Weekly news. (Savannah, Ga.) 187?-1894, May 14, 1881, Page 4, Image 4

Previous Page Next Page

Clip Visible Area View Page Text View PDF

Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by Farris Cadle.

Newspaper Page Text4 SUBSCRIPTIONS. Weekly News, one year 52 00 WkeklyNews, six months 1 00 Daily News, one year, 810 00; six months, 85 00; three months, ?3 50. Tri Weekly News, one year, 86 00; six months, $3 90; three months, $1 50. Southern Farmer’s Monthly, one year, 82 00; six months, $1 00. Southern Farmer’s Monthly and Weekly News, one year, 83 50. All subscriptions payable in advance. Papers by mail are stopped at the expiration of th time paid for without further notice. Subscribers will please observe the dates on their wrappers. RATES OF ADVERTISING. Ten linos make a square—a line averages seven words. Advertisements, per square, one insertion S 3 00; two insertions $3 00; three insertions 84 50; four insertions 86 CO; eight insertions $0 00; thirteen insertions 811 25; twenty-six insertions $lB 00; or.e year $29 20. r.oeal and Reading notices double above rates. Liberal discounts made to large advertisers. Marriages, Funerals and Obituaries $1 00 pet square. Legal advertisements of Ordinaries, Sheriffs and other officials inserted at the rate pre scribed by law. Remittances can be made by Post Office Order, Registered Letter or Express, at our risk. CORRESPONDENCE. Correspondence solicited; but to receive atten tion, letters must be accompanied by a responsible name, not for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. A letters should be addressed to J. H. ESTILL, Savannah, Ga. SATURDAY. MAY U, 1881. Registered at tlie Post Office In Sa vannah as Second Class Platter. Important to Agents anil Postmast ers. The price of the Weekly News for one year s 82, wo pay the postage. Weekly News and Farmer's Monthly for one year $3 50, we pay the postage also. Commissions allowed will be found in our circulars to agents, which, with posters, blanks, sample copies, etc., will be sent free of charge on application. Where no cash commission is desired by agents, the Weekly News or Farm er's Monthly will be sent one year for every five subscribers at $2 00 each. Subscriptions always payable in advance. Money can be placed on deposit with us by agents, and the names of subscribers can be forwarded to us as received on postal cards, thus saving the agent quite a sum in postage Many of our agents now do this, and we think it an excellent plan. In such cases care should be taken not to go beyond the deposit made. Balance to credit of any agent will be returned on giving notice to that effect. Remittances can be made by post office order, registered letter, drafts on New York or Su, 'annah, or by express. In such cases we assume responsibility for any loss. We take no risk on money sent by ordinary mail, but our experience is that small amounts are usually safe if sent in a well sealed and plainly directed envelope. Postage Stamps, for fractional parts cf a dollar, where the fractional currency can not be obtained, will be received by us at face value when sent in one, two or three cent stamps. Where stamps of a larger denomina tion than three cents are sent us, or for a larger amount than that named, we will re turn them to the sender. Please do not forget this. Agents should be particular in writing names plainly. Care in this respect wil save us much time in deciphering illegible writing, and pre vent many annoying and unavoidable mistakes. Names and places familiar to writers are not so to us, and much valuable time is lost in try ing to make thorn out, which a little care on the part of the writer would render unneces sary. All letters should be addressed to J. 11. ESTILL, No. 3 Whitaker street, Savannah, Ga. Postmasters Will please remind subscribers to the Weekly News that they are authorized to receive and forwaid subscriptions. Quite a number of renewals can be secured at this time, by simply calling the attention of subscribers to the fact that their subscriptions will soon expire. An international art exhibition will be held in Vienna in 1883. The reso lution was finally adopted a few weeks since, at a meeting of the. society of artists, attended by two hundred mem bers and under the Presidency of Herr Makart. It was at the same time re solved to extend the Kunstlerhaus or permanent exhibition building. It was stated that the subscriptions to the guar antee fund, the amount of which was put down at 100,000 florins, had now reached 310,000 florins. Among the contributions ivas one of 10,000 florins from the city of Vienna. According to Ingersoli an infidel is a “man who has made an intellectual ad vance.” In that case the New York Post, reasons that Ingersoli himself is not an infldel. There is no evidence that he has made any intellectual advance what ever. His arguments and his illustra tions were old and threadbare before he was born, lie interests his audiences by an honest hardihood of utterances and a certain rhetorical dash and glitter, and by these ouly. Even that ultra radical organ, the Chicago Tribune, cannot justify the star route thieves. It is forced to admit that even if they did send a portion of their money to Indiana to purchase that State for the Republican?, it does not lessen the enormity of their crimes. The Tribune is right. To the contrary, it is but an exaggeration of their crimes. The advocates of speculative insurance in Pennsylvania are growing desperate in their attempts to defeat the legislation designed to prohibit the nefarious trade. A meeting is proposed to devise a plan of operations, and even the raising of a corruption fund is hinted at. One of the provisions of a bill prepared for introduction into the Massachusetts Legislature makes it the duly of every hotel or restaurant using oleomargarine on its tables to put up a notice, in a con spicuous place, “Oleomargarine served here.” Congressman elect Paul addressed a Readjuster meeting in Luray, Va., last iionday. He is quoted as saying, “Next fall we will have the Federal patronage to aid us, and then we will settle the debt as we please. ” The New Orleans Picayune suggests that since Postmaster Tyler, of Balti more, was removed from office for kiss ing one of his lady clerks, his successor will take warning and devote himself exclusively to the mails. A lecture on Sarah Bernhardt in San Francisco recently was delivered before a slim audience. That was in strict ac cordance with the eternal fitness of things. Immigrants are pouring into the coun try through New York at the rate of 18,000 a week. The money they bring averages SIOO each. The Alleged Bad Treatment of Immigrants in Georgia. A short time since, as our readers will remember, we published a statement made by a correspondent from Cochran to the effect that certain German immi grants, all mechanics, who recently landed in New York, had, upon their arrival, entered into an