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""I , iost titling tho terms of the
tgfS tho necessary papers to be
esCi i1o verify the statements and
made by affidavits or such
^HJStv^he'ljentral Railroad and
K^^ofoSorgin: the Southwes-
aTt°* Uw J: nf Oeorcia; the Brunswick
iC0 E&ComjmSr, of Georgia; the
^Ktanoog' 1 Railroad Company;
[ - r "" : V !rj:l Mountain Railroad Com-
Ul^^l.patovft'ueof which exceeds
fc 2L®Uar.s free from all liabilities
E*® -eared to offer for yonr approval
in yonr judgment may be
afofesaffi act, and to enter into
J»7 ^th its provisions.
: is accepted and the lease
[fa hereby agreed among ourselves
resulting from said lease shall
twenty-three (23) shares, and
i h-reto shall own and be entitled
^^ewept as follows: Joseph E.
m one share and one-half a share;
rJ °* .vail own one share and one-
- C f £■Thomas Allen will own one-half
Alexander H. Stephens will own
/a» of one share, and Andrew J. mite
one-half of one share.
persons horein-before men-
fi,j e citizens and residents of
been such for five years, and
-•'Tuition represent a majority of the
m rzZ in the lease which they propose
t0 rive Georgians- control of the
i* : " witness our hands this twenty-fourth
^fe r,A ‘ ^ ' Joseth E. Beown,
V. Kerns®. ALEX. H. Stephens,
Cntr,;:.. Ben. Mat,
-^j ie —'W'eekly Telegraph and. Journal & Messenger.
r-S. Haiti
c» B. JOHSSTOS,
I rjgjT.GaiST,
Q. Motnmii
t 35 sC*ins 0S >
SsS. Deuso,
SrvJ. White,
I r,.T. WliTEES,
jjsxisA Scott,
E- WAITZFELDER,
Hanibal I. Kimball,
E. W. Cole,
John P. Kino,
Thos. Allen,
Geo. Cook,
IL B. Plant,
Kichabd Petebs,
\Vm. B. Dixsmobe.
I r-UTI or EAOEOAD PRESIDENTS, OF VALUE OF
or CONSENT TO BECOME SECDMTT
IJHwemowscompant.
Mi of Georgia, County of Fulton.
•• Nison euna JohnP. King, President of
'fton-ij Kailroad and Bankmg Company of
|r_Y md who is authorizied to act as agent
irZTcompiny; William B. Johnson, Direc-
Ifffatbe Central Railroad and Banking Com-
l.- r md who is authorized to act as agent for
Id Company; William S. Holt, President of
|Ssmiliv«tem Railroad Company of Georgia,
I2«baii*nthorizedtoact as agent for said
l£M(sy: Andrew J. White, President of the
|Zi»d Western Railroad Company of said
| to ndwbo is authorized to act as agent for
IaiCompany; and said-John P. King, Presd-
Ifelis!authorized to act as ngent, also, for
IfeWmtaanil West Point Railroad Company
JfsBState, and Edmund W. Cole, President
| jfleN’tsbrille and Chattanooga Kailroad Com-
Ijsyrftte State of* Tennessee, who all being
| § si am, do depose and say, that the said
I bind Companies represented by them, re-
I rank bare consented to become seenrities
(fetfe “Western and Atlantic Railroad Com-
C ' ,’on the bond to be given by them in the
of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, a c-
ladingto the provisions of an act of the Legis-
I ace of said State of Georgia, approved on the
ISSday of October, 1870, and that said eoaa-
C h “are worth at least two millions of dol
lar all and every liability,” and aro worth
I ctbe aggregate at least “eight millions of dol-
Itafiaaaid State of Georgia; and with the
I .-it Iliilroad Companies in and out of the
ate, which propose to become sureties on said
I tod, an in fact worth over sixteen millions
Klin dear of all liabilities.
John P. King.
W. B. Johnston.
Wsi. S. Holt.
■A. J. "White.
E. W. Cole.
| inm to sad subs crib-'
rt before me this
ilihdiy of Decem
ber, 1S70.
"H. K. McOat,
Ikige Supreme Comt
aroivrror members of bbown’s company of
INDIVIDUAL WEALTH.
Stott of Georgia, County of. Fulton.
Ia person came E. Brown, Benjamin H. Hill,
hla P. King, Richard Peters, William S. Holt,
Kiim B. Johnston, John T. Grant, Hannibal
I Kimball, William C. Morrill, Edmund W.
We. George Cook and Henry B. Plant, who,
berg duly sworn, do depose and say, that they,
it deponents and their associates, to-wit:
iK A. Nutting, Simon Cameron, John S.
&m, William T. Walters, Thomas A. Scott,
bit*- J. White, Benjamin May, Ezekiel
fri&lder, Thomas Allen, Alexander H.
fattens and William B. Dinsmore, have made
■imposition in writing, to the Governor of
Esrgia, for the lease of the Western and At-
E&Bailroad, pursuant to his published notice,
Biting proposals for the lease of said Road,
brirtno of an Act of the General Assembly of
id State, approved October 24, 1870, and
», in compliance with the requisites of said
let said deponents do mako oath that they are
ruth as follows, to-wit: Joseph E. Brown,
ke mm of one hundred thousand dollars; the
aid Benjamin H. Hill, the sum of ono hundred
tsasind dollars; John P. King, the sum of
trs hundred and fifty thousand dollars; Richaid
fans, the snm of one hundred thousand dol-
ks; William 8. Holt, tho snm of eighty thon-
«d dollars; William B. Johnston, the sum of
■•hundred thousand dollars; John T. Grant,
jbsum of one hundred thousand dollars;
■taaiba] L Kimball, the snm of one hundred
k'Ownd dollars; William C. Moftill, the snm
tight thousand dollars; Edmnnd W. Cole,
hi asm of seventy-five thousand dollars;
“j»rge Cook, the snm of ono hnndred thousand
and Henry B. Plant, the snm of ono
~hi’td thousand dollars, and with, as well as
Whoot, their associates aforesaid, are worth,
athe aggregate, “at least five hundred thou-
•hd dollars over and above all debts and lia-
of every character.”
And deponents mako this affidavit in compli-
!P* with the requisition of the act aforesaid,
“it the game may be considered by the Gov-
J® 0 ' first and before action upon the proposi-
“® to lease said road.
r'S’aE. Beown, Benj. EL Hill,
2®-” Kino, Richabd Petebs,
j “ s -Holt, W. B. Johnston,
•ohs T. Gbant, Hanibal I. Kimball,
Omunu W. Cole, William C. Moeeill,
( '»sgeCook, H. B. Plant,
oworn to and subscribed before me, this 27th
«7 of December, 1870.
H. K. McCay,
Judge Supreme Court
^IDEXT WHITE, of THE MACON AND WESTEBN
heURoiD, WON X ENDORSE FOB THE DOBBINS
COJCPjISy,
r.„ Atlanta, Ga., December 27,1870.
