Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-03-14
Interesting Interview With Mr.. j. W.
Sheffield on the Railroad Situa-
atiOn---RaiIrOadS Should Fulfil
Their Obligations to the Public,
But Public Should Not Institute
CeaSeIeSS Attacks on Them
Tendency VIII Be to Drive Away
Investments from This Section.

and the Seaboard Air Line for some
years as director, and was largely
instrumental in the location of the
railroad shops at Americas, fears that
the constant attacks upon railroads and
other corporations now being made
throughout the country will have
very serious effect upon business ifnot
checked, and probably interfere con-
s1derably with the further railroad de-
velopment of this section.
Mr. Sheffield is no longer largely in
terested in railroads financially, and
has no official connection with any of
them. His long and intimate relations
with such enterprises in the past,
though, make his views of peculiar
interest at this time.
President Garrett, of the Seaboard in
an interview few days ago expressed
the belief that if the anti-railroad agi-
tation continued the corporations would
be unable to secure money to carry out
their extensive plans of improvement,
and that there was also serious danger
to those whose money was already in
vested in railroad securities of depreci-
alton in their value.
ST am naturally inclined to be very
conservative in my views" said Mr..
Sheffield yesterday afternoon, in dis
GUESSING the situation, ''but I cannot
help feeling that there is solid foun-
dalton for the grave fears that President
Garrett and other railroad leaders are
expressing. There seems to be very
hostile feeling to the railroads through
out the country. In a large measure, I
fear, this sentiment of opposition to
such corporations has had it's origin in
politics, and has been part of that
game as it is nowadays played. [ do
not condone anything that the man
ayers of railroads may have done that is
inimical to the interests Of the general
public, but cannot help feeling, from
dispassionate survey of the situation,
that there has been much exaggeration
for the purpose Of infiaming the public
mind.
THAT this should be done is certain
ly very regrettable. The railroads
should be required to give good and
satisfactory service and carry out their
obligations toward the public, but it
is not necessary to ceaselessly Eassail
them as the enemy of the people, de-
stroy confidence in them, and prevent
them from extending their lines or
broadening the scope of their opera
tons.
The South Needs Railroads.
'We should not forget in the South
that we are still in a comparatively un-
developed land, that there are still vast
areas of the South deprived of the adj
vantages of good railroad facilities,
and that it should be our purpose to
draw capital to this portion of the
| country rather than to drive it away.
If we can induce northern and western
capitalists to invest millions of dollars
here in the building of new railroads is
any policy of wholesale attacks on cor
porations that will drive such invest
ments away? That is the position that
/ have always taken. / wish 20 see
more money brought into the South for
it's upbuilding. / would like to see
hundreds of miles of new railroads
built in Georgia every year. 1t would
mean not only the expenditure of mil
lions of dollars here, but the opening
up of the country for farmers, vast
increase IN the value of our lands, the
steady growth of our towns and cities,
aud great demand for labor, affording
profitable employment to our young
men.
81 sincerely hope that there will be
some reaction before this spirit of an
| tagonism has gone so far as to entirely
deprive us of new investments along
| these lines. [ do not approve of any
thing that has been done that is wrong
by managers of railroads, nor do I
think there is not always room for i'm
provement, but / do not believe that
we are going to benefit ourselves by
raising a tremendous hue and cry
against railroads and other corpora
tons, and beginning warfare against
them in every city, county and State,
as well as at Washington.
Regulation of railroads is one thing
but persecution is distinctly differ