The Tupelo journal., 1913-07-25
MISSISSIPPI RAILROADS INVOLVED

A bill in Chancery has been filed in be-
half of the State of Mississippi in Coahoma
county at Clarksdale for the purpose of bring
ing about enforcement of the Illinois Central
and Yazoo and Mississippi Valley railroads and
the custer of the roads as domestic corpora
tions of the state.
The bill also seeks to p~enalize the roads
in the sum of $50, 900, 900 for violating the
antitrust law of the state. This movement on
the part of Attorney General Ross Collins has
been anticipated since the decision by the Su-
preme Court of the United States dissolving
the merger of the Union and Southern Pacif.
les. Parallel conditions exist in the case OF the
ABSORPTION of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley
by the Illinois Central about twenty years ago.
The l. c., by the purchase of this road was
placed in position to dictate practically all
of the freight and passenger business between
Memphis and New Orleans on the east side of
the Mississippi river.
1t is claimed that the interests of the Y.
& M. V. has all along been subrogated to that
of the l. C. main line and that the Mississip-
pi Delta has not received the service to which
it is entitled since the two roads were merged.
Upon the success of this suit may also de-
pend a similar suit to dissolve the merger of
the l. c.. and the Chesapeake and Ohio. north
of Memphis The latter road was taken
oyer by the l. Q. for the purpose of securing
the connecting link necessary to form a COM
plete line for the l. C. via Memphis to New
Orleans.
The bill also seeks to throw both roads in
to the hands of a receiver and GUST them en-
tirely as domestic corporations.
The Indictment by the Kinds county grand
jury of Leroy T. Taylor, of Verona, came as
a complete surprise to the people of the state
who were satisfied that Mr.. Taylor had been
guilty of no wrong doing as a trustee of the
state penitentiary. The grand jury, however,
returned the indictment upon the ground that
the members of the Board of Trustees had
been derelict in their duties and had left to
Lawrence Yerger the performance of certain
duties which the law required of them. TAX
ing this view the indictment was returned
against the trustees. In all matters coming
up affecting the penitentiary, Mr.. Taylor has
called for a full and searching investigation
and has demanded that a complete investiga-
ton be made. Conscious of no wrong doing
on his part he believed that others could be
trusted and misplaced his confidence. While
he may have failed in some degree to perform
all the duties the law required of him. yet,
there is no suspicion in any quarter that he
was guilty of malfeasance.
The Standard Oil Company, of New Jer-
sey, has paid to the state of Texas the sum
of $500, 900 as a penalty for violation of the
Texas antitrust law. The settlement was a
compromise of the penalties which amounted
to $102, 161 900. Texas has successfully
handled her cases where the state instituted
custer proceedings and penalized corporations
for the violation of her anti trust laws. Her
treasury has several times been enriched by
large amounts paid in by the Standard Oil
Company. Waters-Pierce Co.. and other cor
porations.
Effective on August 18th, the maximum
weight of parcel post packages will be 20 pounds
instead of II pounds. A material reduction in
the nOstal rate in the first and second zonas will