‘'^Batfency Governor IL D. Bullock ;
inas ^ m ~l arrived in this city this morning,
of m j 9 t>eeQ iufoimed by Mr. Johnson, one
t.r “* tt . c * ors i that some persons in Atlanta,
hi - S r. Dt - in a to leaso the Western and At-
to , JC Hoilroad, and have tendered the Macon
etj. ' estcrn Railroad Company as endorser,
jij.** oa ce, say to you, that I am President of
Wad, and tho tender referred to is without
j^jjonty either from mo or my Board of Di-
*» Board of Directors have authorized me
to •»!) 6 for 8,10,1 P art ies as I may be willing
, '“ a °we for; and I am willing to endorse for
ioid k ny W,11C,1 unites aU the connecting
harmonizing conflicting interests, and
^the°Stu th ° fienen ^ interests of the people
Respectfully, yonr obedient servant,
A. J; White, President.
**• OF THE Sorrn-WESTEBN EAILBOAD,
•'NDojara FOB JTIE DOBBINS COMPANY. ■
,, ... .'tlauis, H.'-cemb'.-: 20,- liTu.
^ k'cccilsneg, Jlufut It. Bullock, Gov-
jJ" f hear a rumor in the city, that some
l (nar “ e * not known) havo applied to
100 State Road, under the late act of the
» > and tendered the South-Western
as surety.
avoid mistakes, J take the liberty of in-
you thatl" ate the President of said
»siaf and havo the authority to tender
jKrjaaa as surety, and, in the exercise of that
the 1 fa<* tendered it as such surety, on
of h, n “ of a company organized with a view
i 0 r~® OI uzing the interest of all tho connect-
fawofit? an ^ 4,108 promoting the genoral wel-
Jj. 01 ‘he public. No other person or persons
5ot J^Rwity to tendor said road as security,
®trt f l “ at com P aD y tender itself for use, ex-
*11 tliA 1 a com P an y organized in harmony with
Vp^. Conneclin H roa fl 3 i above mentioned.
™ rtspectfully, your obedient servant,
Wm, S. Holt, President.
W. B. JOHNSTON, AGENT OF CENTRAL BlTTun^p
WON T ENDORSE FOB DOBBrNS* COMPANY.
Atlanta, December 2G, 1870.
^ Excellency Rufus B. BuUock, Governor
of Georgia—
Sib : I am informed by rumor on the streets,
that some number of persons (not known tome)
have made to yonr Exoellency a proposition to
lease the Western and Atlantic Railroad and
have tendered the Central Railroad and Banking
Company as surety on the bond required by the
act authorizing the lease.
I feel it my duty to inform you that I am the
accredited agent of the company; that I have
joined with others in tendering this road as
surety for a company, in which all the railroad
interests of the State are equally guarded—a
result all think for the best interests of the
State—and the Central railroad will not become
security on the bond of any other company, and
that any tender of that company as surety for
any persons seeking to lease the road, other
than those representing all the road equality, is
without authority.
Very respectfully, your obd’t servant,
W. B. Johnston.
P- 8.—I will add.that I am also a Director in
the Macon and Western Railroad Company, and
know the action of that company in the prem
ises, and the statements above are also true of
that company. . W. B. Johnston.
GO VEEN OB BULLOCK NOTIFIES THE D&BBINS COMPA
NY THAT ITS SECUBITY REPUDIATES EC.
Executive Department,)
State of Georgia, ■ l
Atlanta, Ga., Dec., 25, 1870.)
M. G. Bobbins, Esq., Atlanta, Ga.—
Dear Sib : In taking np tbin morning for
consideration papers in connection with propo
sals to lease the Western and Atlantic Railroad,
as provided in anactapprovedOotober24 t 1870,
I find a bid from yourself and associates, in
which yon offer as security upon the bond re
quired by said act, “the Central Railroad and
Hanking Company, of Georgia; the Southwes
tern Railroad Company, the Macon and Wes
tern Railroad,” and other connections. 1 also
find, among my papers in-this connection, let
ters addressed to me by Mr. W. B. John
ston, who says, that under date of the 26th
instant, among other things, that he hears, by
rumors on the street, that some number of per
sons, not associated with him, have made a
proposition to lease the Western and Atlantio
Railroad, and tendering the Central Railroad
and Banking Company as security, and that he
(Mr. Johnson) is the accredited agent of that
company, and as snch has already given the
pledge of that company as seonrity for parties
with whom ho is associated. He makes a simi
lar statement in regard to the Macon and West
ern Railroad, signing himself one of the direct
ors of that company. In addition to that, I
have a similar communication with, in general
terms, a similar statement from Mr. William 8.
Holt, President of the Southwestern Railroad.
I feel it my duty to present these facts to you,
and ask that yourself and associates will make
such amendments to your offer of security on
the bond as may bo necessary to enable me to
entertain it. I trust that this may be done at
once.
The bearer will writ for yonr response.
Very respectfully,
Rufus B. Bullock.
THE DOBBIN3 COMPANY OFFER TO GIVE OTHER
SECURITY.
Office of Georgia Loan )
and Trust Company, > .
Atlanta, Ga., December 27, 1870.)
To His Excellency It. B. Bullock—
Dear Sir : Tours in relation to the bond re
quired to be given for the lease of the Western
and Atlantic Railroad, received. We are fully
prepared to give the bond satisfactory to you.
If the railroads refuse, we can and will satisfy
you by personal security. I beg that you do
not refuse our bid on account of the bond, as
we aro perfectly able to satisfy yon.
Respectfully, eto.
M. G. Dobbins,- for the Company.
THE DOBBINS COMPANY ASK FOB TIME TO GIVE
SECURITY.
Atlanta, Ga., December 27, 187a
To IBs Excellency Rufus B. Bullock, Governor
ot Georgia—
Governor : In reply to your favor of this
date, to M. G. Dobbins, Esq., with regard to
security, we have to state, that we have the as
surances from tho highest authority that we can
give the security offered in our bid, and believe
we can give it. But besides this, we offer your
Excellency personal security of residents in
Georgia worth over eight millions of dollars, and
pledge ourselves to mako this security satisfac
tory to your Excellency, so that*the security
shall not be even doubtful, as provided for in
the act. We aro willing that the. lease should
bo awarded to us upon condition that we give
Each security within a reasonable time.
M. G. Dobbins, Wm. B. Dobbins,
Henry Banes, A. A. Wyly,
Wm. McNaught, James M. Ball,
V. R. Tommy, John R. Wallace,
B. F. Wyly, S. B. Host,
W. L. Abbott, James Ormond,
L. L. Abbott, Thomas Scrub chin,
P. & G. T. Dodd & Co. A. Leyden,
T. J. Hightower & Co., Jno. M. Harwell,
A. K. Seago.
WHY THE DOBBINS COMPANY OFFERED THE CENTRAL
AND MACON AND WESTEBN RAILROAD AS BE*
CUBITT.
The annexed letter from CoL Wm. M. Wad-
loy, President of the Centrnl Railroad and
Banking Company, dated 10th December, 1870,
to a member of our company, has not been re
voked or changed iD any particular. The rea
son wo mentioned tho Macon and Western Rail
road as ono of our securities, was from a private
conversation between myself and A. J. White,
Esq., President of tho road.
Central Railroad Bank, )
Savannah, Ga., December 19, 1870.)
To A. K. Seago. Esq.;
Dear Sib—I have your favor of the 14th inst.,
for which I am much obliged.
I have never sought to obtain exclusive con
trol of the State Road; nor do I think either
line from Atlanta, ought to have such control.
