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The Lee County Journal
VOL. IX.
Freight Rate Fight at Atlanta
Suddenly Halted.
AGREEMENT IS REACHED
State Railroad Commission With
draws Circulars 301 and 302, and
Whole Matter is Left to a
New Tribunal.
Litigation over freight rates which
has been in progress for some weeks
in the United States court, at Atlan
ta, ended abruptly last Wednesday,
“nd the question has been removed
a very different sort of tribunal
he executive officers themselves of
the southern railroads, who have full
power to act.
By an agreement between counsel
for the railroad commission and the
Atlanta Freight Bureau, fm the one
harnd, and the attorneys for the rail
roads on the other, circulars 301 and
302, in which the railroad commis
sion promulgated the objectionable
reduced rates, were revoked by the
commission; thereupon the suits
brought by the rallroads for injunc
tion were dismissed and the whole
litigation was thus terminated.
As a basis for this agreement, this
dropping of the whole legal phase of
the question there was only the prom
ise of Colonel Ed Baxter, of Nashville,
that he would advise his clients, the
executive officers of the southern
roads, to use every effort to so re
vise the rate situation as to satisfy
the Georgia railroad commission. Col
onel Baxter did not promise he would
accomplish anything, but only that he
would advise. However, such is the
confidence in Colonel Baxter’s ability
to handle the situation, that the at.
torneys for the state are pleased and
gratified that the matter has taken
this direction.
It was Colonel Baxter’s own sugges
tion which opened the way for this
agreement. The executive officers of
the raillroads of the south will hold
an important meeting in New York
on Monday next, December 5, for the
purpose of considering the whole of
the prevailing rate a.djus;ment from
the Potomac river to the Mississip
pi. It is at this same meeting that
the railroad officials will consider the
complaint made by Atlanta through
the committee of seven appointed by
Mayor Howell.
Atlanta’s complaint and the atti
tude of the railroad commission have
a very intimate connection. Here there
was opportunity to consider at least,
perhaps to definitely settle, the whole
vexed question.
“1f you will withdraw circulars 301
and 802,” said Colonel Baxter to coun
sel for the railroad commission, “I
will advise my clients to make every
effort to revise the present rate ad
justment. ‘Then lif such revision
ghould not be satisfactory to you, your
commission is left free to take such
sctlon as it deems proper.” =
LEESBURG. GA., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1904.
THis seemed satisfactory to Attor
ney General Hart and the other attor
neys for the commission; conferencesl
followed with the result that the liti
gation was terminated. {
- MONEY FOR METHODISTS.
Bequests in the Wil of Late Million.-
aire Scruggs.
The late millionaire, philanthropist
and dry goods merchant of St. Louis,
Richard M. Scruggs, in his will, just
filed, makes specific bequests of $481,-
000, Large amounts are left to the
Methodist church, south, for foreign
missions. To W. R. Lambuth, secre
tary of the board of missions of Nash
ville, is left $5,000 for a girls’ school
in Hiroshima, Japan; Bishop N B
Hendrix gets $5,000 and Bishop E. E.
Hoss $6,000 for missions. Bishop
Candler, of Atlanta, gets $5,000 for
Cuba. Bishops Galloway and Wilson
also gets $5,000 each for missions.
SECOND JAP WAR DIET.
Convened in Tokio to Provide Further
Funds for the Conflict.
The Emperor of Japan formally
opened the second war diet at Tokio
Wednesday. He rode througfi the
crowded streets in state dress, escort
ed by a score of kncers and accom
panied by the orown prince of his
staff and some members of the imper
ial household, to the house of parlia
ment, where both houses were assem
bled in the chamber of representa
tives.
TAFT'S REPORT RECEIVED.
His Negotiations With Panama Fully
Approved By Presldent.
The report of Secretary Taft, spe
cial envoy of the United States to
Panama, of his negotiations with that
government, was received in Washing
ton Saturday. After careful consider
ation the president gave his entire ap
proval of the same and has advised
Secretary Taft by cable to this effect.
RAILROAD GRANTED CHARTER.
Bavannah, Statesboro and Northern
to Build a Line.
The Savannah, Statesboro and Noth
ern Railroad Company has been grant
ed a charter by Secretary of State
Phillip Cook, of Georgia.
This company proposes to build a
line from Statesboro, in Bulloch coun
ty, to Athens, in Clarke county, a dis
tance of 160 miles. The company's
rapital stock will be $3,000,000.
GREAT BICYCLE RACE ON.
Elghteen Teams Start in Bix-Day Con
test at Madison Square Garcen.
Amid a roar of applause from nearly
20,000 spectators in Madison Square
Garden, New York, the contestants
in the twelfth international six-day
bicyele race responded to the crack
of the starter’s pistol, fired by Con
gressman Timothy D. Sullivan, at ex
actly five minutes after midnight Mon
day morning. ke
. 3
Season’s Yield is Placed at
GOVRNMENT'S ESTIHMATE
Figures Cause Tremendous Surprise
Even Among Veteran Dealers.
