Newspaper Page Text
The Atlanta Constitution
THE GREAT SOUTHERN WEEKLY
VOL. XXVI. NO. 33.
SEABOARD SYSTEM SCOOPED
BY ROCK ISLAND & ’FRISCO
New York, August 12—The long ex
pected announcement that the Seaboar''
Air Line had passed at least practi
cally into new hands, was made today by
I-aden-berg, Thalman & Company, who
issued a statement, showing that inter
ests representing the Rock Island ami
St, Louis and San Francisco had se
cured representation in the Seaboard di
rectorate and board of votln" trustees.
The official statement was as follows:
"Ladenberg, Thalman & Company an
nounce that they have completed nego
tlations whereby new and important
Interests have become Identified with the j
Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company. I
B. F. Yoakum and H. Clay Pierce and I
B. F. Guinness, of Ladenberg. Thalman i
& Company, and Oklelgh Thorne, presi
dent of the North American Trust Com
pany, have been elected voting trus
tees of the Seaboard.
"President John Skelton Williams alsc
announces that B. F. Yoakum. H. Clay
Pierce. Oklelgh Thorne and S. B. Van
vorst have been elected directors of the
Seaboard Air Line railway.
“'The change of personnel of voting i
trustees of the stock of the Seaboard j
Air Line Company does not mean the j
purchase of the company by Rock Isl j
and or ’Frisco interests, although 'he |
'Frisco lines extend into Birmingham and i
are & part of their southern system. It '
dees, however, emphasize the fact that i
all the great railway systems are car- ■
tying out the policy of more closely ct j
mentlng the railway transportation in- I
terests of the country, which will great- I
iy retard, and, it is hoped, entirely pre
vent demoralization of the whole situa
tion, or the unnecessary construction and
duplication of property.
Value Enhanced.
"Attention is called to the fact that
with the discontinuance of any further ‘
construction by the Seaboard Air Line, '
the value of the properties are greatly !
enhanced. And another gratifying fact I
at this time, and which Is further evl- i
ilence of the future disposition of the j
railways of the United States, is that |
this deal does not can for any financing I
or any supplying of new money."
<'me th,, - n'ing irusla,- “'btw.askaP---
to state the real significance of the deai, ’
s-iid that it meant a "better understand- j 1
i>-g among interests that have at various i
Innes conilicted.”
The policy of the Seaboard Air Line ,
for a long time whs one of absolute in- |
d-prudence, so much so as to make it ■
at times inlm.cal to the interests of op
pi sing roads traversing adjacent terri- |
tor.v. Today’s developments, It is thought,
will do away with such trouble in th* j
future.
The new directors take the places of !
F. R. Pemberton, of this city: R. C. I
Dawldson, Baltimore: E. B. Addison, I
Richmond, and W. W. MZckall, S.t- ;
t-annah.
B. F. Yoakum, one of the now di
rectors. is president of the St. Louis an.’ i
Ban Francisco road, for which Morgan I
£ Company are fiscal agents
The difference between the so-called ■
Morgan interests represented hy the
Southern railway and the Seaboard Air i ’
Line people during the Inst few years I
has been a sharp one. The effort of I
Thomas F. Ryan and his assort-fes to
get a foothold in the Seaboard, or as ! :
some suggested, control of that company, i
was accompanied by rumors at the time j
that he was acting In the interest of the |
Southern, but this was denied.
Seaboard and Louisville.
The laws of some of th- southern states I
expressly preclude one company front
controlling a competing road. T1 is ren
dered it impossible for Mr. M -rgan io
turn the Louisville and Nashville road
over to the Southern. Instead of that.
It went to the Atlantic Coast lane.
The SealKtard made a strong bi i for the i
Louisville road and when It was re-fused |
even a part ownership in it, it was inti- j
mated that other alliances would be
grade, perhaps with the Gould people.
In contrast with the old-time rate cut
ting which the Seaboard indulged in. it
has been significant that in recent years
it had a sort of silent understanding to
maintain rates, so that all of the rail
roads In southern territory would be able
to get as much profit out of their traffic
6s possible.