engagement with the Georgia Land ana Lumber Company through an agent of said company; that they came to this city en route to their place of destination, and, both on the voyage and while here, received-the kindest treatment, and were greatly elated over their prospects, but that after leaving here they were taken to Mcßae, and from there were driveu out in the coun try several miles, placed in leaky shan ties and left to shift for themselves for two days, during which lime they saw no one at all; and after this treatment they were told to go to work and cultivate a piec of ground, and that negotiations looking to a sale of the property to them, upon easy terms, would be entered upon at some future time. Being mechanics, however, and knowing nothing of plant ing, they declined to agree to this proposition, and, claiming that the con tract made with them in New York had uot been carried out, they left in dis gust. This is the gist of the statement made by our Cochran correspondent, although his letter presented the case iu a much worse light than we gave it. It will also be remembered that when we published the above statement we distinctly stated that we had little doubt that the bad treat ment complained of had been exaggerated, and that it could be satis factorily explained. We were led to this conclusion by the fact that Georgia desires an influx of thrifty and industri ous immigrants to settle up and develop her waste places, and that, therefore, it would be the height of folly to drive off such immigrants by carelessness, bad treatment, or lack of consideration for their interests. Besides this, we knew that the many prosperous German citizens already living amongst us were ready and willing to extend a huspitable welcome to their compatriots desirous of changing their homes, and we were sure that they would not consent to the strangers being neglected. It seems that our conclusions based upon this reasoning were correct. We have been shown a letter received by a prominent merchant of this city from the Superintendent of the aforesaid company a few days since, alluding to the com plaints set forth by our correspondent and setting the company right in the matter. He says that the fare from New York to the camps of the company iu Telfair county was paid by the company for the whole party of immigrants under contract with them. Shelter was provided them, not in shan , ties, but in comfortable houses, such as are ordinarily used ia that section of coun try by small farmers; provisions were furnished in abundance, and after they were located they werrf offered land, by the cultivation of which they could, al most from the start, have made a com fortable livelihood, since they had a mar ket right at their very doors, as the com pany was ready to buy from them, at the highest prices, whatever they produced. The gentleman further goes on to say that a complete refutation of the state ment made to our correspondent is to be found in the gradual return of all the discontented ones, while the well known name of Hon. William E. Dodge, Presi dent of the company, and his high standing in the commercial world is, of itself, a sufficient guarantee that he would not allow anything with which his name is connected to be so conducted as to leave unpon any transaction the least taint of suspicion or misrepresenta tion. We most cheerfully publish the above denial of the complaint made to us, and have no doubt of its substantial verity, not only because it is to the manifest in terest of the company to induce immi gration to their lauds, but because of the following corroboration of the Superin tendent’s statement, which we find in the Wiregnm Watchman. Alluding to our article, that paper says: “The truth of the matter, when sifted, is simply this: The Georgia Land and Lumber Company had erected ou each fifty acres of a number of lots of land, good, ueat and substantial two room houses —far better than a majority of our good citizens occupy—and gave the said immigrants the choice of either im proving the said fifty acres at once or working for them at far better wages than they can command iu ‘their shops’ North, until they might become able to make the necessary improvements, they meanwhile occupying the houses erected for their accommodation and having a fair time to pay for their homes. These immigrants, had they been disposed to labor, could Irave netted a salary of fifty dollars per month in the employ of the said company, as many negroes here are earning more.” It will be seen that this puts a very different appearance upon the matter than it, at first, bore, and we are very glad that it has so resulted. Our object iu making the publication, iu the first place, was simply to give the company an opportunity to justify themselves, w r e holding that while such complaints are beiug circulated, it would be far better to have them known and refuted than otherwise. Discontented persons spreading broadcast injurious reports of such character can always do much harm if the press is sileut, and no meaa3 are taken to offset their statements. By publishing them, however, public attention is called to them, and if they can be successfully refuted, as iu this instance, great good will be effected. Immigrants desiring to settle iu Georgia, or to make contracts with the Land aud Lumber Company aforesaid, will, seeing this refutation, be slow hereafter to believe the injurious reports, and will, at any rate, receive them with a large allowance of salt. We feel safe in assuring all such immigrants that nowhere in the country will they have better prospects for the future than in the Sunny South, and nowhere in the South than iu this Empire State of Georgia. In 1883 the planet Venus will make a transit across the sun’s disc, which will be visible throughout the whole of North America. Astronomers are already mak ing preparations for the observations of this transit, which will be the greatest astronomical event anticipated in this quarter of the globe during the present century. THE SAVANNAH WEEKLY NEWS, SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1881 Gambling ia Human Life. The craze for speculation in life in surance policies which has seized upon the people of Pennsylvania >s certainly a most singular mania, and i;s growing to so tremendous and alarming extent that the grand jury of one county (Dauphin) has had its attention called to the sub ject, while the State Legislature has under consideration a measure looking to its suppression. The manner in which this speculation is carried on is one of the most remark able features connected with it. It is done by means of “Mutual Aid Compa nies” which, under the offer of cheap in surance, have made themselves popular, and the strange part of all is that the more rapidly tire insured die off, the more profitable it is for the companies. This "most ingenious paradox” is thus explained. The extremely sick and