But we are ready to join the Georgia Road to
lease it, or give the required guarantee for a
satisfactory private company.
Very respectfully,
William M. Wadley, President.
official statement of the governor that he
ACCEPTS THE BID OF THE BBOtfk COMPANY.
Executive Department,)
Atlanta, Ga., December 27, 1870.)
Whereas, In conformity with an act of the
Legislature of Georgia, approved October 24,
1870, entitled “an act to authorize the lease of
the Western and Atlantio Railroad, and for
other purposes therein mentioned,” and in pur
suance of notice to the public given by the
Governor of said State, and dated “Atlanta,
Ga., October 26, 1870,” inviting written pro
posals to bo made on or before the 25th day of
December, 1870, for the lease of said road under
said act, the following named persons, to-wit:
John P.,King, Joseph E. Brown, Benjamin H.
Hill, Alexander H. Stephens, Andrew J. White,
Edmnnd W. Cole, William B. Johnston, William
S. Hart, Charles A. Nutting, John T. Grant,
William C. Morrill, Thomas A. Scott, William
T. Walters, John S. Delano, Simon Cameron,
Hanibal L Kimball, Riohard Peters, George
Cook, Henry B. Plant, Benjamin May, Ezekiel
Waitzfclder, Thomas Allen and Wm. B. Dins
more, havo, according to the terms of said road,
and which is in the words, and begins as follows,
to-wit: .
'And whereas, Said persons so proposing to
become such lessees, have filed an affidavit in
writing, qualifying “thtt they are worth at least
five hundred thousand dollars over and above
all debts and liabilities of every character,” and
have shown that they are in fact worth greatly
more than said sum.
Whereas, The sureties proposed to be given
by said persons, have, by their authorized
agents, qualified in terms of said act, that they
are worth “at least two millions of dollars over
I i.’l aad every liabilities; and are, in fact, worth
more than eight millions of dollars in the State
of Georgia, and with their associates as such
sureties, in and out of tho State, aro worth
more than sixteen millions of dollars over all
and every liability; and
Whereas, The Governor of said State, in
view of the requirements of said act of the
Legislature, that he shall loase to no company,
who tenders security that is even doubtfu., and
that ho shall see to it carefully in taking the
bond, that said requirements of said act are
folly complied with, has carefully eonridered all
propositions to lease said road inade in compli
ance with said act, and said publio notice, Mia
ha3 fully satisfied himself, after considering the
character of the proposed leasees and their un
doubted responsibility and ability to carry out
the terms of said lease, and to respond to all
damages to which they may, at any time, be
come liable under said lease, and in view of the
further fact that the sureties tendered are un
questionably good for largely more than the
amount of the bond required by said act, and
do, r.lso, harmonize cocflieting difficulties whieh
might arise between any and all railroads con
necting with said Western and Atlantio Bril-
road, and secures fair, equal and impartial
management and justice to all, and it, also,
appearing that the terms of said act have all
been complied with, and the statement in arid
proposition all shown to be true:
Now, therefore, I, Rufus B. Bullock, Gover
nor of said State, do agree to lease said road
with all its property and appurtenances, to said
persons, upon the terms and conditions embraced
in said act, and in arid proposition, and it is ac
cordingly hereby ordered that said proposition
made by said parties be,.and it is hereby ac-
C6pt6du
And it is further ordered, that the names of
said persons assigned to arid position be, and
are hereby entered, with said proposition, on
the minutes of the Executive Department, as
persons proposing to take said lease; and, from
the date of this entry, they be and beoome a
body corporate and politic, for the term of
twenty years, under the name and style of “The
W estern and Atlantio Railroad Company,” with
all the powers, privileges, rights and liabilities
prescribed by said aot; and it is farther ordered,
that a deed of lease be prepared without delay,
and exeouted in conformity with arid aot and
agreement, and that said oompany do immedi
ately file the bond, in conformity with said act,
in the Executive Department, and that there
upon said deed be delivered to said oompany,
or their agent; and that tho said company,
upon such delivery, be and are authorized to
take possession of said property.
Given under my hand and the seal of
the Executive Department, at the
[l. 8.J Capitol, in Atlanta, this the 27th
day of December, A. D., 1870.
Rufus B. Bullock.
By the Governor:
A. C. Cobson,
Secretary Executive Department.
THE BOND FOB EIGHT MILLIONS GIVEN BY THE
BROWN COMPANY.
State of Georgia :
Be it known, that the undersigned, “The
Western and Atlantio Railroad Company” as
principal, which is composed of John P. King,
Joseph E. Brown, Benjamin H. Hill, Alexander
H. Stephens, Andrew J. White, Edmund W.
Cole, William "B. Johnston, William S. Holt,
Charles A. Nutting, John T. Grant, William 0.
Morrill, Thomas A. Scott, William T. Walters,
John S. Delano, Simon Cameron, Hannibal L
Kimball, Richard Peters, George Cook, Henry
B. Plant, Benjamin May, Ezekiel Waitzfelder,
Thomas Allen, and William B. Dinsmore, as
lessees and stockholders, and the Georgia Rail
road and Banking Company, the Southwestern
Railroad Company, the. Macon and Western
Railroad Company, the Atlanta and West Point
Railroad Company, the Macon and Brunswick
Railroad Company, the Brunswick and Albany
Railroad Company of the State of Georgia, the
Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad Company
of the Stato of Tennessee, and the St. Louis
and Iron Mountain Railroad Company of the
State of Missouri, as sureties, acknowledge that
they are held and firmly bound unto Rufus B.
Bullock, Governor of the Stato of Georgia,, and
to his successors in office, in the full sum of
eight millions of dollars. And for the true and
faithful payment of said sum, the said prinoipri
and sureties do jointly and severally bind them
selves forever, firmly, by these presents.
Witness the official signatures of the duly ac
credited officers and agents of the said several
railroad companies, this the 27th day of Decem
ber, A. D., 1870.
The condition of this bond is such, that
whereas, the said “Western and Atlantic Rail
road Company,” principal, in consideration of
the leaso of the Western and Atlantio Railroad,
a-d its property and appurtenances for twenty
years, in compliance with the terms of an aot
entitled, “An act to authorize the lease of the
Western and Atlantio Railroad, and for other
purposes therein mentioned,” approved Octo
ber 24, 1870, have agreed to make prompt pay
ment into the Treasury of the State, for the use
of the State, of the sum of twenty-five thousand
dollars at the end of each month until the expi
ration, or termination, or forfeiture of said
lease; and also, to return the road and its ap
purtenances at the expiration, termination or
forfeiture of said lease, in as good condition as
it was in when received by said company from
the State under said lease. Now, therefore, if
the said Western and Atlantic Railroad Compa
ny principal shall, well and truly make said pay
ments and return said road and appurtenances,
as required by said act and said agreement
thereunder, or in dcfanlt thereof by said prin
cipal, the said sureties shall so pay and return
for their principal aforesaid, then this bond
shall be void, c’se it shall remain in full force.
Joseph E. Brown, President of the
Western and Atlantio Railroad, Com
pany pro tem.
John P. King, President Georgia Rail
road and Banking Company.
John P. King, President Atlanta and
West Point Railroad Company.