The Seaboard Air Line Railway Com
pany, operating 2,611 miles of road, was
formed under the laws of Virginia ijj 19.0,
to succeed the old Richmond, Petersburg
end Carolina railroad. The system now I
extends from Richmond, Va., to Tampa, j
Fla., with connections extending west ‘
to Montgomery and to Birmingham by ,
way of Atlanta, and east to Charleston, ■
Wilmington and Norfolk. Under a traf- ;
tic agreement with the Pennsylvania rail- :
road, a through passenger and freight ;
service Is maintained between Washing- (
ton and New York.
The Seaboard Air Line also owns the |
Bay Line Steamship Company, operating
from Baltimore to Norfolk.
President Williams Makes Statement
At the special request of The Constitu
tion John Skelton Williams, president of
the Seaboard Air Line, at New York,
wired the following statement for The
Constitution:
New York, August 13.—Atlanta Consti
tution, Atlanta, Ga.: As a result of ne
gotiations which were consummated
through ladenburg. Thalmann & Co.,
bankers, of this city, new and important
Interests have become identified with the
Seaboard Air Line railway and have be
come interested in its stock. The proper
ty has not changed hands and a majority
of the interest has not been sold. The
r-ew directors just elected are B. F. Yoa
kum. H. Clay Pierce. B. S. Guinness, of
Ladenburg. Thalmann & Co.; Oakley
Thorne president of the North American
Trust Company, of this city, and F. B.
VnnVorst .
The other directors of the company an
John Skelton Williams and James H.
Doolev, of Richmond; C. Sidney Shepard,
of New York; Ernest Thalmann. of Nev.-
York; William, A. Marburg, of Baltimore;
George W. Watts, of Durham. N. C.. and
James M. Barr, of Norfolk, Va.
Messrs Yoakum. Pierce. Guinness and
Thorne have also been elected members of
the board of voting trustees, the other
voting trustees being John Skelton Wll-
Uaxnfc Jama* H. Dooley, C. Sidney Shep-
j MILEAGE OF THE SYSTEMS j
I * SEABOARD AIR LINE RY. CO. •
i • The Seaboard Air I4ne Railway C ompany, with its various branches, cm- •
® hra?.es a total of about 2,699 miles. The following companies were absorb- £
? ed by the Seaboard by consolidation in November, 1901: Raleigh and Gaston •
j Railroad Company. Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Company, Carolina Cen- ?
I • >ral Railroad Company, Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway Corjpany, • ,
i Seaboar l Air Line Belt Railroad Company. Palmetto Railway Company. Che.s- *
• a terdeld and Kershaw Railroad Company and the Georgia and Alabama Rail-
® Hay and Logansville and Lawrence railroad were consolidated in February. •
o 11'02. The Seaboard also owns a one-sixth interest in the Richmond-Washing- q
; ? ton Company, controlling the road from Richmond f? Washington. • ;
' £, 7 h.- Seaboard svstem also controls, by ownership of Xhe entire capital ® :
® stpek, iho Baltimore Steel Packet Company, which, for th* past fifty years. 6 ■
o has operated the principal fleet of steamers on Chesapeake bay. between Bal- *
• timore. Norfolk. Portsmouth and Old Point Comfort. Va., and it also owns a • •
i substantial interest in the Old Dorn inion Steamship Company, operating be- J i
0 tween New York, Norfolk, and other points in Virginia and North Caro- q !