aged are paid a small consideration to induce them to take out a policy, and assign it in blank, This policy is then sold to the highest bidder, who buys it ou speculation. When a death occurs, all those holding policies, whether by purchase or otherwise, in the “co opera tive companies” are assessed to make up the sum due, which sum is divided be tween the fortunate purchaser of the “lucky” policy and the managers of the compauy, the latter retaining from 35 to 50 per cent, of the amount as charges for their services. The policy holders who pay the assessments are the losers, but as each one expects, sooner or later, to profit by the death of the party upon whose life he or she holds his or her policy, the assessments are always paid promptly. Os course the unlucky specu lator in this transaction is the man whose “subject” lives longer than it was calcu lated when the policy was purchased. We see it stated by a Philadelphia paper,the Press, that the amount of funds squandered in this way is incalculable. The scheme appeals strongly to the cu pidity of the more ignorant, who see iu it a splendid chance of making a fortune at little risk. They there fore take policies right and left, and are impoverished in a few months by their efforts to meet the assessments, which come in on them at a rate they had never been led to expect. Large sums of money have thus been paid by men which were sorely needed to feed and clothe their families. In this way this co-operative insurance business car ries with it all the evils of speculation and of gambling, with others peculiar to itself. It is impossible to conceive of any more degrading depth to which the love of money, or the mania to get rich with out labor, can lead a man. Yet it is stated that in Pennsylvania, where this traffic in blood is being carried on, all classes of the people are not only coun tenancing, but actively entering into the speculations, while the policies are open ly and shamelessly sold at public outcry and on the streets, not of interior towns alone, but even upon those of Philadelphia. We read that even the Executive Chair is paralyzed by the se ductive attractions of these investments, aud the law-making power is really part and parcel of the evil itself. In conse quence, the legitimate effects of the practice are already manifesting them selves, for, - from the same paper from which we make the above •extinct, we see that among the interesting inci dents which the investigation of thi.- business has developed is that of a doctor insuring a patient under his charge, and an undertaker a man for whom he has been called to measure for a coffin. A son in one instance insured his dead father, and six cases have been brought to light where the insured have been murdered by these holding assignments of their policies. Some of these offenders have been brought to justice, but the so called insurance companies are not interested in prosecuting them, though called to pay the policies which have been dyed deep with fraud and crime. The “barbarous and poverty-stricken South” has great cause to congratulate herself that this infamous practice does not exist within her borders, but is con fined to the enlightened and wealthy North. Barbarous she may be, but may the Almighty ever protect her from becom ing civilized (?) in this way, and may she continue poverty stricken to all eter nity ere she consents to gain riches by shameless speculations upon the lives ot the aged, infirm and unfortunate. Several of the female Mormon con verts, who recently reached Castle Gar den, have surrendered to the persuasions of young men in New York and con cluded uot to go West. It is suggested that this may probably work a solution of the Mormon problem. Let the hand some young Gentiles of the country do their duty iu the matter of wooing, and there will soon be no superfluity of un married females left for the Polygamist to entice into unholy wedlock. Last Sunday sixty-nine German immi grants arrived iu Salisbury, aud are expected to become a permanent part of the population of Row an county, N. C. The party was composed of twenty-four men, fourteen women and thirty-one children, aged from two months up to twenty years old. They are German Polanders. This party were mostly farmers, but it is un derstood that a car load of carpenters, masons, etc., are to follow. A new gas company has been organ ized rn Baltimore with a capital of SB,- 000,000. The company will be ready to furnish gas to customers November 1. The price of the gas will not be more than $1 50 per thousand cubic feet. If it supplies two-thirds of the consump tion of the city the price will not be more than $1 35 per thousand cubic feet. The quality of the gas is to be of the best and free from impurities. The attempt by Brady to associate President Garfield’s name with the star route swindles by publishing the Hub bell letter—in which Mr. Garfield asked Mr. Brady to contribute from his ple thoric purse towards purchasing a Re publican victory iu Indiana—is regarded as a tacit confession of his guilt by the ex Assistant Postmaster General. The statistics of gold mining in Aus tralia, furnished in the report of Mr. Hay ter, statistician to the Government of Victoria, continue to exhibit a remarka ble decline. The quantity raised in all these colonies since 'deposits of that metal were first discovered in 1851, is estimated at 69,000.000 ounces, valued at $1,355,000,000. Silk Culture ia the South. Mr. George R. Cook, writing from Barrsville, Columbia county, Florida, asks us if we can refer him to some par ties from whom he-would be most likely to procure silk worm egg 3 and the best work upon silk culture, and such other information relative to such culture as might prove valuable. He also states that he is impressed with the idea that the silk worm would do well in the climate in which he resides if properly cared for, and he requests us to give him any facts in our possession likely to prove the contrary. In reply to his first question we will refer our correspondent to the Woman’s Silk Culture xVssociation, ISTo 1828 Ches nut street, Philadelphia, which associa tion will furnish information as to the places where the eggs can be procured, how the worm should be bred, the co coons stifled and packed, and the best market for the same. In short all needed information on the subject. As to the second question, we know of nothing to prevent the silk worm from being bred successfully in Colum bia county, Florida, and indeed through out that entire section of country. They can be successfully produced wherever the mulberry or the osage orange flourish, and we believe these tree 3 grow with little difficulty throughout that sec tion. As further proof, however, that the worms can be bred there, we have on our table now a small box containing twenty-six live cocoons, raised this spring by Mr. John Stark, of Thomasville, proprietor of the Piuey Woods