The Savannah morning news., 1904-02-02

nership in the ordinary sense of the
word, is not clear to them; that if such
an arrangement may be called a part
nership it is a peculiar one, since it is
limited, by Mr.. Finley's statement to
one-twelfth of the income of the road,
and doubtless from the standpoint of
a partnership is much more greatly
limited in other directions.
Further, Mr.. Crandall states: These
gentlemen desire me to state that even
granting your contention regarding the
partnership relation, that your incon-
sistency would not be more marked in
declining to enter into other joint
through traffic relations than it is at
present in declining to enter into this
one traffic relation of interchangeable
mileage. The fact that you are al
ready a member of the Central Pas
senger Association, where, if you are
correct, all the conditions to which
you object exist, makes it more diff
cult for us to recognize the consistency
of your position.
Replying to your second reason: The
National Board feels that since the
interstate commerce law was so amend
ed, through the efforts of the associ-
alton, as to make the sale of mileage
books legal, that your fear of charge
of unjust discrimination is one not
warranted by any of the conditions
now existing. They would further call
your attention to the fact that in any
event the charge of discrimination is
only one of degree. The fact that you
sell a mileage book at all at a reduced
rate is as marked a discrimination
from your standpoint as would be the
case, admitting the extreme conditions
which you mention.
Not
Replying to your fourth reason con-
corning insolvent lines l am instruct
ed to call your attention to the fact
that you are drawing your COMPARE
sons between the disadvantages of an
antiquated system of interchangeable
mileage and the advantages of your
individual system If you would make
the same comparison between your
system and the practical and improv-
ed methods now in use in other asso-
ciations the objections which you
raise would fall of their own weight
since other conditions exist. The fact
that you retain your membership in
the Central Passenger Association
would Indicate that no such condition
exist there.
Replying to your fifth reason, the
same condition is apparent. Under a
well organized bureau the sale OF
mileage books would be in the hands
of railroads only as agents of the in
Interchangeable bureau, to which they
would remit, and of which the South
ern Railway would be a member"
All of the other reasons advanced
are replied to, and Mr.. Crandall closes
his letter by saying: ut is with regret
that we find that a careful analysis
of your letter fails to give US any
reason for your failure to enter a plan
of interchangeable mileage other than
that you do not care to grant a re-
quest made by an association which
represents certainly the majority OF
the commercial travellers, jobbers and
manufacturers who patronize your
line.
The opinion of the national board
as well as that of the chairman of the
National Railroad Committee, is that
you have failed to advance amy rea-
son, which, put to the practical test of
the greatest good, to the greatest
number, will stand before the single
proposition that the patrons of the
railroads of the Southeast are entitled
to interchangeable mileage, a system
that has stood the test of actual use,
and, therefore, is neither a theory nor
an experiment, but a necessity, in all