? Una. « •
e * i
• The Atlanta-Birmingham extension of the Seaboard Air Line is now 4
9 being rapidly pushed forward and will be 7 miles shorter than any other 6
0 rojte between this city’ and the me tropolis of Alabama. 1
o ROCK ISLAND SYSTEM. ’ I
r The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company 3.656 miles • I
; Ihe Keokuk and Des Moines Railroad Company 162 miles ® i
o Ihe Des Moines and Fort Dodge Railroad Compan.v u-l ntlCeS ©
'he Burliiigton. Cedar Rapids and No.Thern Railway Company . 1.36’ miles f I
• Rock island and Peoria Railway Company 120 miles j
® The Choclaw. Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad Company 1,051 miles ®
o Chicago, Rock Island and Texas Railway Company 123 miles , I
Chicago, Rock Island and El Paso Railway Company ill miles •
i Choctaw, Oklahoma and Texas Railroad Company 135 miles °
•' St. I.OUIS, Kansas City and Colorado Railroad Company—St. Louis o
a to Kansas City 291 miles ®
• Chicago. Pock Island and Gulf Railway Company—Fort Worth to "
• Houston 265 miles * j
o Choctaw, Oklahoma and Texas Railroad Company—Clmarilla to ® |
f Texas-New Mexico line; and Chicago, Rock Island and El
« Paso Railway Company -Texas New Mexico line to Tuniacarl . 125 miles •
• Choctaw and Chickasaw Railroad Compan.v Ardmore to Red 0
V River; and Chicago. Rock Island and Gulf Railway Company— o
• Red River to Dallas ju miles f ‘
• Various branches in Oklahoma and Indian Territory, about. .. .. 150 miles * '
o Peoria and Bureau Valley Railway Company 47 miles ®
’ Chicago, Rock Island and Mexico Railway Company 92 miles I |
I Searcy and De.s Arc Railroad Company 25 miles t> 1
o Chicago, Rock Island and Texas Railway Company—Jacksboro to e
r r . al ? an ’ : 27 miles ♦ I
I Ob.. -«»4 Gulf Ri’ e ; - <»
’ Total mileage".'..'.' 8,057 miles J] ’
? ST. LOUIS & SAN FRANCISCO,
® St. Louis, Mo., to Oklahoma City, O. 543.09 . 1
j Sapulpa. In*. T.. to South M.. K. and T. R’y Junction 192 90 «, |
• Monet, Mo., to Red River 2S6 ’ l ’ ! I
? Peirce City. Mo., to Ellsworth, Kans 323.80 * I
9 Springfield, Mo., to Kansas City, Mo ”
• Kansas City. Fort Scott and Memphis railway (leased) 972.86
i Kansas City. Memphis ami Birmingham railroad 276.57 i
® Fort Worth and Rio Grande railway 14t> W
’ Total of lines of less than 100 miles _ ?
X Total mileage •
« Seaboari System ? !
? Rock Island System ®’'"‘ .
• St. Louis and San Francisco System j
? Grand total mileage j |
ard and William A Marburg The new . t
members of the board are likely to facill
late the establishment of close and ad- ■ j
vantageous relations with the important , x
railioad systems with wlilch they are; 1
M< ntifii'd and the position of the Seaboard'
Air Lille railway is today stronger and ) i
more important than it has ever been. t
(Signe.l» J S. WILLIAMS. t
How Control Was Secured. •'
The following special from The Consti- - ,
tution’s New York correspondent throws ! j
s >me additional light upon the details . i
of the big transaction;
“New Y"ik. August 13.—(Special.)—Re- I
[orted that, control of tho Seaboard Air |
L.n- was seemed by taking over one :
hundred and fifteen thousand shares held ,
1 v cerixiin members of the New iork., ;
JJchm.'ial and Baltimore syndicate at 40 j
f preferred and 21) for common, less ;
eommission, and the purchases of hold- I
Ings of Sharp xt Bryan, the suspended
firm, which were large, but not equal ■
to those of the above syndicate.
■•(’ortain New York and southern men I
are reported to have loaded up with ya- I
rious investments, including Louisville
and Nashville, above 40, and It Is report
ed here that the change on the Seaboard ,
control was really brought about through
the necessity of the two principal hold
ers of Seaboard stock. These necessltlea.
it is alleged were in the shape of ma
turin’ ioans which they could not meet.
"In negotiating a basis on which these
loans would be protected, these interests
agree to surrender five out of nine ' rus ‘
tees in the voting trust of the Seaboard
' Mr I ine. Thev were taken care of oy
' 1 adenberg. Thalmann &- Co. which nego
; tiated terms on which the new trustees
were given their position. The voting
| Lust s-ands for eight years. Ladenberg.
! Thalman & Co.. It is i eported, guarantee
i tin* loans above mentioned. Current re
port has it that John Skelton WllHains
. will not remain equally dominant In the
! future as In the part."
"The report that Southern railway tn
: terests have acquired an interest in the
I Seaboard Air Lino system is incorrect.