Vineyard at that place, which cocoons are packed away in their own silk as securely as if in cotton, and will produce the moth'in a week or two to lay eggs for the next year’s brood. Thus Mr. Stark, who has devoted some time to the culture of the silk worm, furnishes practical proof of the adapta bility ot the climate of his section for the production of the worms and cocoons, and our Florida correspondent mighF doubtless obtain from him much of the information he desires. Certainly if the worm does well in Thomasville it ought to do well in Columbia county, Florida. We are very glad to see that the arti cles which have appeared in the News on this subject are exciting so much in- ‘ terest therein, and hope that the result will be of great benefit to our farmer friends. Thousands upon thousands of dollars are annually sent abroad for thr purchase of silk, and there is no reason why this money should not be kept in the country, and a large proportion of it brought to the South to add to her fu ture wealth. Experiments in silk culture could easily be made anywhere by our ' farmers, and their wives and daughters, at little : cost. Indeed such experiments might be conducted at first as pleasant pas time, and then, if found profitable, might easily be extended. There is no! reason either why they should not prove profitable, for there is no danger of the market being overstocked. Silk is an elegant and durable article of dress, if it can be brought within the all, every lady in the country w«H r chase it. If not mil lions,there a»wH| believe, at least thousands iEpjgf and those thousands just that . : f-, • JPM tr : , the •efore, these experiinen^will j* V-ely made, and that abunda«suc ill >e realized. ===M hays he St. Louis Republican: “Imbl it mean nothing that while the merits of grain from the port of NeW York'during the month cf April were very nearly a quarter less than during the corresponding month of 1880, the' shipment. 1 / from the port of—Msw Qm: leans were almost double what them were a year ago? New York may deiti:™ itself with the idea that this is a temporary spurt, a matter of chance, but it will have to open its eyes in time. The down river movement is no lon ge| an experiment, but the current of fjjPqgi that way is quite as firmly established now as the current of water.” Under the heading Crime North-uni. South,” the Norfolk Virginian says: “The New York Times of last Saturday has an editorial upon crime in the South and on the freedom the North enjoys! from that evil, in the face, too, of the - fact that on the next page there was a blood-curdling account of the shooting of two women in that city, one by her brother and the other by her husband. Such accounts are of daily occurrence at the North, yet if a murder once a months takes place in all the South, the atten tion of the world is called to its criminal acts. Comment is unnecessary.” The "courtesy of the Senate,” of which we hear so much just now, means simply that no Senator shall vote for any nomination by the President for any office in any State unless such nomina tion shall meet the approval of the Sena tors from that State. If this doctrine is to prevail, the President might at once yield up his constitutional right to make nominations, and turn the whole matter over to the Senate, to he fixed up as the members of that body shall determine, for, under the “courtesy” rule, the Chief Executive becomes a figure head. It is claimed by Mrs. Washington, of Westmoreland county, Virginia, a de scendant of George Washington, that the spot selected by ex-Secretary Evarts for the monument to mark Washington’s birthplace is not the proper locality; that she knows the exact spot where the old house in which Washington was born stood, and it is some distance from the point selected for the monument. It is now a settled fact that the Mis souri Pacific Road will be rapidly ex tended southward to Galveston, and will probably make a connection with the Palmer and Sullivan system at Corpus Christ!, Texas. The general activity in Southern railway circles bodes well for the future prosperity of the South. It proves that this country is attracting capital. Lord Eeaconsfieid died a poor man, and his heir, Ralph Disraeli, will find little profit in his legacy for years to come. There is a mortgage upon the Hughendcn estate. The United States Government has pre sented two gold medals to the chiefs of Indian tribes on Vancouver Island who succored the crew of a wrecked Amer ican vessel last summer. Grain Shipments in April. A dispatch from New York on the above subject states that the month of April was one of unusual quietness in the shipment of grain from that port. The great decrease in the exports is at tributed to the scarcity of grain. The universal cry of shippers, merchants, brokers and all connected with the ship ments of cereals is, “Plenty of vessels, but nothing to ship.” Much dissatisfac tion and disappointment are expressed at this state of the market, as it was confidently predicted that the past month of April would be one of extraordinary activity in the grain trade for export. The total amount of grain shipped dur ing the past month was 6,700,082 bush els, showing a falling off from the cor responding month of last year of nearly 1,500,000 bushels. During the month of April, 1881, the services in whole or in part were required of 172 vessels of all denominations, the greater portion of which were steamers —121. During the month of April, 1880, 235 vessels were employed in carrying grain to Europe, which amounted to 8,257,140 bushels. A remarkable feature in the ship ments of grain to Europe is the grow ing preponderance of grain-carrying steamers. Out of a total of 172 vessels employed in April to carry grain, over 70 per cent, were steamers. During the corresponding month of last year, out of 235 vessels employed in the carrying of grain to Europe, the percentum of steamers was 42 per cent. It is pre dicted that in a short time all sailing vessels will be driven from this port to seek a market elsewhere. All connected with the grain trade are anxiously awaiting the opening of the canals to bring grain to this port in such quan tities as to reduce the price and enable shippers to load the large number of vessels now in port waiting for a cargo. It is predicted that, as soon as the large fleet of canal boats frozen in the canal during transit last fall reach New York ■gbbut the 20th inst., the shipments will become very active and prices he much lower. Georgia Schools. We made an extract yesterday from the report of the President of the Trus of the Peabody Educational Fund, at their nineteenth meeting, in Washington, February 2, 1881, to show the interest taken in educational matters the South, and as an effective reply to the slanders against our section in that lenpcct recently uttered by Mr. Frye, of Maine. The report, however, is exceed ingly interesting to the