W. B. Johnston, Agent Central Rail
road and Banking Company.
W. S. Holt, President Southwestern
Railroad Company.
E. W. Cole, President Nashville and
Chattanooga Railroad Company.
George H. Hazlehnrat, President Macon
and Brunswick Railroad Company.
H. L Kimball, President Brunswick
and Albany Railroad Company.
A. J. White, President Macon and
Western Railroad Oompany.
Thomas Allen, President St. Louis and
Iron Mountain Railroad Company.
[l. s ]
[l. s.]
[l. f.]
[L.S.]
[L.S.]
[l. a]
[L. 8.]
[L.S]
Cl. a]
[l. a]
THE DEED OF LEASE TO THE BROWN COMPANY.
Know all men by these presents, that the fol
lowing named persons have been accepted by
the Governor of Georgia os the lessees of the
Western and Atlantio Railroad, under an aot of
the General Assembly of said State, approved
October, 24, A. D. 1870, and as snch lessees
have, by tho order of tho Governor of said
State, dated the 27th of December, A. D. 1870,
duly and properly entered upon the minutes of
the Execntivo Department, and by virtue of the
provision of the act aforesaid, become a body
corporate and politic, under the name and style
of the “Western and Atlantio Railroad Com
pany,” to wit:
John P. King, of Augusta, Ga.; Joseph E.
Brown, of Atlanta, Ga.; Benjamin H. Hill of
Athens, Ga.; William S. Holt, of Macon, Ga.;
Andrew J. White, of Macon, Ga.; John T.
Grant, of Walton county, Ga.; William C. Mor
rill, of Macon, Ga.; Charles A. Natting, of Ma
con, Ga.; Simon Cameron, of Harrisburg, Pa.;
John S. Delano, of Mount Vernon, O.; Wm. T.
Writers, of Baltimore, Md.; Thomas A. Scott,
of Philadelphia, Penn.; Hanibal I. Kimball, of
Atlanta, Ga.; Edmund W. Cole, of Nashville,
Tenn.; Richmond Peters, of Atlanta, Georgia;
George Cook, of New Haven, Connectiont; H.
B. Plant, of Augusta, Georgia; Benjamin May,
of Columbus, Ga.; Ezekiel Waitzfelder,. of New
York City; Thomas Allen, of St. Louis, Mo.;
and William B. Dinsmore, of New York.
Therefore, I, Rnfus B. Bollock, Governor of
the State of Georgia, fay virtue of the power and
authority vested in me by the aforesaid act of
the General Assembly of Georgia, do hereby
grant, convey and lease to the Western and At
lantic Railroad Company, composed of the per
sons whose names mo herein given and to their
successors, representations, heirs, or assigns
the Western and Atlantic Railroad, which is the
property of the State of Georgia, together with
all its houses, workshops, depots, rolling stock
and appurtenances of every character for the
fall term of twenty years from this date, to have
and to hold the same to the said company, and
the individuals composing tho same hereinbefore
named, and their successors, representatives,
assignees or heirs amply, freely and completely,
without let or hindrance, until the full expira
tion of arid twenty years, in tho following pro
portions of interest, to-wit: each of said lessees
being entitled to one of twenty-three shares,
into which the property hereby leased has been
divided by their proposition to lease the same,
and which proposition was accepted by the
Govemor-of Georgia before the names of said
lessees were entered on the minutes of the Ex
ecutive Department of said Stato, except as fol
ic" :: -
Joseph E. Brown is entitled to ono share and
one-half of a share; Hannibal L Kimball is en
titled to one share and one-half of one share;
Thomas Allen is entitled only to one-half of
ono share; Alexander IL Stephens is entitled
to only one-half of one share; Simon Cameron
is entitled to one share and one-half of one
share; and Andrew J. White is entitled only to
one half of one rixarc.
Tho Western and Atlantic Railroad Company,
composed of the persona herein mentioned,
wlio represent the several interests herein de
scribed, covenants and agrees for itself, its
successors, representatives and assignees to
pay into the Treasury of the State of Georgia
for the use of the State, monthly, and at the
end of each month, a rental of twenty-five
thousand dollars during the oontinnanoe of this
lease.
Also, to return said road and its appurte
nances at the expiration, termination or for
feiture of this lease, in as good condition as it
was in when received by said oompany from
said State under this lease. This lease is given
and accepted under all the provisions, grants
and conditions prescribed by the aot of the
General Assembly of Georgia entitled “An Act
to authorize the lease of the Western and At
lantic Railroad, and for .other purposes therein
mentioned,” approved October the 24th, A. D,,
1870, and hereinafter referred to.
Given under my hand and the
' j Great Seal of the State, at the capi-
Jj, j (Mia Atlanta, this twenty-seventh
) ' ’ C day of December, in the year of our
* Lord, Eighteen Hnndred and Seven
ty, and of the Independence of tiie
United States of America, the Ninety-fifth.
Rufub B. Bullock.
By the Governor:
David G. Cothno, Seo’y of State.
GOVERNOR BULLOCK Trr.TJt THE DOBBBrNS COM
PANY WHY HE DECIDES AGAINST IT.
Executive Department,)
State of Georgia, >
Atlanta, Ga., December 28,1870.)
M. G. Bobbins, Esq., Atlanta, Ga.—
‘ Dear Sir : Referring to yonr second commu
nication of the 27th instant, handed to Hie the
same morning by Messrs. Seago and McNaught,
in which yourself and associates seek to amend
your proposal for the lease of the Western and
Atlantic Railroad, by the reassertion of your
belief that you can give, as security, the Macon
and Western Railroad, the Central Railroad and
Banking Company, the Southwestern Railroad,
etc., and proposing, if that fails, to obtain per
sonal security, together with the suggestion
that, “We are willing that the lease should be
awarded to us upon condition that we give snch
security within a reasonable time,” I have the
honor to say that, on the 26th day of Ootober
of this year, I gave publio notice that, among
other things, “for the purpose of carrying out
this act, proposals will be received until and in
cluding the 25th day of December next, and
must be addressed to the Governor of the State
of Georgia, at Atlanta, and marked on the
wrapper, ‘Proposal to lease the Western and
Atlantio Railroad, in accordance with an aot ap
proved Ootober 24, 1870.’ The proposals must
state in fall the name and residence of the par
ties writing to make the proposition, the amount
that each of the parties therein named are worth
over and above their debts and' liabilities, to
gether with a full description of the character
of the security which will be offered to com
plete the bond.”
It will be observed that this publio notice was
given for the purpose of carrying out the act of
the Legislature, and that it thereby, to a cer
tain extent, becomes a contract between the
State and snch persons as may aot under it,
and.make proposals; and that the proposals,
must be considered when made in accordance
with the advertisement. The proposal made by
yourself and associates describes the character
of seenrity which will be offered to complete
the bond, by referring to the several railroads
heretofore mentioned. But at the same time I
receive proposals from other parties, describing
the same security together with certificates
from the proper officers of these railroad com
panies, certifying that their roads oould not be
used as seenrity for any other proposal except
that mode by themselves and associates. To
this your attention was invited by my note of
the 27th, and on receipt of your first note in
reply you having failed to make an explanation
of the misunderstanding in relation to the secu
rity, a proposal which complied; in every par
ticular, with the law ; and with the publio no
tice, was accepted.