"As is well known, Messrs. Pierce and
Yoakum arc* closely identified with the
St Lmiis and San Francisco-Rock Ls
land system, and it Is reasonable to sup
pose that this latter system and the Sea
board line system will hereafter be op
erated in thorough harmony and to their
mutual advantage. Through this asso
ciation the Rock Island system will be
tarnished with direct outlets at seven
seanorts on the Atlantic coast, and the
gulf of Mexico. Including Baltimore,
Norfolk Wilmington. Savannah, Fernan
dina, Jacksonville and Tampa.
"The situation is eminently satisfactory
to me and the arrangements by which
these new interests have been brought
into the property have been carried
through by Ladenburg. Thalmann & Co.
with my cordial cooperation."
Practically Inter-Oceanic Connection.
"It means practically an Atlantic-Pa
cific connection through the south with ;
Atlanta as the most practical distributing
point, not only for the southeastern states
but for some of the big systems in the
north as well.”
This from a. prominent railroad man in
regard to the big deal consummated be
tween the Seaboard Air Line and the
Rock Island system as published in The
Constitution of yesterday.
’ "Furthermore,” he continued, "it means
that this city must of necessity be ac
knowledged the Chicago of the south
irom a, railroad standpoint, and that In
ATLANTA, GA., MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 1903.
w ••• w I
the very near future great, stock yards
and warehouses will loom up against tho
Atlanta sky line proving to all incoming ,
visitors that they have reached the great
inter-ocean junction for the entire south.
"No one can even prophesy at tills time
regarding the tremendous importance at- I
tachod to this new move in its relations
to the best Interests of Atlanta. For
shippers it not only means the continua
tion of a rival to other roads stronger
and more Independent than before, but it
means that all of the through freight of
the entire surrounding territory will go
west through this city.
From Southwest to Tidewater
"Again. It means that the shipping of
the southern Pacific and gulf states will :
find tile nearest and quickest route to tho
Atlantic seaboard over the great system
that has with this week's developments
brought the two oceans more closely to
gether byway of a southern route than in
all previous history.
"While the trunk line at present con- '
nccts the Atlantic seaboard directly with .
El Paso In Texas and Denver in Colo- I
redo, through connections c.an bo made I
directly to the Pacific, and It Is proba- ;
bly a part of the deal to make n through •
trunk lino to the Pa-'lfic without having,
to depend on any allied Interests In tho
near future.
"Even as it Is now, the territory of tho
entire southwest will be drawn on and
there Is simply no estimating on the
amount of traffic, both passenger and
freight, that will go oast and west
through Atlanta."
An Idea of the tremendous amount of
territory drained and the importance of
Atlanta's position can be readily gained
by looking at a map of the new trunk
line printed In another column of today’s
Constitution The magnitude of the pres
ent proposition can be better estimated
in this way than by columns of reading
matter.
It is universally ax-cepted as a fact that
the Seaboard will continue to be operated
as an independent system, but the new
alliance will demand a tremendous In
crease in the present force, both in this
city and elsewhere on the eastern end of
the big trunk line.
May Not Ratify Panama Canal.
Panama, August 11.—The latest news
from Bogota is not favorable to the rati
fication of the canal treaty.
A correspondent writes that seven sen
ators favor and seventeen oppose ratifi
cation. and that unless some radical
change occurs soon all efforts to secure
its ratification will fail. The friends of
the canal hope that ex-Presldent Caro,
one of the leaders of the opposition to
the government, an dan opponent to the
treaty, may again drag the question
into politics in the Fe'ief That such a
movement woiFI eventually compel the
senate, when the vote Is reached. to
divide on the lines of support or oppo
sition to the government.
Australian Steamer Founders.
Triste. Austria. August 12.—The Aus
trian Lloyd steamer Poseidon today
foundered on the Syrian const. Her pas
sengers and crew were saved.
The special prize of S2OO is offered
for the nearest estimate in Port Re
ceipt Contest received for the first pe
riod, no matter how far the nearest
estimate may miss the exact figure.