Southern people in other respects, and, among other things contained therein, the following is of special interest to Georgians: I. “The establishment of model schools has a great influence on other places. ! Iyjs surprising how much more people i ar<Tit?fluenced by example than by ab "striJcV reasoning. There is already ap parent a healthful rivalry among the towns of Georgia, where 1 have done most. Other towns in that, and in the adjoining States, are beginning to ask me tef come and do the same thing for them. The people desire to draw emi grants to help them build up their -broken fortunes, and they begin to know the influence of schools in attracting the best kind of population. ” Commenting on the above extract, the New Orleans Times well says: “Quit.i as startling as any of these declaration# |Vbf them true in the prompt and vigorous application in the State of Georgia of a liberal and comprehensive system of public educa tion. A good deal more than the ‘healthful rivalry’ in the matter of education, alluded to above, is apparent in that progressive State. The situation is gen erally healthful. The people of Georgia are by far the most progressive community in the South. With poorer lands and poorer facilities than some of the other Southern States possess Georgia unquestionably surpass es all of them in life, energy and pro gress. The State is emphatically “re constructed” —from within outward, in stead of from without inward. It yet remains for the other Southern States to imitate Georgia in putting off the old eia and putting on the new—in getting out of .he ruts and so inviting that in -Arov of population and capital which is now doing’ so much to build up that great Sto. BF Tea Culture i:i Georgia. ™Tca culture in Georgia is, at last, an as sured success. By reference to our telegraphic columns this morning, it will be seen that a number of representatives of the leading tea houses in New York met together on Saturday and sampled .several specimens of tea grown in Liberty county, this State, under the supervision of United States Agricultural Commissioner Le Due. The tea was drawn and, upon be ing tasted, was pronounced equal to the finest Indian tea, while the opinion unanimously expressed was that the quality could, with cultivation and ex perience, he materially improved. This offers a new and valuable indus try to Georgia. With tea culture brought to perfection in the Siate an avenue of great wealth will he opened up to our people, for since thousands of tea drink ers would infinitely prefer what they knew to be a pure article to the adulter ated and much manipulated imported teas, the demand would, at all times, be fully equal to the supply. Truly it seems that the resources of the South are limitless. Apart from the production of her great and valuable staples, and the impetus which manufac turing enterprises have received in our midst, industries such as silk aud tea culture promise in the near future to be no mean factors in bringing us wealth, prosperity and power in the country. All that our people have to do is to im prove their varied opportunities to the utmost, and in a very few years we may be able to offer substantial aid in the development and progress of those less favored regions which now speak so sneeringly and tauntingly of the “pov erty-stricken South.” Lord Beaconsfield’s death places a ministerial pension of £2,000 a year at Mr. Gladstone’s disposal. The dead statesman had received that sum annu ally for thirteen years. Lord Cairns has a pension of £5,000 as ex-Chancellor, as also has Lord Hatherly; Earl Cowley of £1,700 for his diplomatic services; so has Lords Napier and Ettrick, and Viscount Eversley; Mr. Shaw-Lefevre of £4,000 as an ex-Speaker. Ia the House of Com mons Mr. Villiers enjoys two pensions, one of £750 and one of £1,200, and Mr. Spencer Walpole has au ex-Minister’s pension of £2,000. The Democratic Opportunity. Never in the history of the party have the Democrats in the United States Sen ate had a better opportunity than the present—to use a homely expression—to “make their Jack.” The fight in the Radical ranks, which has already virtu ally begun, promises, from the outlook now, to he hard and hitter. Mr. Conk ling has expressed a determination to an tagonize the administration in the matter of the Robertson nomination at any cost, and without regard to results, while, on the other hand, the President has al ready boldly flung the gage of battle in the face of tbe Conkling faction, by not only refusing to withdraw the name of Judge Robertson, but also by with drawing all the nominations of Conk ling’s friends which he had previously made. Thus the issue is joined, aud the struggle has begun. The Democrats can use this rupture to their advantage in two ways. First. They can look on complacently, and hold the balance of power between the two warring factions, and so, to a great extent, control nominations and confirm ations. If they adopt this plan they must do so solely as partisans, and seek only to strengthen the Democratic party in the country. They can, in this case, watch the battle from afar, feeling that if Garfield kill Conkling, or Conkling kill Garfield, or each do kill the other, every way makes their'gain. The second plan left open for the Democrats to pursue, to their advantage at this juncture, is to array themselves iu mass against the stalwarts under the leadership of Conkling, and declare in favor of the administration. To adopt this in preference to the other plan, would, it Seems to us, be by far the wiser and more patriotic course. By holding aloof from the struggle and pre serving to themselves the balance of power in the Senate, Democratic Sena tors will be masters of the situation, it is true, but that would, perhaps, only be a temporary, and certainly would he only a partisan advantage, They would still retain the enmity of both the opposing Republican factions, and, ia this way, would furnish a common bond of union between those factions after the struggle is decided, for Republicans are noted for quarrelling among themselves with great bitterness, but for settling their disputes, and work ing together harmoniously on all impor tant occasions. If therefore the Demo crats adopt the first plan mentioned herein, in the next national contest the the parties will be arrayed solidly against each other, and the struggle will be as heretofore, simply one between the old Republican and the old Democratic or ganizations. Should they determine to support the administration in its present contests, however, they would secure to the country, and to their party, permanent and substantial ben efits, The President could not help from recognizing the valuable service which they would do him in the fight with the stalwarts of his party, and, at the very least, would be Inclined to feel kindly towards the Democratic party of the Union. This would, in all probability, secure