The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-22
OFFICIALS COULDN'T AGREE.
MOVEMENT OF MUSTERED OUT
TROOPS NOT TO BE POOLED.

the General Passenger Agents OF
Local Lines-The AppOrtiOBment
Could Have Been Effected, 1t Was
said. II the Physical Division
Could Only Have Been Agreed Up
on-The Railroad Men Were Until
Midnight Trying to Manage That,
But One OF the Roads Would Not
Agree to the Terms TO which the
others Were Ready to submit-It
VIII Now BE War.
No apportionment will be made Of the
troops business among the railroads. The
statement is authoritative and was gain
cd from an official who attended the meet
ings of general passenger agents of the
local lines yesterday afternoon and last
night at the De Soto. All efforts to ar
rive at a conclusion were fruitless, and
the situation is just as II has always been,
with each lire out for all the business it
can get.
Yet the situation is not the same, for
complications have been brought in
through the refusal of the Georgia and
Alabama Railroad to longer consider itself
a party 20 an agreement which it claims
has been broken. The result, 1t is be-
ieved, will be that rates will not be main
| tanned, and that soldiers who are mus
| tered out hereafter will be able 10 reach
their homes at even ess than half fare
Traffic Manager Z. H. Hinton and Gen
eral Passenger Agent ]. c. Halle of the
Central General Passenger Agent A.
o. MacDonell and Assistant General Pas
senger Agent L. A. Shipman of the Flor
| ida Central and Peninsular, General
Freight and Passenger Agent A. Pope Of
the Georgia and Alabama and Passenger
Traffic Manager B. W. Wrenn and Chief
Clerk W. II. Leahy of the Plant System
were the local lines representatives at
| the meetings that we're held in the eff
| fort to agree TO a physical apportionment
! OF the business.
The issue at first was 10 decide to APP
| portion the business at all. At other
places the apportonment has been effect
| ed, and the roads have not been put to
the trouble and expense of working the
| regiments that have been mustered out
of the service At the afternoon meeting
it was practically determined to make
| pool II the right adjustment could be
| reached, end every line could be satisfied.
| 1t was therefore decided to hold a later
meeting for figuring up the percentage of
| the business to which each road might
be thought justly entitled, but there lay
| the rub
At $3.50 last night the meeting was called
to order again at the De Soto, and the
| general passenger agents resumed their
| deliberations. 1t did not take long to see
that the thing was difficult. Every road
seemed 20 think every other wanted more
than its share, though it is said three
could have come to terms without much
| trouble had il not been for the representa-
tives of one sticking to it that they were
entitled to more than the other lines were
ready to admit. If there could have been
about fom halves, one for each of the
local lines it is probable the division could
| have been settled
Eight regiments are here to be muster
ed out of the service, and that might APP
pear 10 offer a reasonable basis for the
division Of the business, but there are
other things to be considered, railroad
men say, than the simple division of eight
by four Two regiments to each line
would sound very nice and equitable, but
some of the lines think they would get
more than that by fighting, and will
therefore fight.
The territory to which regiment will
move and the advantages a particular
route may offer for reaching that terri
tory Were material for the thought of the
railroad men, and as there are four lines
and eight regiments representing three
or four distinct zones of territory. IL can
be seen that they were confronted with
complicated question. A PHILADELPHIA
lawyer would have been OF no assistance
to the officials in dealing with the Iznotty
problem.
At ten minutes to twelve the meeting adj
journed. Forty-seven soliciting agents.
more or less, were waiting around the
hotel to see what the outcome of the
meeting might be. 1t was to the general
sorrow of the crowd that the result was
announced. Interest was depicted on ever,,
face as the question, We'll did Won AZ
it?" was asked, and mournful look was
brought on by the answer in the mega
tive
The soliciting agents were all honing
that the meeting would serve to adiitst the
differences, and that the line thar has
! held aloof from the apportonment schema
! all along might be persuaded to come i'm
and be sociab!e. But the opinions of the
| officials of the line that would not consent
10 the arrangement had different IDEAS
from those of the officials of the other
| lines as TO their power, and they think
they will control a greater portion of lhe
| business than the other Zines give them
credit for.
The solicitation of business among the
| tasteful to the travelling and local passen-
ger men. who have been enga ged in It for
some days and an adjustment would
| please them more than anything they
| could think of just now. TO see all lines
but one call off reduced rates for the day
! of the muster out of a regiment was their
| fondest hope, but the business will not be
appor,ioned IN that or any other way. Ii
| win be fight TO a finish to see which line
| can set the biggest movement.
| Considerable feeling has entered into the
solicitation of the business. Some of the
| passenger men do not hesitate TO declare
that soldiers have got bonus to ride by
a certain route, and they say they have
| been told that similar arrangements have
been made by the same road foa other
movements. Be that as it may, the road
seems confident of its ability to get the
! business, and its hustling agents proposo
to continue the fight they have already
| made.
! With the muster out of the last of the
regiments now here. there will be no fur