• »*|h.»*o*«*o^*o*•••*•*•*• •***O«»*O «• r>.».^.«.0. A .0. e .^. A . o.«.o*»*O*e'e***O*»*O*»*o*««o «*O*«*O*«*O*«“O’<»*o*e* 9
! . 'rS —“ "’"-...1 Gt.7”.". o °
■ i * 7 AsAg *' i
: -aAjL \ A »
4 \4. 1 t G?. VA I /f\ r V ■ - ®
: 0F Mexico v \
• 6
r yHE above map accurately defines the articulated system composed of the Rock Island, Frisco and Seaboard lines. It will be observed by «
, I the reader of this map that the several constituents are not separately indicated as our aim is to present to the eye the appearance of the ©
, whole combine as a coherent system. In looking at it, remember that the Rock Island system originally began at Chicago, ran out to Kock ’
• Islanu and there fan-tailed in ail westward directions as far northwest as Watertown, South Dakota, as far west as Denver and as f’r southw-st X
• aS , Worth ’ Tile r risco be S an at St ’ Louip - r an to Springfield, Mo., and there it also spread its fingers To Kansas CID- E’s- '
f worth Oklahoma City, far down into Texas and southeast to Birmingham. The Seaboard Air Line began at Norfolk.' ran southwest reached vn •
4 to F .mond. east to Wilmington, southwest to Atlanta and subsequently secured line-, to Savannah, Montgomery and southward over Flo-'id-
• If z ,w bulp - n SJ ! ' e connecting link between Atlanta and Birmingham, which will join it to the Rock island-Frsco lines at that point It ®
? bp s '1. thst the C°mhmation is one of vast scope and importance, and its occurrence can be truthfully called "the wedding of the west •
MUCB' FOR ATLANTA
IN THE GIANT DEAL
It Means That Georgia's Capital Will Become the
Practical Junction of the Great System.
Those Who Figure in Deal.
By Sara. W. Small.
The purchase if control of the Sea
board Air Linesystem by the Rock
Island-'Frlsco peple is one of the great
est railway scooi of the era, and means
a multitude of 'lfigs for Atlanta that
cannot now be Uy estimated
It. means, anylv, 1 and first of all. that
Atlanta, will bene the practical junc
tion point of t -first great southern
system to rami the west, the gulf
coasts and the 4th Atlantic states.
The combined stem of Rock Island,
’Frisco and Sea'rd roads covers 15.486
miles, making tinew combination con
trol the largest fleage of any system
In America anJOnsequently of the
whole world. T next largest is the ;
Canadian Paciflcph 10,fin, followed by ■
the Chicago andirthwestern with 9,021
and the Burling with 8.432.
For Atlanta tbecome at once the
main centerpole So magnificent a sys
tem of modern ivays is an advantage
' that none, of us i on the moment ad
| equately realize.
Think of it! ’knew Briarean giant
; pillows his head Ong the sky-scrapers
I of Chicago, drinirom Lake Michigan,
grasps tho grea’Jden harvests of the
Dakotas at Watwn In his left hand.
the quick oceanifflc of the Atlantic
at Norfolk, holMexico’s magnificent
international coirce attached to his
left foot at El Band the trade of the
Caribbean and forthcoming isthmian
canal travel to light foot at Tampa!
Scope he System
The lines un.bne general control I
will vein and c twenty states and
three terrltorles’-he nation, viz; nil- ;
nols, Indiana. Mjota, South Dakota,
lowa, Nebraska.»ourl. Kansas, Colo- I
rado, Texas, Affls Louisiana, Mis- |
sissippl, Alaban'ennessee. Georgia, |
Florida, South Jna, North Carolina
and Virginia, ais territories of New
Mexico, Oklahond the five nations of
Indians.
From the cad to the west end
of the system K)o miles and from
the northernmost to the southern-
most Is 1.800 ni
The wealth ojht resources along
these combined iys, including wheat,
corn, cattle. h<>4ucts. hay, cotton,
coal and Umberft be less than $2,-
000,000,000 per actor which the sys
tem will be abi compete with all
rivals on wlnniWs.
The passengerC for which It will
have equal ch.'WlH not fall below
the normal ratiAvel among 35,000,000
people, or ncarlhalf the population
of the entire c 4
The above stUs are quite suf
ficient to show Un enormous rail
way combinations to be and what
resources It c.-umand to make, it
the highest eaMtd most valuable
railway system .world. And right
here in Atlant, nearly all the
I other great railway equip
ment of the soiWeen New Orleans
I and Washington
I’ 1 Outcome i«ral Battle.