A proposal from yourself and associates, all
of whom are citizens of Atlanta, as compared
with a proposa Ifrom persons and interests from
this nd several sections of the State, would
leave me no alternative but the favorable con
sideration of a proposal representing the great
est number of interests. While I have an ear
nest desire to forward tho prosperity of this
growing and enterprising city, I am not for
getful of the fact that the Western and Atlantio
Railroad is the property of all the people of the
State, and that both the letter and the spirit of
the act, authorizing the lease of that property,
would render it impossible for me to accept a
proposal which would, in effect, confine the use
fulness of the property to the sole benefit of
this city. In the proposal which has been ac
cepted, all of railroad and business interests
connecting with the line of the Western and At
lantic Railroad in this State, together with a
proper representation from this, and other prin
cipal cities of the State, have been harmonized.
In accepting snch a proposal as this last named,
even if the proposal made by yourself and asso
ciates had carried with it a description of se
curity as required by the act and by the pnblic
notice, I should be satisfied that my action was
in accordance with the letter and spirit of the
act, and in harmony with tho best interest of
tho State, and tho judgment of the tax payers
throughout the Slate.
This reply to yonr supplemental letter Is un
necessary, and bnt for the high character of
yourself and associates, wonld not have been
written. Mr. Seago, however, having pressed
the matter verbally, I desire to say stiU further,
that there are other points to be considered in
determining thisqnestion. My published notice,
heretofore referred to, gave you, and all others
desiring to bid for the lease, an equal opportu
nity. For a period of two months you, and all
others interested, were publicly notified of the
terms of the act of the General Assembly, and
of the requisites necessary to secure the con
sideration of a bid in determining between the
different persons or companies snbmittingpropo-
sitiens. And you were distinctly informed that a
full description of the character'd the seenrity
offered to complete the bond must accompany
the bid, and that proposals wonld he received
until andinclading the 25th day of December,
then next. In case of conflicting interests be
tween different bidders, it was my duty, under
this notice, to consider snch bids only as com
plied with its terms, and were submitted within
the time limited. Yonr proposition appeared
upon its face to be a compliance, bnt before I
came to decide the bids, I received, as already
stated, undoubted assuranoes of the highest
authority that you could not give the security
tendered. And a3 the time for bidding had
passed, I probably transcended the bounds of
propriety and justice, and gave the parties in
terested in the other bid jnst cause of com
plaint, when I gave you permission to amend
yonr bid. This I did with an earnest desire to
do justice to alL But you will observe that I
did not extend the time indefinitely, bnt re
quired yon to make the amendment at once;
this yon ntterly failed to do. It is true, you
say in yonr reply, as alroady stated, that yon
offer personal seenrity of residents of Georgia
worth over eight millions of dollars, and pledge
yourselves to make this security satisfactory.
Bat of tchat personal security, or of what resi
dents in Georgia, I am not folly informed; nor
do you specify any particular kind or quantity
of property upon which you will give the
State a mortgage or lien as seenrity. You have,
therefore, wholly failed even in yonr amended
proposition to comply with the terms of my
publication inviting bids. B at you say you are
willing that the lease should be awarded to you
upon condition that you give snch security
within a reasonable time. Yon were invited to
make no sucb bid, nor bad I given any assu
rance that any such bid would be accepted.
You were invited to present yonr bid by the
25th day of this present month, or daring that
day. I will not say that you trifled with the
Executive Department, in submitting a propo
sition and tendering security whioh you oould
not give, bnt I may safely say that you tendered
it without knowing that all the Railroad Compa
nies would stand for yon. "When invited to
amend yonr bid at once, you failed to do so by
designating or desoribinganysecurity whatever,
which it was in your power to offer.
Under these circumstance I feel that I should
be trifling with the publio interest wereT to re
ject a proposition made by a company of un
doubted reliability, tendering security of un
questionable sufficiency and solvenoy, who have
complied in every particular with the law and
the pnblic notice given by the Executive, and
accept yonr proposal based upon yonr promise
to give security within a reasonable time in fu
ture. Yon might again have failed as you have
already done in the first instance. In that case,
tho campany which submitted a prop wition ac
companied by sufficient security, would no long
er have been bound, and I wonld have been left
to commence de novo and ask other bids from
companies able to comply with tho torms of the
statute.
In conclusion, I will only remark that the law
authorized me to lease the Road at any time af
ter its passage, to a company complying with
all of its terms, for a snm not lean than twonty-
fivo thousand dollars per month. It was neither
made my duty to give publio notice, nor to ac
cept tho*highest bid, unless other things were
equal. I gave the notioe for the purpose of call
ing the attention of such companies to the sub
ject as were able and ready to comply with the
requisitions of the law. The company to whom
I have leased the Road harmonizes all conflict
ing interests which might arise between differ
ent portions of the railroad system of the State.
You will, therefore, agree that I have fully com
plied with both the letter and spirit of the law,
and have no donbt that my action is best for
the whole people of the Stato, and I maybe oon-
tent to abide their verdiot apon the transection.
I am, very respectfully, etc.,
Rufus B. Bullock.
THE DOBBINS OOMPANY COME BACK HEAVILY AX TEE
GOVERNOR, DEFEND THEIR CAUSE, AND DEMAND
THE ROAD,
■ d Atlanta, Ga., January 4,1871.
To Mis Excellency, Rufus B. Bullock, Govern
or of Georgia—
Sot: Your communication of the 28th ultimo
was received on yesterday, in whioh you state
we seek to amend our proposal for the lease of
the Western and Atlantio Railroad by reassert
ing in onr letter of the 27th ult., that we can
give as seenrity eertain railroads whioh we had
named in connection with onr proposal, and by
proposing if that fail, to obtain personal secu
rity, together with the suggestion that “ we are
willing that the lease should be awarded to ns
upon condition that we give snoh seenrity with
in a reasonable time.” Yon then proceed to
state that your publio notice extending from
Ootober 26 to December 25,1870, given for the
purpose of carrying oat the act of.the Legis
lature became, to a certain.extent, a contract
between the State and bidders for said road,
and that failure to comply with that contract
shuts out the parties, so failing, from having
their bids considered in the leasing of said
road; and that we did so fail in this; that we
named railroads as seenrity that you had the
highest authority for behoving we could not
command, and afterward failed when notified
by yonr note of the 27th nit., of this fact, to
make an explanation of. what you are pleased to
term a misunderstanding in relation to the secu
rity; leaving yon no alternative bnt to accept
another proposal whioh complied in every par
ticular with the law and with the publio notice.
You object, argumentatively, to our company
because it is composed exclusively of citizens
of Atlanta, flelicitating yourself in the mean
time upon having found a company which har
monized the railroads and business interests of
the whole State to such an extent that notwith
standing yonr partiality for our growing city,
you feel sure you will have the approval of the
tax-payers in aooepting their bid to the exclu
sion of curs, even were there no trouble about
our security. You seem to have no doubt
that the acceptance of the other bid is in
harmony with the letter and spirit of the act
authorizing the road to be leased. Yon
declare yonr long letter wholly unnecessary,
exoept to show respect for those addressed.
