desir-
GUS to secure the North Carolina
road. To lose the control of the
last named road would mean to the
Southern a severance in two of its
system, as for ninety-three miles
between Greensboro and Charlotte
it is part of the Southern main
| line to Atlanta and New Orleans
Under the terms of the bill the
governor cf North Carolina is en-
powered, without giving bond to
bring civil action in the name of
the state of North Carolina for the
purpose of having declared illegal,
null aud void a certain contract en-
tered into on the first day of Jan,
1896, between the North Carolina
Railroad Company and the Southern
Railway Com pany, whereby tine for
mer company agreed to lease and
devise to the last named company
its franchise and property, with ap-
purteDant rights and privileges, for
the term of ninety nine years; or any
assignment of said contract or lease
by said last named company to any
other person, natural or artificial, or
at his discretion to have declared IL
legal null and void any Contract for
the leasing and demising of the
North Carolina railroad TO any for
eign corporation, whether entered
into before or since the first day of
January, 1896. The governor is
hereby authorized to employ and pay
counsel to bring said suit and shall
have the right to recover an allow ,
ance for costs and counsel fees.
| Another section of the bill pro-
vides ''that it shall be unlawful to
assign or transfer either the contract
for the leasing and demising of the
North Carolina Railroad by the
North Carolina Railroad Company to
the Richmond aud Danville Railroad
Company on the 11th day of Sep
| tember, 1871, or the said contract
for the leasing and demising of the
said railroad by the North Carolina
Railroad Company to the Southern
Railway Company, entered into on
January /, 1896, to any person or
foreign or domestic corporation.
Provision is also made that if the
court of final resort Shall decide the
lease referred to as void the governor
of the state, secretary of state and
treasurer shall constitute the board
to lease the North Carolina railroad
for period of twenty years provided
the capital stock owned by the state
in the company shall not in the
meantime have been sold. which the
three officers named are authorized
to do for sum of not less than ST.
100000 and subject to certain liens.
In an interview on the subject of
the North Carolina railway at Balti-
more yesterday President R. Curzon
Huffman of the Seaboard Air Line is
quoted as saying that he would be d
bidder for the first-named aud at the
expiration of the present lease in
: 1901, and that he would be willing
to pay larger rental than the one
proposed by the Southern Railway
Company.