The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-20
Great Railroad Consultations
BY WILLIAM RYAN.

Great railroad consultations forerun-
ners of the trusts and combines. have
much in their favor. Had the old Rich
mond and Danville. which was the parent
of the Southern Railway. been prevented
by legislation from absorbing other roads.
large part of the south would have re-
NAMED for years undeveloped. remem-
Der when the Richmond and Danville ran
only as far south as Charlotte, N. c. In
going from Richmond to Atlanta. about
ESQ miles. one had to change cars twice.
In 1877, expansion began. The old road
soon grew into a system. The stock was
well watered. The first cry Of opposition
to the expansion policy was heard when
the Richmond and Danviile got control
of the Virginia Midland. which ran from
Danville to Washington by the way of
Lynchburg. The people of Richmond pro-
tested because they feared that some of
the North Carolina trade which the local
line had been carrying to their city would
be diverted to Baltimore, and the people
living in the section through which the
Midland passed protested on general prin-
cipals. The Richmond and Danville was
being called an octopus, and Virginians
at that time thought they had no use for
octopuses But expansion continued In
spite of prot ests, and 1t was not long be-
fore the Richmond and DanvilIe's Biz
mingham branch. known as the Georgia
Pacific. was completed.
A Baltimore Connection.
In 1880 or thefeabouts, the octopus
bought the York River road, running
from Richmond to West Point, Va, forty
odd miles, where boat connection was
had with Baltimore. The Richmond and
Danville company applied to the city
council of Richmond for the right to lay
few hundred yards of track so as to join
the two properties and thus save dray-
age. Then legal fight began, which In
the light of today would have been very
amusing. The teamsters. to the number
of seven or eight, who had been hauling
the through traffic from the Richmond
and Danville cars to the York River cars
organized and employed counsel to bring
an injunction suit and prevent, II posi-
BILE, what appeared to them to be nothing
less than a high-handed scheme to ruin
their business.
One of the brightest lights Of the bar
argued earnestly and eloquently in behalf
of the teamsters He declared that the
wicked things. They were not only about
to crush an established business, that of
hauling cotton and peanuts from one yard
to another, but If trains were allowed to
rur through to West Point, Richmond
would be reduced to a way station. The
injunction was not granted. and the two
roads were spliced. The -teamsters did
not go out of business, but looked up new
customers, Richmond was not side-track-
ed. On the contrary the expansion of the
Richmond and Danville proved to be of
great benefit to the town.
The road had got too large to be con-
trolled by a Virginia syndicate, and for
ten years it was a Wall Street football.
Along about 1890 it became bankrupt
and in 1892 or SO it was reorganized by
Pierpont Morgan under the title of the
Southern.
Sound Business Policy.
with Mr.. Samuel Spencer as president,
and Mr.. Morgan as financial hacker, a
sound business policy for developing
the property and the territory traversed
by the Southern system was at once
adopted and this policy was steadfastly
adhered to.
New lines were added from time to time,
and today the Southern Railway COM
pany owns or controls, either directly
or through the medium of the banking
house Of Morgan & Co.. indirectly. not
less than 25. 600 miles,
Two years ago 1t was suspected and
rumored that the Southern interests"
were about to acquire the Louisville and
Nashville. Nothing came of the rumors.
But week ago, when few people were
thinking of the Louisville & Nashville
changing hands, it passed from the con-
troll of the Belmont-Rothchilds' syndi-
cate to John w. Gates, and from Gates to
Morgan & Co.