The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-11-03

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and Ship Island Railroad companies
have been the intended beneflciaries
of your able editorial. Especially is
this conviction impressed upon me
when it is known to all that our
circuit court meets here in short
time and that some important suits
are now pending in this county against
the Gulf and Ship Island and the
Alabama and Vicksburg railroads.
In the name of the people of Rankin
county. among whom have lived for
the greater part of my life, deny
that there is any undue prejudice on
the part of the people against these
railroads. On the other hand, these
railroad companies and their secret
agents are always singing throughout
the country their songs of hardships
and woes, and have actually produced
in the minds of the people the idea
that the railroads are deeply imposed
upon. They employ by the year a
man whose only business is to write
and print news favorable to the rail
roads. Not only is that 30, but in the
large cities the railroad companies
keep a number Of paid professio nal
jurors always sitting around the court
room, ready to get on any jury
they can.
I will now give some facts and
figures that speak for themselves,
and which will clearly show whether
or not the railroads are imposed
upon. Let us take for instance the
Alabama and Vicksburg railroad
which is supposed to be the poorest
railroad in the country and see what
these figures show. In 1892 the pres
ident of the Alabama and Vicksburg
railroad made sworn report to the
Mississippi railroad commission in
which he gave the total valuation of
all of its property at less than one
million dollars. From that time un-
til now the company has annually
pad to it's stockholders and bond
holders, dividends and interest on
more than three million dollars worth
of its stocks and bonds. In 1904 this
same railroad made sworn report to
the railroad commission in which it
gave its total valuation q nearly two
million dollars. So that it is seen
at glance that the value of this rail
road company's property within the
last twelve years has more than
doubled and at the same time has
annually paid to its stockholders
and bondbolders dividends and in
terest on more than three million
dollars Of stock and bonds. The
last annual report of this railroad
made under oath of its president for
the year 1904 shows that it paid out
during the year to its stockholders
and bondholders, from it's net earn.
ings above all expenses $213, 915 90,
and that in addition thereto it invest.
ed in peImanen5 improvements the
sum of $1r0, 789 70, and then still had
to its credit in its treasury cash sur.
plus of nearly half million dollars
Now let me illustrate little further
some of the tricks of this railroad
Starting twelve years ago
with property that was worth less
than a million dollars, it has been
paying div idends and interest to it's
and bondholders every
year on more than three million dol.
lars of stocks and bonds and the
road is now worth more than twice
W hat it was then, and has a cash
surplus in it's treasury of nearly half
a million dollars.
The freight on your type setting
machine which you have in your
office, from Connections to Brandon
was something like $27. 90, whereas
the same machine was shipped, from
Connecticut RICH by Brandon on to
Vicksburg at cost Of less than $16
This is only one of the many Unequal
tiles and discriminating against the
people Of Rankin county by this rail
road company. Instance after in
stance of the same kind could be
given, but it would only be consum-
ing space to prove that which is al
ready known to all.
At the town of Florence in Rankin
county, the railroad company will
place cars across the public road and
keep them there for hours at a time
and people coming from and to the
town must wait until it suits the
pleasure and good will of the railroad
company to move it's cars. Only re-
Gently the railroad company left its
cars standing across the public road
while it took its engine back to Plain,
several miles distant, to take up some
other cars, and the people who had