Mr. Seago is given special consideration, in
consequenoe of his having pressed the matter
verbally; is shown .the equal and fair oppor
tunity given by the publio notice, wherein we,
and everybody else, were distinctly told to des
cribe particularly the security that might be
offered, and to have onr proposal submitted be
fore the close of the 25th day of December,
1870; “to consider such bids only as complied
with the publio notice, and that ours, while it
seemed on its face, entitled to consideration,
was utterly deficient, in the matter of seonrity,
as you had certified to you by agents of the
very companies offered by us. You seem to
fear you have given reason for the other bid
ders to complain of injustice on your part in
allowing us to amend: calling particular at
tention to the evidence of yonr fears at the
time, as shown by the fact that you directed us to
amend at once; whieh, yon say we ntterly failed
to do. Yon admit that we offered personal se
curity worth over eight millions of dollars ($8,-
000,000;) but yon allege that we failed to name
persons willing to go on onr bond, or the prop
erty on which we proposed to give a lien; en
deavoring to supply this deficiency by express
ing our willingness to have the lease awarded to
us upon condition that we Rive such security
within a reasonable time. Yon inform us that
you asked for no such, and barely refrain from
charging ns with trifling; saying plainly, and
with emphasis, that we offered seenrity that we
knew not that we could command. To reject
the bid, whioh you have accepted, for onrs, with
its local character and fatal defects, you would
consider trifling, on your part, with the pnblic
interest; in as much as seeing we had failed
once, we might fail again, thereby causing you
to begin anew, and perhaps, ntterly fail to lease
the road. You conclude that you have been
over generous to ns in giving ns an opportunity
to make a bid at all, seeing the act authorizing
you to lease the road, allowed you to lease it
without giving any public notice whatever, and
without leasing it to the highest bidder nnleas
other things are equal. You have no donbt that
we will agree with yonr Excellenoy, that you
have observed the law in letter and spirit, and
have done the best for the State; that yon may
be content to abide the verdie of the pnblic in
the premises.
In reply, I have the honor for myself and as
sociates, to state that in order to fully under
stand this whole subject, it is necessary to keep
in sight the substantial fact that the company
which I have the honor to represent in this cor
respondence. and of which I am an humble mem
ber, made two bids for the "Western and Atlan
tic Railroad—one for thixty-fonr thousand five
hnndred ($34,500) dollars per month during the
whole term of twenty years, the extent of tho
lease; the other a sliding bid, commencing with
twenty-six thousand ($26,000) dollars per
month, and so increasing as to make the average
per month, for the twenty years, amount to the
sum of thirty-six thousand five'.hundred ($36,-
500) dollars. The bid which yon accepted wasfor
twenty-five thousand ($25,000)dollars per month,
to be uniform throughout the term of the lease.
Taking onr lowest bid, there is a difference in
onr favor of nine thousand five hundred ($9,500)
dollars per month, or of one hnndred and four
teen thousand ($114,000) dollars per annum, or
of two million two hundred and eighty thousand
(2,280,000) dollars for the 20 years, not to count
interest, which, at 7 per cent, wonld be one
million five hnndred and ninety-six thousand
dollars ($1,596,000), swelling the aggregate dif
ference to the neat little sum of three million
eight hnndred and seventy-six thousand dollars
($3,876,000. Under our highest bid the aggre
gate difference wonld have been four million
four hnndred and eighty-eight thousand dollars
($4,488,000.) Upon reflection, will your Exoel
lency pretend to weigh the inconvenience of
commencing de novo, in case we should have
failed to give the required security, added to
the trifling expense of ro-advertising, of the in
creased advantage of $3,876,000, or of $4,488,-
000, which the State wonld have obtained by
the aoceptanoe of onr bid? Your Excellenoy
well knows that the road would, in no wise, have
been an entire loss to the State, even had no
lease been finally effected by “trifling” with it.
It is well known that it is no uncommon achieve
ment for the road to earn $25,000 per month,
the sum offered by the accepted bid, even when
in the hands of the State. It strikes the minds
of ns all as very remarkable that yon should have
preferred the bid you did, in view of the differ
ence in the items of money as shown, as well as
in view of the fact'that you declared, without
hesitation, in the presence of two members of
onr company, whose intelligence and standing
are of the highest, that you had no donbt of
onr ability to give the bond with the required
seenrity; that any oompany obtaining the road
could give the security. You do us the honor
to speak of the high character of the gentlemen
composing our company; at the same time you
dishonor us before the world in flatly declaring
that we have been guilty of false representa
tions, in the fact that we pretended to control
security which you say we could not. You
must have found, by this time, that gentlemen
of high oharacter are capable of very low and
unworthy conduct. Your Excellenoy is aware
that you took care not to allow us an opportu
nity to prove the truth of our assertion in re
gard to our ability to give the security named.
We have never doubted our ability to give for
seonrity the identical property which we de
soribed in connection with our bid. At the
same time we protest that the law did not au
thorize you to demand a description of the secu
rity at the hands of the bidders; least of all, to
reject a bid upon the presumption of failure to
give security, before yon had given the bid
ders an opportunity to test their ability. We,
nevertheless, challenge your Excellenoy to test
our ability, even now, and, failing, let ours
be the shame of making false pretenses—
yours, the honor of having forseen onr du
plicity in proposing that which we could not
oonsuaur ate. Your Excellency should not have
bcon unmindful of the fact, that tho railroada
consenting to beoome seenrity for either com
pany, did so because of certain positive advan
tages which they expected to gain thereby, or
to prevent the injury that might result from
other roads becoming such security to tho exclu
sion of themselves; that the amount paid by
the company secured is of no consequence to
the roads going it» security; but that tho good
will of such company is worth a vast deal to
connecting roads ; so that nothing is more na
tural than for such connecting roads to strive
tor snoh good-will, or at least to be on an equal
footing with each other in the favor of snch
oompany. - Being thus indifferent as to the
amount paid by .the lessees, whose security they
propose to become, when a balanoe of interests
had already been effected, as in the oase of
our rivals, roads wonld be easily moved, by
large stockholders and directors, with the
bright prospect of a large fortune to be realized
by means of their commotion, also with the
new Western and Atlantic Railroad Oompany,
to throw obstacles in the way of another com
pany whose snocess might, some how, seri
ously unsettle their already well balanced in
terest In this case high officials of snch
Roads, in order to make sure of the <ia«ai«g
prize, now almost in their grasp, jeopardized
only by the rivalry of another oompany, might
presume, however foreign to the wish or
knowledge of a majority of their fellow-stock
holders, to even oertify that their roads would
not go security but for their own oompany.
