The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1902-05-22
A MELANGE OF
LIVE TOPICS
Penned for Journal Readers
by a Local Scribe.
INPRACTICABLE.


victs from their lessees and employ
them to construct railway from
Atlanta to Savannah so as to form.
with the Western and Atlantic, a
through line from Chattanooga to
to the sea appears to the writer to
be an impracticable one.
In the first place the age of
short Independent lives of rail-
ways has passed. Giant combines,
which through their connections
are able to control through traffic
and effectually throttle shcrt lines
with no connections, are now the
order of the day. The argument.
that the ocean cannot be syndi-
Gated and that Savannah can be
reached by vessels from the great
commercial cities Of the east and
thus, with the proposed railroad
in operation, low rates could be
obtained for the people of Geor-
gia, and at the same time the
value of the Western and Atlantic
railway maintained, has not much
weight. Steamship fines are now
being syndicated the same as rail-
roads, and in every such case pas
senger and freight rates, especial
ly by Atlantic liners, have been
greatly increased. The state of
Georgia would have to own and
operate ships IN order to control
rates to aud from this state, and
even then it would be so handi-
capped by determinations made
against it's agencies by powerful
combines, that it's service would
probably be conducted with a
pocitiye loss to the state. Sup
pose goods are to be shipped from
Plttsburg, Saint Louis, Chicago
and Cincinnati to Augusta in this
state with directions that they be
sent to some northern port and
then forwarded by the state's
steamers to Savannah, The north
ern railroads and steamship COM
blnes would be enabled to freeze
out" such an arrangement by
charging higher rates for goods
sent by other than their own lines.
Even after Savannah had been
reached combine rates would be
charged from that city to Augusta.
The only cases in which the
Georgia Railway and steamship
line could be operated success
fully would be where goods would
be purchased in Boston, New
York, Philadelphia or Baltimore
and delivered i'll towns lying on
the Savannah, Atlanta and Chat
tanooga railroad. The revenues
derived from this restricted traffic
would not nearly pay the state
expenses of operating the state
properties. Of .course the w. & A..
would get no goods sent say from
Cincinnati to New Orleans.
In the second place the state s.
finances are not in q condition to
lose the heavy revenue for several
years to come derived from the
lease of the convicts. Not only
would this revenue be lest but the
state would be put to the extra
expense of providing for the con-
victs which duty now devolves up
on the lessees. The support, in
GLIDING medium attention and in
cidentals, of from three to four
thousand persons would be a
very serious undertaking. If
this scheme is undertaken by
the state higher taxes will
certainly result. There is already
a deficit in the treasury which
seems to be constantly increasing.
The time is certainly not favor
able for branching out into new
paths of expenditures. The writ
er notes that an application for a
new charter for railway to ex-
tend between Atlanta and Savan-
nah has been made by private
persons. This is the proper solu-
ton of the matter. The state
should sell the w. & A. before it
too much in value.
Governor Gambler makes dire
threats against the railroads if
they combine and injure the
states property, but his opposi-
ton will be unavailing. The
millionaires of the country cam
not be prevented from buying in
the open market railway shares
and combining these corporations
IN fact though allowing them to
retain their old names and be op-
Grated independently. There is
nothing illegal in this and the
courts cannot interfere. 1t would
be otherwise if a merger under one
name and management should be