conservatism to the country during his admiuistra tion, and the result would, most likely, be a i reaking up of the “solid nNWBIHLe which at p. exists throughout the couuhy, and which is so greatly de plored, and the total discomfiture of the stalwarts who do so much to promote this feeling. In a word, it would tend to make Mr. Garfield more determined than ever to he President of the whole country, and so the blessings of conser vaatism would be everywhere felt and enjoyed. Indeed the end might be that a grand conservative party would be formed against the stalwarts, which in 1884 would sweep down all opposi tion. The Democrats can take this stand with perfect consistency. Mr. Garfield has done some things since his inaugura tion which, of course, caunot meet Demo cratic approbation. Notably among these are his encouragement of the Ma hone repudiationists, and the nomina tions of Stanley Matthews and William E. Chandler. He has, however, done many other acts of which the Democratic par ty and the whole country can, and do, most cordially approve. He is making a meritorious investigation into the star route frauds, aud promises to thorough ly expose and eradicate the swindle, root aud branch, while his determined fight against the insolent demands of the stal wart sectionalists is worthy of all com mendation and encouragement. Surely the Democracy can do no greater service to the country and themselves than to hold up his hands in both these matters, especially as the end may be the extinc tion of deplorable sectionalism, and the establishment of wise aud healthy con servatism in the land. To bring this about is alone an object worthy the am bition of any party. We feel sure the great majority of the Democratic Sena tors, should there be presented any like lihood of this hope being realized, will lose sight of all lesser matters and bend every energy towards its accomplish ment. The proposed World’s Fair, to beheld in New York in 1883, is not meeting suf ficient encouragement from the New York people, and there is increased dan ger, now, that the project will fall to pieces. At a meeting of tbe Executive Committee, recently, no quorum was present, and nothing was done. The Hartford Times thinks that if the matter is allowed to drag along the projectors might as well give it up as a failure, but, nevertheless, in the event of a failure, the New Yorkers can fall back on the obelisk. The first telephone was finished Jan uary 15th, 1876. During the succeeding five years the wonderful little instru ment has come into daily use in all civil ized countries, as well as in Egypt, China, and other places not usually in cluded in the term civilized. Only one city in the United States is now without a telephone exchange. There are 408 cf such exchanges, and 132,692 instru ments in use in the country. Speech was recently transmitted from Tours to Brest, a distance of 800 miles. Miss Mildred Lee was recently pre sented by the citizens of Concordia par ish, Louisiana, with a beautiful bouquet of flowers “as a token of respect to the daughter of the illustrious Robert E. Lee, whose name and fame will live in the hearts of his countrvmen.” THE GEORGIA RAILROAD. TILE STOCKHOLDERS’ CONVEN TION YESTERDAY. Tlie Lease to tlie Central Formally Kattllcd—President PhliiSzy’s Re port—The Reasons lor the Lease Set Forth—The Dividends to be Paid on the Stock. Augusta, May XI. —The stockholders of the Georgia Railroad, at their annual con vention to-day, unanimously ratified the lease of the road to Mr. Wm. M. Wadley alone, although it Is understood that the Louisville and Nashville and the Central Loads and prominent railroad magnates in dorse and share in the lease of the Georgia. The directors were instructed to pay $3 50 dividend on the 15th of July and $3 50 in October, after which $2 50 per share will be paid quarterly. This lease is all important to the Central, and secures to Savannah a direct line to the West, thereby making her ihe South Atlan tic outlet for Western business through Georgia. President Phinizy was re-elected, and Mr. Ferdinand Phinizy takes the place of Mr. George Jackson on the Board of Di rectors. The reports of the officers of the road were read and adopted. Georgia and Central stGcks are in de mand. General Alexander says Georgia is worth 180. He leaves to-morrow for New York. A combination of the Memphis and Charleston and the East Tenncsse, Virginia and Georgia Roads is rumored. The stocks of all are strong. At the above mentioned convention of stockholders of the Georgia roads, the re port of President Phinizy stated as follows: A comparison with the business of the previous year shows an increase in gross earnings of $200,410 28, and in expenditures of $188,993 58. The increase lu expendi tures is largely due to the improvement in equipment. During the year we have built in our shops 170 freight cars, purchased 6 conductor’s cars, 2 sleeping cars, paid for 4 passenger coaches, and purchased 3 new freight locomotives of large capacity. There has been expended in the ex tension of the elevator building, machine shop and car shop, $22,583 52. The large increase in the volume of tonnage has also necessitated the movement of a larger number of trains, thereby adding materially to our expenses. At the same time the revenue has not increase Jn proportion to the freight. The mile tonnage for the year W3B 49,961,644 tons as against 37,085,356 tons for the preceding year, an increase of 12,876,288 tons, 34 72 100 per cent., while the revenue from this source shows an increase of only 16 50 100 per cent. The average rate of carrying freight was 2 13 100 cents per ton per mile, and for the previous year 2 46 100 cents. This is due principally to a reduction in rates by the Commission, and partly to the low rates at which competition forced us to haul through freight. The direction has submitted to the Commission, neither for the reason that the Commission has not in jured us, nor because the company had no alternative but to submit, but be cause it was believed that reflec tion, observation and experience would soon convince the Legislature and the-peo ple that it was a mistake to attempt to au thorize such great interference with railroad property, and that important modifications of the lav/ might be hoped for at an early day. The direction believe lhat certain irrepealable provisions of our charter in reference to freight and passenger tariff can be invoked for our protection whenever the mandates of the Commission become in tolerable. Notwithstanding the reduction in rates the prospects of the company are encouraging. The business is constantly increasing, and with the completion of the improvements now in progress fexpenses will be materially lessened. President Phinizy, in explanation of the reasons that necessitated the lease to the Central Railroad, also submitted the follow ing. SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT. To