The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-02-12
Speaker Saunders Says the LegisIa-
ture Was Hoodooed,
LETTER FROM Mr.. WILLIAMS.
Hc Writes to the Governor, Frankly
Explaining w ny the Line Has
Not Been Constructed, and De-
fining the Company's Atti-
tude--Seaboard's Interest
i'll the r., .& L,

The failure of the Seaboard Air Line to
build the road from Richmond to Wash
inston. for which a charter was obtained
from the Legislature year ago, after Il
memorable fight, was made the subject
of severe criticism on the floor OF the
General Assembly yesterday
Speaker Saunders, of the House, de
clared that the Legislature was bun
coed and hoodceei'' when the charter
| was granted and the sale OF the States
| interest in the Richmond, Fredericksburg
! and Potomac ordered; Mr.. NeWhoISe
| thought the Legislature had been
| '.hypnotzed' by the lobbyists; Nh Ntc-
! Rae of Petersburg, said he thought the
! members who voted for the bills We're
| due an explanation from the promoters sl
| the proposed road as to why they had not
| carried out their contract; ANA Captain
! Parks maintained that the same in
| fluences that secured the enactment OF
| legislation desired by the Seaboard Air
| Line Il year ago were now at work TO
| effect it's repeal.
the subject was before both branches It
| came up in the form Of the three repeal
| bills which annul the acts of IL year ago.
| The Senate devoted only a few minutes to
! the consideration of these measures and
| put them aside to grapplc with the con-
| yention question, but the House spent
| nearly the whole day in this interesting
| debate. which viii be resumed to-day
Speaker Saunders made q vigorous
| speech for the passage of the repeal bills.
| and it was his harsh criticism of the cor
| porators for failing to comply with the
! charter and the amendment to the bill,
| offered by Mr.. Bowles, of Salem. that
! brought Colonel George Wayne Anderson
| to his feet to defend the corporators and
| to explain why the work of building the
| new road had not been commenced.
LETTER FROM MR. WILLIAMS.
| The most interesting feature of the dis
| cussion. next to the speech of Speaker
| Saunders was the submission by Colonel
Anderson OF a letter from President John
| Shelton Williams explaining why the line
| to Washington had not been built, and
| expressing the Willingness of himself and
+! associates for the Legislature to pass the
| repeal bills The letter of Mr.. Williams
| is interesting from many points of view.
| not the least of which is the explanation
| he gives of what the relation of the Sea-
| board to the Richmond, Fredericksburg
| and Potomac will be in the future He
also says he would be glad to buy the
| States holdings in the Richmond. Fred
| ericksburg and Potomac at 800 per share.
| Mr. Williams letter, Il copy of which
| Colonel Anderson read. is addressed TO
| Governor Tyler. 1t is as follows:
February Il. 1901.
| His Excellency ]. FIose Tyler, Governor
of Virginia. Richmond:
Ny Dear Sir,-A year ago. with Mr.
| James II. Doo!ey, Mr.. j. William Mid
dendorf, and other gentlemen associated
! with us, in behalf of the Seaboard Air
! Line system [ made application to the
| Legislature of Virginia for charter to
| enable US to construct new line from
| Richmond, the northern terminus Of our
| system, to Washington.
| Applications for charters for such works
| of internal Improvement are generally
| granted without hindrance. but our ap-
| plication met with opposition on account
| of the apprehension which was felt that
| the construction of such a line would
| prove injurious to the Richmond, Freder-
| icksburg and Potomac Railroad. whose
| line it was proposed TO parallel (in which
| road the State is largely interested as a
| stockholder), as it was thought the con-
| struction of such 4 road wclrll depreciate
! the States holdings of Richmond, Fred
| ericksburg and Potomac stock.
! The granting of the charter was, there
| fore, coupled with a provision which re-
| CURED the incorpOrators' OF the Richmond
| and Washington line TO purchase or offer
to purchase, at not less than TWO hundred
| dollars per share, the stock Of the Rich
| nond Fredericksburg and Potomac Rail
road owned by the State, which the Sink
ing Fund Commissioners were, by Il spec
| ial act, directed to sell at public sale.
THE BOND REQ QUIRED.
! Before the passage of the charter tns
! incorporators were also required to give
| an earnest of their good faith by deposit
| ing with the Governor OF Virginia GER
| titled check for $4,000 and the act of in
| corporation also required them, within
! thirty days after the passage of the bill.
to give a bond, satisfactory TO the State,
| of $4,000, as guarantee that they would
! meet all the requirements of the act re-
| lating to this charter The deposit OF
| s50oGG was promptly made, and the bond
| for $40, $50 duly given.
! Under the act as passed it was provided
| that If we should refuse to offer two hun
| dred dollars psr share for the States
! stock when the same should be put up
| for sale in accordance with the terms Of
| the charter the charter should become
| void and of no effect. and the check for
! $4,000 and the bond for $1,000 should be
| forfeited to the State
| II. however we should bid $500 per share
/ when the stock should be offered for
| sale and the State should have the op-
! portunty of selling it at that price. then
| the Richmond and Washington charter
/. would become Immediately operative. and
! the incorpora tors would have eighteen
/ months in which to begin the road and
| five years in which to complete 1t.
1 Prior TO making application for this
| charter we had received assurances from
| two important connecting trunk lines
/ that If we should succeed in securing the
! charter they would gladly join us in the
! expense of building and operating the
! road from Richmond to Washington. Pre-
/ Iiminary steps for the construction of
! this road had been taken before appli-
| cation for a charter was made to the
| LEGISLATURE. and the line had been sur
veyed and partly located-this survey and
J the preliminary steps having been made
| at the joint expense OF the Seaboard Air
| Line and the two railroads above referred
MADE II. GOOD FAITH.
Our application for this charter was