The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-12-13
MISSISSIPPI STATE
HAPPENINGS
ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM ALL
SECTIONS.
an EPITONE OF THE NEWS
Culled From Important Happenings
Throughout the State During the
Past Week and Reviewed in Brief
for Our Readers.
Railway Interest.

The most remarkable and unac-
countable interest in the various rail-
road projects under way in this state
and those in contemplation for which
charters have been recently secured is
being manifested by the big syndi-
Gates of the south and by railroad law
yers and financial syndicates of the
East.
This interest is just now taking the
shape of daily demands for copies OF
the new charters granted and for cop
les of all projects inaugurated during
the past twelve months. A peculiar
fact in connection with these demands
for copies is the secrecy manifested
by the parties seeking the information
and the determination to keep from
the public prints the names of the
firms desiring the information. Dur
ing the past thirty days not less than
twenty-five copies of railroad projects
have been ordered from the records
of the Secretary of States office.
With two or three exceptions these or
ders have come through lawyers or
through discreet typewriters evidently
employed by lawyers or railroad Off
cials, and who invariably are close
mouthed and refuse to divulge the
names Of their employers.
10 Oh hn ata ~
of the year there is an additional in
terest attached to these inquiries for
railroad information, which is suggest
ed by the fact that in January next
there will be annual meetings of di-
rectors and stockholders of all the
great railroads of the country, and
the inference is that the information
is desired for the use of these meet
ings.
During the year just closing Missis-
sippi has been battle-ground of rail
road maneuvering. The Hartman
coup in ousting President Fish from
control of the Illinois Central proper
ties is known to be for consolidation
purposes in which the Illinois Central
is to play an important part. Before
that event took place there was evi-
dence of the fact that the Illinois Cen
trail was bent on scheme of eXpan-
sion which contemplated the entire
control Of the terminals on the Mis-
sissippi Gulf Coast, the control Of the
Delta cotton traffic and a keen rivalry
in, If not control of the coal business
from the Birmingham and Kentucky
mines. Every move of the Southern
Railway was jealousy watched and
countered by the Central in Mississip-
pi, wherever the Southern made ar
attempt to break into the territory OF
the Central. In the Delta, for exam
pie, the projection of short branch
of the Southern up the Bogue Falaya
bottom was countered by a parallel
line of the Yazoo and Mississippi Val
ley, running up the opposite bank OF
the Bogue and down the Sunfower riv
er, parallelling the Southern only
branch In that direction.
In South Mississippi the Central
seems to have been perhaps more ac-
tive in countering the various project
ed lines in that section and the Good
year line in particular. In Southeast
Mississippi there are several projects
inaugurated each making for Gulf
coast terminals and seemingly backed
by hostile and competing lines. The
Goodyears are evidently bent on reach
ing into Gulfport from McComb City
or some point near there, and follow
ing their projected line came the an
nouncement Of another line from Gulf
port to Poplarville, making up toward
Natchez. The Mobile, Jackson and
Kansas City road has also been max
ing eyes at Pascagoula and hopes TO
get in there, while the Mississippi
Central followed that suggestion by
extending their Hattiesburg line tow
ard Pascagoula.
d. or nnn IT,