Snoh an aot would not be more reprehensible
than to deprive the State of five millinna of dol
lars, Charged with the high dnty of gnarding
the publio interest, these considerations should
not have escaped yonr mind; for then it would
not have been in the power of greed to form a
combination whereby the State loses five mil
lions of dollars. You certainly should have ab
stained from whispering into the ears of the
chief oonspirators, by “rumors on the streets,”
information by'means of which they oould so rob
our State, for it will not be presumed that these
railroad officials betook themselves to certi
fying our inability to give security unless they
had heard by “rumor on the streets” of
our making a higher bid than that in
which they themselves were interested. It will
not be believed, that the fact, that we
had offered the highest bid submitted to your
Exoellency, went out from members of our
oompany. It was certainly not rumored on
the streets by any of us. We were careful not
to give our rivals that advantage over us; audwe
feel that geeat injustice has been done ns in the
fact that the nature of our bid was heard by
“rumor on the streets.” It would have been
but justioe to us, if rival bidders must know
before the lease is awarded, the nature of our
bids, and be entitled thereby, clandestinely to
thwart our arrangements for security, to be al
lowed a day at least to get other seourity in lieu
of that, of whieh the rumor heard on the street
had deprived us. You seem yourself, to have
had at least, a vague conception of the justioe
of our having some compensation for the wrong
we had suffered from some quarter, unknown
to us, except by “rumor on the streets.” If you
did not mean to trifle with us, when you gave
us notice to amend “at once;” otherwise, why
call upon us to amend? Justice at this
point, would have allowed us reasonable time
to amend our bid. No one knew better than
yourself that new security could not be gotten
up and fully described “at once.” No one
knew better than you, how great an outrage the
vast ring who had been put in possession our
secrets, were bent on committing not against
us, bnt against the whole people of Georgia.
Against a combination so powerful, possessed of
onr secret, which were no less sacredly our own
than important for the public interest, your
Excellenoy alone could prevail Had you per
mitted no ‘humor on the street” to be heard
against us, but kept yourself at equipoise
between us and that well certified ring armed
as we were with the right, to-day, the poor
of our impoverished State would not be con
tributing the four millions of dollars which
have been so easily pocketed by men already
rolling in wealth. Think of the ignorance
that this amount of money judiciously ap
plied under our common school system
wonld dispel. The rioh men who compose the
zing need no exeontive aid. They are
capitalists of onr State. They are men whose
intellects have moulded the policy of our State
affairs. They, of all men, needed all the hard
earnings of our impoverished people—the
means that should have been all voted to the ed
ucation of our poor—including those so recently
released from bondage. Yon refer to the liberty
allowed yon by aot of the Legislature in leasing
the road. It is tine you are allowed little liber
ty in the premises. "Why suchlibertywas given,
we, with certainty, know not. It is not permit
ted us to know what the draftsman had in his
inind when he drew the bill, which finally be
came the law under which you aot in this mat
ter. He may have been forming a ring to bid
for the road. His plan may have all been ar
ranged. That same draftsman may form part
of the identical ring now in possession of the
road. These things we oannot know. We may
be assured, however, that the Legislature in
tended the liberty given you by the aoi, to be
used for the good of the people, and notfor the
benefit of a ring. Had no limit been fixed at
all you would have been bound under the gen
eral obligation of yonr dnty to the State to
lease to the highest bidder—“other things being
equal.” All men aot upon that principle of
common sense. If yon place your cast-off gar
ments in the hands of an auctioneer, to sell for
yon, it never occurs to you to instruct him to
sell them to the highest bidder. Truly, he
would not think of doing otherwise. The quar
termaster at our military barracks, sold the re
fuse accoutrements and old tent-poles to the
highest bidder, and would doubtless be consid
ered as derelict in dnty, did he act differently.
It was presumed yon wonld act upon the same
principle by whioh men are generally governed,
when acting for themselves or others. Yon cer
tainly would not protond that you »»o permitted
to act otherwise in leasing the roadin question.
It wonld generally be supposed that you were
placed, by the freedom given you by the act, un
der increased obligation to see the interest of the
State protected. You were given discretion be
cause you were presumed to be discreet You
evidently so understood your duty, for you
claim to have acted for the best interests of the
State, and that you were justified in leasing to
whom yon did, no matter how good our seenrity,
or how particularly described. You base this
claim on the fact that onr company is wholly
made up of citizens of Atlanta, inferring hence
that all the benefits arising from the lease of
the road will be confined to the city. You
even go so far as to express your devotion to
the interests of Atlanta; so that nothing but
your obligation to the whole State, oould in
fluence yon to an act that might lesson its de
velopment in the years to come. Your Excel
lency never made a greater mistake than to
suppose that the benefits of the road in
our hands .would be confined to this city.
Be • tho residence of the present lessees
here, there and everywhere over the State as at
this time, what assurance have yap. that they
will not all move to Atlanta as soon as their div
idends from the Western and Atlantio Railroad
will justify them all retiring from active busi
ness life, and enable them to support that otium
cum dignitate that comes up to their ideas ot
city life. How do you see so far into the future
as to know that the members of our company
not residing in Atlanta, hereafter called hence
to the exercise of their skill as railroaders, ac
quired by bard labor, endeavoring to save them
selves harmless under the hard bargains which
on, doubtless, think would have been theirs,
lad the lease been awarded to them, may not
find themselves- actually engaged in carrying
on the business of those very roads that yon
seem so happy in having on the bond recently
approved by your Exoellency? Who can say
hat the present lessees will not give placo to
their assigns, who may reside in this city in less
than five years. Had we been awarded the lease,
who knows but the shrewd men connected with
the railroads, the interests of which you have
so beautifully harmonized, might not, by means
of their wealth and by their appreciation of
the importance of that same harmony for
which the State now pays so dearly, have bough-
all our interests, and thus diversified the intert
ests connected with the State Road? But it
never occurred to ns that you were charged with
the task of harmonizing railroad interests in the
State. It was for you to see that the people,
the whole people, received no wrong by your
action. This you utterly failed to do. Sup
pose the Macon and Western, and the Central
Railroad Banking Oompany, had beoome one of
the securities, and suppose, moreover, that, by
reason of such cleverness on their part (supos-
ing we had the road,)a few oar-loada of freight
had been sent over their lines, in preference to
the Georgia Road, and others—how would the
people thereby be injured ? The roads thus fa
vored might have received a few dollars, which,
otherwise, would have found their way into the
coffers of other roads. No one can tell how,
in such case, the people would have been harm
ed, especially with four millions of dollars added
to their fortunes, in the way of diminished taxes.
To avoid, however, the appearance of injury to
even railroad companies, in the way above in
dicated, it wonld havo been well to have had
it rumored on the streets that the learo would
be awarded to one oompany until the other bid
should be raised above ours; aad that the rail
roads not named among our securities had bet
ter propose to join with the others, to go on
onr bond, to prevent injury to their business.
The harmony now attained at such heavy ex
pense, oould have been thus reached at much
less cost to tho Stato. Tho only question for
your Excellency to consider, was who offered
the highest bid, with amplo seourity to pay the
money promised. It is a question of dollars
and cents; and as such every citizen, whether
rich or poor, railroader or farmer, Governor or
governed, is interested in having the road
leased for as much money as possible. The
people of Atlanta alone, are likely to be in
jured by a oompany paying the highest rent
for the road; for it might beoome necessary,
in order to make the road pay in such case, to
show this city fewer favors, than a oompany
paying less rent could afford to do. So your
objections to our oompany, on aooount of ita
being confined to this city, is wholly without
foroe; nay, the argument you claim for the
other company, as against ours, is all with US.
The benefits from our leasing the road, so far
from being local in its beneficial effects would
have been felt in every household, whether
rich or poor, throughout the length and breadth
of the State.