the Stockholdere of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company: It Is not many years since the maxims of commerce, applied to railroads, kept them disconnected with each other. Whenever two rc£O|oo|M|£d a WiriiWpk '■ ’ ,v i lil> ‘ ctyn merelal iiHerSajfff it then conceived, required a break in the line of transportation. The first step in thevfievelopment of rail road business was to close such gaps, by making actual physical connection of dif ferent roads, while their respective manage ments still remained distinct, and might be unfriendly. The next step was agreements between roads, physically connected but legally distinct, for through transpor tation and ratable division of freight. The latest phase of development is the union under one head of both rails and management of several ormanydif ferent*roads taking up the commerce of ex tensive areas of territory. Without, per haps, the conscious recognition of the fact by the workers themselves, this stage of de velopment has wrought out in commerce the analogy of a great river in nature, gath ering up in its main channel, and through the branches which flow into it on its right and left, all the waters of some vast basin and its surrounding hills and mountains, and discharging them at its mouth into the expectant ocean. This phase of development is going on now with tremendous energy. All condi tions of railroad situation are made to yield to it. It Is the inevitable result of the strug gle of the enormous volume of freight pass ing between the remote parts of a vast country. In order to handle it alljsuccess fully, such arrangements must be made as to render its flow free and unobstructed, rapid and smooth. This effort to form un broken lines of great 'ength and reach, while it seems to be in the natural and proper direction of railroad development, appears also to be irresistible. Any single road necessary for the accomplishment of such a scheme is sure to be acquired for it. Any single road which might thwart or obstruct the genera! scheme" is sure to be strangled. Two methods for acquiring particular roads for such general schemes are prac ticed. Either, on the one hand, to purchase or lease the road; or, on the other hand, to buy up a controlling Interest in its capital stock. When the purchase or lease method is adopted, the road to be affected has a voice in the transaction; it is bought or leased upon its own terms and with such stipulations as are intended to protect its owners. Where the control of the desired road is obtained by a purchase of its stock, the company, the corporation, is Ignored, and there is no protection provided for its stockholders. In this way stockholders other than those in the combination, might find their road operated in the interest of a combination alien to their interests. In this connection it is proper to remark that it would not be necessary in any given instance to buy up a majority of the stock of a corporation in order to obtain practical control of Its corporate affairs. The con centration of two-fifths of the stock in any one hand would doubtless control the action of any meeting of stockholders which it might be practicable to hold. The Georgia Railroad has been in great peril of this latter fate for some time'. A most important and valuable link in the movement of freight between the North west aud the Southeast, its control has been much coveted. Could it have secured its independence for ail time, or for an indefi nite period, it might have been well for it to maintain its independent position; but its independence was greatly imperilled in the manner above indicated. Indeed, there is reason to believe that the process of buying up its stock, for the purpose of controlling the company's action, had at one time be gun in earnest. Had it succeeded, one half, perhaps three-fifths, of the stock would have been at the mercy of the other half or two fifths, concentrated and con trolled in a foreign interest. The consciousness of this peril to the stockholders, as well as the opportunity of making a mo6t advantageous arrangement for the present and future generations of stockholders, has induced the directors, iD whom reside the powers of the corporation for that purpose, to lease, for the peried of ninety-nine years from April 1, 1881, the corporation’s privileges and means of trans portation, and to transfer to the lessees the control and enjoyment of the corporation’s other property for the same period. The Instrument of lease is too voluminous to be inserted in this report, hut it will be duly spread upon the proper public records, and subject to examination by all interested in It. In the meanwhile, it Is perhaps well to state In general terms its main provisions. The term for which the lease is made Is ninety-nine years from April 1, 1881. The annual rental stipulated is $600,000, payable in two equal semi-annual Install ments. The privilege of using the Georgia Rail road and its branches and our Interest in the Western Railroad of Alabama, and all our rolling stock, is granted by the lease. The right to collect the income of our stock in the Atlanta and West Point Rail- road, in the Rome Railroad; and in the Port Royal and Augusta Railway, and to vote those stocks is granted to the lessees, ihe title to all the property remains in the Georgia Railroad and Banking Compa ny. Besides the rental, the lessees pay air taxes except the charter tax on net income, and pay also the interest on the Western Railroad of Alabama bonds. The lessees are to keep and return the property in first class condition. l e . 8 ®f e s Indemnify the company against all claims for damages on account of the use of company’s railroad. The les sees deposit $1,000,000 of bonds in value as security for the performance of their under taking, which deposit is not to be dimin isned in amount, or Impaired in value Besides other remedies and redress, the company reserves the right to retake pos session of its property on the breach of any of the stipulations of the lease. The company is to pay the principal and interest or all Its bonds, except the interest of the bonds of the Western Railroad of Alabama. The company retains for its own use its building, privileges and business, while the Board of Directors conceive that their first dtrty is to the stockholders, and that they would have reason to be satisfied, if the arrangement which they have made, redounds, as they believe it does, greatly to the interest of the stockholders, still they have the additional gratifi cation of feeling that the arrange ment is most fortunate for the cities, towns, villages, and rural districts affected by the Georgia Railroad; It has, in the opinion of the directors, both removed the danger of having the traffic of the West and Northwest with the outer world di verted from this region to At’antic ports north of Georgia and Carolina, and has also insured a greater volume of