This coinbind undoubtedly the ■
outcome of th-- battle royal be
tween the dlr j- and west trunk 1
! Hues, and the indirect lines of the west
and southeast, to control tidewater ports
| I lie Canadian Pacific, the New York
| Central Vanderbilt "lines, the Pennsyl
: vanla and Baltimore and Ohio systems
I have the St. Lawrence ports of Quebec
land Montreal, the ports of Halifax and
I St. Johns, Portland. Boston, New York.
| Dl.ilad. iphia and Baltimore. Already the
I costs of maintaining traffic through them
; Is enormous and in some of them ade
. quate water front terminals have been
I practically exhausted.
i This is one reason why the state of
! New York is contemplating- an appro
i priation of many millions of dollars to
- make a 1,000 ton bargp waterway of the
i Erie canal, so as to cheapen gram and I
| ore transportion to the sea, via the I
i lakes and the Hudson river.
- ibis is why George Gould and his
colleagues are connecting up the Mis'
souri and Pacific and the Wacash routes
by building needed links and buying the
Western of Maryland roads into Bal
timore.
Cheap freights on ocean-going com
merce is the demand of the age and
those people who can easiest make the
trip with cheap rates on western ana
southern products to the seaboard ports
-combining less rail and longer water
routes-are the ones that will win out
in the battle.
Yoakum’:, Part in Deal.
Undoubtedly the chief mover In this
monster combination is Benjamin Frank
lin Yoakum, late of Texas. He Is the
man who started out to build the San
Antonio and Aransas Pass railway f n
Texas with only a? 5 bill In bls pocket. I
He worked like a convict under the lash !
of his ambition and suffered discourage- I
ments that would have made Sisyphus ‘
sit down to laugh at him, but his bull- I
dog persistency won. He saw the road I
built and reach Its present extent of 657 I
miles, spreading out Into a steel hand
over the heart and lungs of Texas. The '
town of Yoakum was built in his honor,
and there he lived like a prince where
In the early days of hfs struggle he
could hardly buy his family provisions
a day ahead of his needs.
Then he got in with the crowd that
controlled the 'Frisco and became its
president. At once he set his brain to
work figuring out a system to cover the
southwest and in January last realized
his dream by seeing the practical consol
idation into one system of the Chicago,
Rock Island and Pacific roads with those
of the ’Frisco system. This gave a com
bination reaching from Chicago to El
Faso and from Denver to Birmingham,
I Ala.
But Yoakum could not content his am
bition with so much, lie envied the hold
ers of the south Atlantic ports. If he
could only figure to capture some of the
best of them he would be the railroad
"king of the world." He could give a
merry ha-ha! to that expatriated Amer
ican. Sir William Van Horne, of the
Canadian Pacific, make the Vanderbilts
look like "trade dollars,” give George
Gould a cramp in his polo wrist and
even make the czac of Russia take his
old trans-Siberian system to a seat south
of the salt!
When the Seaboard Air Line began to
figure on its new line between- Atlanta
and Birmingham to reach th* 1 Iron works,
Colonel Yoakum saw things that made
thrills run over him and goose bumps
grow on his body. Here was the chance
of Ills life—the chance of an epoch in
civilization. So he sot t 6 work to get
control of the Seaboard Air Line. Like
Jim Bludsoe on the "Prairie Belie."
J Yoakum "seen his duty and ho done it. '
I The details, so far as known of how "lie
j done it" are given below.
A “Sell Out" cf Seaboard.
j Naturally it will not appear that there
I has boon "a sell out" of the Seaboard.
It doesn't have to appear that waj- and
a politic master of the deal will see that
I: is not so scheduled. But the fact re
mains plain to all persons wise to rail
way combinations that four of the 'Fris
co-Rock Island officials would not be
elected voting directors of the Seaboard
corporation just for the purpose of hclp
ing'along an innocent little "traffic agrea- ■
rnent.”
