The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-10-06

Concord, N. H. October 3.-Former
Senator William E. Chandler tonight
issued a signed statement, upon the
railroad rate question in reply to re-
marks by President Samuel Spencer. of
the Southern Railway, published in the
morning newspapers. Mr.. Chandler
says:
Mr. Spencers general statement
is that nothing but broad and legiti-
mate facts. conditions and arguments
concerning railroad rate legislation
have been presented to Congress and
the public by the railroad
while none of that character has been
advanced by the other side. so there
IS nothing as yet which needs answer.
The egOtlsm and cOnceit of Mr.
Spencer in thus dealing with q great
question shows the worthlessness OF
his general utterance.
Particularly. however. he does de-
ny hat the Jim Crow cars have ever
Deen IN any sense a factor in the argu-
ment on his side. But he does this
IN the face Of the statement mad
by the Macon Telegraph that the bill
must be resisted on the Jim Crow car
ground, saing. If there were no other
reason for opposing the scheme to con
centrate this. OWe in Washington
The Telegraph would oppose it on this
single ground and the statements OF
the Charleston Post THAT appeals
are being made cleverly enough by
the railroads and that the southern
people are quickly moved by play upon
their prejudices. and thisis being talk
en- advantage of in the treatment OF
the Jim Crow question:
In view of these statements, MIR
SDencer's denial is incorrect, and he
had better deal with these newsDa-
DerS and leave Mr.. Chandler alone for
a time.
Mr.. Spencer also says that in his
address before the manufacturers con
VentiOn at Atlanta in May he did not
use the Jim Grow car argument and
that it vas not used before the con-
~vention:. Indeed Mr.. Chandler never
thought of saying hat it was publicly
used. but that it was the argument
privately used ne believes and con-
tinues to assert. 1t was no more in
public evidence than the free passes
which were used to control the owen
ton.
THAT Mr.. Samuel Spencer made any
pen appeal to the convention Mr..
Chandler never knew till now. SHCh
an appeal was not necessary; the Jim
Crow car argument or free passes and
other similar agencies had done the
deadly work. and the natural voice Of
the convention was smothered.
This Atlanta convention was hell
on May 1st. On May % Mr.. Chandler
said in the Washington Post that Mr..
Spencer, the strongest railroad ana
ger Intellectually in the country, had
been designated to make the issue
with the President and that Mr.. Spen-
Ger would attempt to consolidate the
south against legislation by the jim
Grow car argument.
-Four months elapsed before Mr..
Spencer made any denial whatever.
Now he SAYS he did not use the arsu-
ment: 1t was not used before the con-
vention and he has never used or re-
ferred to il elsewhere.
That it was not used publicly be-
fore the convention Mr.. Chandler al
mits. AS to the denial Mr.. SpenCers
memory is conveniently in eclipse. AL
though he has not yet referred and re-
piled to the jim Grow arguments OF
The Telegraph and Post and other
southern newspapers. there is yet time
before Congress- meets" *