that traffic in this direction, for the parties to whom the lease has been made are deeply interested in conducting that traffic through the port of Charleston.. Only the future can determitfe whether this latter view of the advantages of the arrangement to this part of the country be correct, but the present, the very present, demonstrates the advantages of the arrange ment for the stockholders themselves. To day, under the impulse of the lease, the stock is higher than it has ever been in the history of the company or in the anticipa tions of the stockholders. The directors are so well assured of the soundness and advantages of the situation, and that the annual rental, together with the proGts of the banking department, will enable the company to meet the interest of the company’s bonds and provide a sinking fund for the extinguishment of the princi pal, and leave a sum sufficient to pay from the present moment annual dividends of 10 per centum per annum, to be increased in " the future as the bonded debt is paid off,- that they declare it to be in their opinion the true policy from this time forward to nay its stockholders quarterly dividends of per cent. Appeuded herewith is a statement of our income and liabilities under the lease: Rental $600,000 Interest bond Port Royal Com press Company 2,000 Estimated not profit of baDk, after paying expense and taxes 25,000—627,000 The bonded debt, deducting $24,- 000 maturing July 3, 1831, • which we propose to pay, will be $2,598,000, upon which the annual interest will be 161,860 Dividends to stockholders 10 per cent, per annum 420,000—581,860 Balance for sinking fund $15,140 Respectfully submitted for the board. U. H. Phinizv, President. May 5,1881. new York's lost’ trade. Action of the Hoard of-Trqde and Transportation in the Matter— Railway Legislation Relied on to Change the Natural Channels of Commerce With the West. New York, May 11.—The Board of Trade and Transportation tc-day adopted a report submitted by the Committee on Legislation showing the rapid increase of exports from New Orleans, and a corresponding decline of the same articles from New York. The report says port is to-day full cf shipping, ibep greater part of which are grain vessels, .at present unable to obtain cargoes, wbtle at New Orleans (here are more loaditg for European ports than are. loading trer'e, and that steamships and sailing vessels are now ■ almost, da ]y leaving this port, in ballast for New o, v-ans to obtain cargoes ttwxe. SMisejQ.? this, ueciares, is found in the nigh railroad rates kept dp bv flip pooling system. The i—moiittee sty that the present rail road policy, if persisted in, will result in a permrnent decline of the commercial su premacy of this port, and recommends the enactment of h law prohibiting the pooling and charging of a greater rate for a short haul than for a long haul. To that the committee say that an organ ized movement shtuid be instituted among the business men of tb s State, without dis tinction of party, t* secure nominations for the next Legislature of representatives of tho people, both in the Assembly and Sen ate, and thwart the renomination of those Senators who at present represent oniy-Ahe monopolizing interests of their corpcr&tlmh* Copies of tliis report were ordered to baJA sent to the members of the L= gislature, and ' the Chairman was authorized to appoint a committee to take into consideration the suggestion contained In the. last?clause of the report, and draft a plan of action in ac cordance with it. ‘.STONEWALLIS’’ GREATNESS. Remarks of Mon. Jifferson Davis at Metairie CeuieCery, New Orleans. New Orleans, May 11. —At the conclu sion of the ceremonies attending the dedi- * cation of the tomb of the Association of the Army of Northern Virginia and the un veiling of the statue of Stonewall Jackson yesterday afternoon, at Mala ria Cemetery, Hon. Jefferson Davis, after complimenting General L-e’s address and congratulating the association on the completion of their tomb and monument, referring to General Jackson said: “From the academic shades of the Military Insti tute he went forth to battle for the cause of State’s rights, self government and consti tutional liberty. Nobody expected that this quiet professor would have an opportu nity to show the great qualities he possess ed, and become the great hero of our wafr. “To-day he stands, in the opinion of Europeans, so far as I know it, the mightiest chieftan of the Confederate cause. This • silent professor constantly rose like a meteor over the battlefields of .the Confed eracy. Only like a meteor in its brightness, for his light was steady as the orb of day. It shone to the very ckise, increasing In brilliancy, and in the trust which the people reposed upon it. Such was Jackson. He lived for his country, never doubting the justice of his cause, believing it was right eous aud trusting in it. “He died, as I live to-day, feeling that the Confederacy ought to Dave succeeded, be cause it was founded on truth and justice. He gave his life for the whole country, and the country gave its heart to Jackson. You, the men upon whom he leaned fn the hour of danger, in honoring him, also honor yourselves.” Texas Murderers Sentenced. Galveston, May 11.—A special from Wills’ Point, Texas, says: “In the case of • the State vs. Tiel, the jury rendered a ver dict of guilty of murder in the second de gree. The punishment is Imprisonment in the penitentiary for thirty years. In the case of the State vs. White, the verdict was guilty of murder in the first degree, and the prisoner was sentenced to be hanged. After the verdict was rendered, White made a statement denying his guiit, but In the lat ter portion of his speech he virtually con fessed the crime. He was charged with killing a peddler near here several yearp ago. A motion for a new trial was overruled, and an appeal will be taken to the District Court.” The Insurance Union. Cincinnati, Ohio, May 11.—The Insur ance Union, an association composed of the managers of the leading insurance compa nies of the United States, closed their ses sion here to night. It is said that the com panies represented have a capital of $55,000,- 000. Tho discussions indicated'a tendency to an increase in rates, and especially to a revision of the classification of risks. The deliberations were secret. The Greek Frontier. Constantinople, May 11.—It is stated that Germany has sounded the other powers upon the expediency of a common engage ment between them to secure a prompt transfer of the ceded territory to Greece la erder to prevent the Greek revolutionary party frsm gaining ground. Trlckeit Coming to America. London, May 11.—Edward Trickett, the oarsman, of Sydney, N. 8. W., writes to the Sportsman, saying he will leave for the United States In a few days, and will take up his quarters at Saratoga.

Georgia Historic Newspapers

Weekly news. (Savannah, Ga.) 187?-1894, May 14, 1881, Page 4, Image 4