Growers Wiill be Greatly
Disappointed.
A Washington special says: Pre
liminary returns to the chief of the bu
reau of statistics of the department of
agriculture show a total production
of cottdn in the Unied States in the
years 1904-05 of 12,161,000 Dbales.
Round bales are included in this esti
mate and reduced to their equivalent
in square bales.
The estimate does not include lin
ters. :
In the preparation and issuance of
the cotton report, Secretary Wilson
gave-demonstration of the precautions
taken to avoid advance information
leaking out. Representatives Byrgess,
of Texas, and Ransdal, of Louisiana,
‘were invited by the secretary to wit
ness the preparation of the estimate.
The party was locked in the private
office of the statistician, and reports
from all the cotton districts were
taken into the room. The doors
were locked from the outside, and the
secretary then gave orders for the
opening of the report. The estimate
of the crop for the year 1904-1905
was then prepared and sent out before
any person in the room was permit
ted to leave or communicate with any
person from the outside.
" “In this manner the cotton estimates
are invariably made,” said Secretary
Wilson, “and all human ingenuity is
used to prevent leaking of informa
tion.”
A Tremendous Surprise.
A New York special says: The
government estimate for the cotton
crop placing the yield at 12,162,000
balesg, issued Saturday, was & surprise
to more people than any govern
ment report of recent years. While a
few of the more extreme bears had
‘been talking 12,000,000 bales or over,
the average opinlon even in bearish
circleg locally was that the govern
ment estimate would be under that fig
ure.
The announcement was followed by
another sensational break in prices.
The decline that has been in progress
now for over a month and carried the
market down from 11 cents to 8 1-2
cents proved insufficient in the esti
mation of the trade to fully reflect the
new condition of affairs, and a crop
of the size reported. There was un
doubtedly a big short interest in the
market, but in spite of covering,
prices declined nearly half a cent In
less than half an hour of trading.
January, which sold around 8.56 dur
ing the forenoon, was depressed (o
about 8.10 and other months suffering
in like measure. The market was
very excited with trading exceedingly
active.
Disappointment to Planters. ..
There is no doubt about the fact
that the government coton crop re-
port estimating the present season’s
crop at 12,162,000 bales will prove
a serious disappointment to the plant.
ers all over the south. ;
The recent decline has given an in.
dication of the tremnd of things, but,
despite all that, and despite the 11,
800,000-bale estimate the planters
have been nursing the hope of some
thing better when the government es
timate came out. "
Everywhere cotton is being held for
10, and in some cases, for 12 cents;
the government estimate smashes
these hopes for some months to come,
at least, and, perhaps permanently, so
far as the present geason’s crop in co
cerned.
But far from making the planters
rush into the market, the effect of the
government report will undoubtedly,
be to make them even hold on to their
cotton tighter than ever, hoping
against hope, it may be, but hoping,
nevertheless, for something better in
‘the future. :
| ———————— L
FIRE SWEEPS THE PIKE.
Pleasure Palaces and Costly Contenta
Prey of Incendiaries, :
A St. Louis dispatch says: Further
investigation by the police and Jeffer
gon Guards strengthens their bellef
that the fire on the Pike which total
ly destroyed the “Streets of Rome”
and “Quo Vadis” and partly destroy
ed “Fair Japan” on the ‘“Bowery” and
“old St. Louis” was of incendlary ori
gin.
One suspect hag been arrested, Ar
thur V. Dunn, 26 years old, who glves
hig occupation as a waiter.
e 1 i 4
FATHER SLAYS FAMILY. 3
Bloody Tragedy is Reported to Have
Occurred in Kentucky County.
The murder of a whole family by
the drunken husband and father is
reported from near Shelby, Pike coun
ty, Kentucky. Enoch Sloan, a farm
er, went home from Shelby in a drunk.
en condition and shot and killed his
wife and four small children and then
gshot himself dead.
HUNDRED ALGERIANS DROWN.
French Steamer Goes Down After Hav
ing -Been in Coliision.
Advices from Bona, Algeria, stata
that a hundred persong were drowned
Thursday night by the sinking of the
Franch steamer Gironde, after having
been in collision with the French
steamer A. Schiaffino near Herbillon,
%3 miles from Bona,
The Gironde left Bona with 110 pos
sengers, of whom 100 were Algerian
2ativea.
CRAZY MAN RUNS AMUCK,
Armenian Creates Temporary Pande
monium in a Candy Shop.
After driving his employer and oth
ers from a candy shop in Brooklyn,
'N. Y., Friday, Carabad Krikorian, an
Armenian, barricaded himself in the
place and resisted arrest until he had
‘heen shot to death by a detail of po
}xicemen who had been summoned to
jt,he scene, Krikorian fired several
shots, but none of the policemen were
‘wounded, . 4 i
NO. 1)