Oar bid was submitted to your Exoellanoy be
fore the close of December 25, 1870. Though
the accredited agent of the Central Railroad
and Basking Company had, on the 20th ult, al
ready given the pledge of that oompany’« secu
rity for parties with whom said agent was as
sociated, and the same person had, as
of the Macon and Western Railroad Company,
made a similar statement in reward to the latter
road, I assert that we had the highest authority
for offering both of said roads for security.—
Your Excellenoy seems to have been somewhat
confused by the artifice of an interested agent
aad director. "What possible hindrance oould
there be in the way of these roads to prevent
them from proposing to go security for both eom-
panies, for but one of said companies oould ob
tain the lease, and but one ooula oall on them to
fulfill their promise in case of a successful bid.
There ooula have been no possible conflict here.
The highest officials on such roads, as wcDasthe
stockholders thereof, would have been ready to
support us in our bid, bad we been successful
just as we first assured your Excellenoy. We
were informed that such Roads would be ample
security. The securities required by the act of
the Legislature are required to justify in the
sum of two millions of dollars, and everybody
knows that said roads aro ample for the pur
pose. Your Excellency will agree with us, that
we could have given the security offered had you
awarded us the lease.
But sir, we deny your right to decide our in
ability to command the seourity named by us
until" we had failed. We had shown your Ex-
oellenoy that our oompany possessed ample
property, free from debt and incumbrance of
any sort, to make good any loss the State might
have sustained by reason of onr failure to com
ply with the terms upon whieh the lease was
awarded. Had we failed, your Excellenoy had
but to sue us to reoover the damages sustained
by the State at our hands. Weafi understood
that we would be held responsible for damages
in oase of pur failure. We would have called
on your Exoellency, had we felt that we needed
yonr assistance to save us from such conse
quences. By your exoessive zeal in our behalf,
you have done us a great wrong—you have
wronged the State whose interests yon had
been set to guard.
Against this wrong I protest, in the name of
myself and associates, and in the name of the
defrauded citizens of Georgia. We now de
mand the possession of said road as our legal
right. And we notify your Excellenoy that wa
will exhaust all lawful means to obtain our
rights in the premises.
Very respectfully, M. G. Dobbins.
Krjrznnowski in Washington.
We see by the Herald specials from' Wash
ington, last Tuesday, that the late Inspector of
Elections, in Bibb oonnty has reached there in
breathless terror and foil of trouble. Pint,
about his personal and official perils in Savan
nah, there is this muoh:
Threats Against a Revenue Offices in Sa
vannah.—Colonel Krjzanowski, Supervisor of
Internal Revenue for the States of Georgia and
Florida, who has just arrived here from Savan
nah, reports that he was recently notified by the
Mayor of that city that his life was unsafe while
he remained in Savannah. It appears that this
officer has rendered himself particnlarly obnox
ious to the enemies of the adcunistration on
aooount of the fearless and efficient maimer in
whioh he discharged his duties in prosoenting
parties guilty of violations of the revenue laws
and in breaking up illicit distilleries through
out the State. The notification from the Mayor
to the Colonel that his life was threatened, did
not astonish Colonel Kryzanowsbi, for he had
previously received intimations to that effect,
and had of It.to been in the habit of going about
folly armed for any emergency. The Mayor,
however, for the good name of the oity, prompt
ly tendered him a guard of policemen for his
personal protection, while the oolored men of
the city of Savannah volunteered to be his es
cort wherever he chose to go in his superviso
rial district. The information, it is alleged, was
given to the Mayor through Democratic sources,
and upon learning of the threats made against
Colonel Kryzanowski, prominent merchants of
Savannah came forward and offered to enter In
to bonds in the sum of $300,000 for his safe
conduct While in Georgia.
We have not a doubt of the falsity of the
whole of this story, but the Savannah papers
oan 'deal with.it. That Colonel Screven sent
any such notification it is impossible to believe.
The next dispatch is Kryzanowski on the
election. The slippery Pole got things a
good deal mixed when he speaks about the
Third State Senatorial Distriot for the 1st Con
gressional District. If Joshua Hill knows about
any “threats of violenoe,” we hope he will oon*
descend to particulars.
How the Election was Carried in Geor
gia—Ballot Boxes Stolen by Ku Kuxes.—
Colonel Kryzanowski, in oompany with Collect
or Robb; of the port of Savannah, had an in
terview with the President to-day, when the por
litioal condition of affairs in that State was the
subjeet of conversation. Prominent Republi
cans, direct from Georgia, allege that frauds,
without number, were perpetrated at the recent
election, and the evidence to thin effect has
been accumulated and will be plaoed in the
hands of the Judiciary Committee of the Sen
ate. Especially is this true, it is stated, in the
Third State Senatorial district, where the noto-
rious colored man, Bradley, was, as is alleged,
hired by the Democrats to run on an indepen
dent Republican ticket for the purpose of de
feating the regular Republican candidate, and
giving the distriot to the Democrats. The elec
tion in this district will be oontested, as well as
in other districts, where, it Is said, t the Kit
Klnxes stole the ballot boxes and prevented a
fair count being made of the ballots deposited.
It is understood that Joshua Hill, Senator elect
from Georgia, under the first reconstruction
measure, concurs in the course pursued by the
protesting Republicans, believing that, through
threats of violenoe in many prooinots, a fair
vote was not obtained.
Tbe Herald on Re-Reconstruction
The Herald, whioh of lata has been a blatant
bepraiser of Grant and his Administration, in
cluding that odious San Domingo job, suddenly
veers round now, as if conscious of a grand mis
take, and falls to on the opposite tack. It sums
up the Southern situation and Grant’s blunders
connected therewith, as follows, in its issue of
Sunday last:
Hero we are led to ask what the position of
the administration is. From onr independent
and impartial standpoint we are bound to say
that both it and its party have lost ground. This
is evident when we look at the popularity of
the President when he entered the white House
in March, 1869, and the overwhelming strength
of the Republicans both in Congress and in the
several Stato governments, and compare their
situation then with what it is now. They bad
absolute power over the question of reconstruct
ing the South, and strained every effort to make
that section radical republican. They believed
they had, and might have had, perhaps, the
sympathy and support of the negroes, who owed
their liberty and franchises principally to the
Republicans; and this new voting element is a
very powerful one in the South. But the admin
istration and Us party overreached themselves.
They were too illiberal, vindictive and restrictive.
A generous and forgiving polioy, looking to
the early restoration and harmony of the South,
and making political reconstruction subservi
ent to that, would have secured the support
both of the negroes and a large part of the
white population. Bat the white people, and
many of the negroes, have become alienated
from the Republican party through the illiberal
policy pursued towards the South, and through
the disgust which carpet-bag and scalawag pro
teges of the Government have inspired. As a
consequence, we see most of the Southern
States have become Demooratic, and that there
is a prospect of all becoming so. Tbe adminis
tration and the dominant party feel keenly this
defection. Indeed, it is whispered in Washing
ton that the Republicans are so disappointed
that they contemplate reconstructing the Sou ill
over again. But we oannot believe they will do
anything so outrageous and dangerous, lor it
would ntterly ruin them. They Save failed in
the South, and must suffer the penalty of their
mistaken policy.
A Washington special to the New York Times
of Wednesday, says the Senate Judiciary Com
mittee will report in favor of seating Messrs.
Will and MiH*> as Senators from Georgta, aad
such is the general opinion at Washington.
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