Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1911-04-07
Friday, March 81, 1911.
JUDGE NEVILLE.

LII - NOAA
frantic effort being made by the
followers Of Major Vardaman to
make political capital out of the
fact that Judge ]. H. Neville was
asked to resign his position as
general counsel Of the Gulf &
Ship Island Railroad. The cause
Of Nh. Neville's separation
from the service" they are abso-
lutely sure, is the part taken by
that gentleman in matters per
tanning to a certain railroad pass,
bearing the now historic number
864. The men who are circu-
lating this report SO assiduously
would doubtless resent any in
situation that they enjoy the un-
holy confidence Of the officials of
a heartless railroad. and yet they
appear to know the exact cause
of certain changes in the man
agement of a railroad that has
been characterized by their be-
loved leader as a horrid o!d "oc-
topus," and it's president as a
man "who would walk across the
mouth of hell on a rotten plank
to grasp a dirty dollar"
Now the Beacon has never
sought a close heart to heart in
terview with an octupus, and SO
does not feel in position to inform
the public as to all Of its various
movements. But it does know
that the management of the Gulf
& Ship Island Railroad has been
in a decidedly unsettled condi-
ton for some time past, owing to
the severe illness Of Capt. ]. T.
Jones, its president, which ne
cessitated his withdrawal from
active management of the road,
and also to the death of Mr.. J.
A. Jones, his son, who up to the
time of his last illness. was in
active charge as his fathers sue
cessor. Both of these occur
rences naturally caused a de-
cided ''shake-up' in the manage
ment of the road, and in the
changes thus necessitated a pol
icy of retrenchment seems to
have been determined upon, in
which one or two Offices were
practically abolished. All this is
a matter of common knOWledg.
However, until those at present
in charge of the road decide to
take the Beacon into their conf
dence, this paper does not feel in
in position to state authoritative
ly whether the changes in the le-
gal department of that railroad
were the result of this policy of
retrenchment or not.
But if it be true that trip pass
864 did play an important part
in the transaction. it is difficult
to see how the friends of Major
Vardaman can make much CAPT.
tai out of it. Shortly after the
fac-simile of the pass appeared in
print, one of Major Vardaman's
stalWart defenders, a member Of
the state press, rushed into print
with the alarming information
that the reproduction of that pass
proved beyond all possible doubt
that a gigantic railroad conspira-
cy dark and devious" had been
cOncOcted, the purpose of which
was to encompass by foul means
the defeat of the People
Choice" who by the way has
been defeated for office decided
ly more often by the people than
he has been elected. Now, how
ever, if Judge Neville really
lost his position because of the
part he played in the pass Incl
dent. as the Vardaman men are
charging. does it not show abso-
lutely and undeniably that the
Gulf & Ship Island Railroad does
not intend to NEEDLE in politics,
and that it has no intention to
espouse the cause of any candi-
date for office, nor endeavor to