Ex-Congressman Henry Clav Pierce Is
tho representative of the St. Louis Inter
ests in the Frisco, and is a man of mil
lions and strong financial connections.
Oakletgh Thorne, president of the North
Ameriqpn Trust Company. Is the r®pr
sentatlve of pastern Investors In all (he
roads concerned, while B. S. Guinness,
I of Ladenburg. Thalman * Co., ropre
I sents that firm’s clients in England. TJol
; land and Germany, who hold Iprge blocks
I of bonds Issued bv the constituent roads.
The deal means that the "Three Giants”
combination will possess ocean and gulf
outlets nt nearly every deep water port
from Norfolk to Galveston, and through
the San Antonto and Aransas Pass at
the latter port, where the government Is
now puttiixg in a deep water channel,
for which the Frisco !s striking by a
line no.w utydor construction from Brady
to San Antonio.
No greater association of mutual rail
way Interests has ever before been
made, and the consequences of It will ba
to a<jd great forces to the settlement
and development of the whole south, tho
enlargement of the commerce of all our
ports and, jjest of all, the centering here -
in Atlanta of a large amount of the ad- -
mfnlstrative and construction work! yf thi s
elephantine system.
PARKER LEADS IN TENNESSEE.
i Poll Shows Him Favorite for the
Nomination in 1904.
Chattanooga, Tenn., August 10.—(Spe
cial.)—Hon. Frank M. Thompson, chair
man of the state democratic executive
' committee, has completed a poll of th,;
slate in order to find the views of the
leading democrats on the presidential
probabilities and the platform. Five
hundred letters were sent out and re
plies to nearly al] were received. Mr
Thompson gives o ut the following figures-
Three hundred and twenty favor Judge
Alton Parker, of New- York, for the
democratic nomination; 155 express a
preference for Bryan; Gorman gets
twelve. Cleveland nine and Hih two,
with several other Mattering.
lhe poll siiows rnucn opposition to the
Kansas City platform and it is given
out that the more prominent democrats
desire the reaffirmation of the 1892 nlat- I
form with such changes as the current I
ot affairs has made necessary. The gen I
tiemen who express a preference tor
Bryan want the Kansas city platform
readopted. In Chattanooga the senti
n.ent is very strong for Cleveland.
Miss Vance Found _£er Bustle.
St. Paul, Minn., August 10.-Word was
received by union depot officials that the
missing bustle in which $7,300 had been
t>s ? lrS i Vance . of Shawnee,
and winch she supposed she had
dropped from a Rock Island train while I
en route to St. Paul, has been found
She. m the hurry of leaving her old
home, had forgotten the valuable arti
cle and returned home just in time to
save it from being burned as rubbish 1
by ■ new tenants of the house i
PRICE: FIVE CENTS.
DURBAN TO ROOSEVELT.
SAYS PavESIDENT SOUNDS KEY
NOTE OF TROUBLE.
Indiana Governor. Who Has Hid
Experience with Mobs, Com
mends Roosevelt’s Views.
Indianapolis. Ind.. August 16—Governor
Durban today sent a formal reply to
the latter he received yesterday from
President Roosevelt, concerning the re
cent mob at Evansville. Governor Dur
bin says:
Dear Mr. President: Acting in ac
'.oidance with the suggestion made by
the secretary to the president, I vester
L-mJLT j l , l ’ l ’ l '' l ■ v '-’ u my approval of too
ccmmunieation you have seen fit to ad-
InTLffi 0 U r nder date of Au £ust e.
fn doing- this I proceeded on the well
vxxrranted belief that the communication
Ofli -in\‘ .? t Su » ener,,usl . v accorded to my
(h- ial <u ts was on i y incidental to tne
Which I , jurpose A - vour admirable letter,
"vie w., .nd ,‘, novln « .appeal to the con
fer ot.inion l ! le patriotism calculated, m
t-. 5 opinion, to profoundly affect public
m P° rt ant national
L± e '"' H l e enect of an appeal
, trom such a source is certain to be
tbi' 11 "^®! In itS wld, s Pread influences. In
I ul aS ° ther ‘’mergcncies.
>ou hate spoken with the courage of con
; vict.on. with .he eloquence of
T . and -l under inspiration <.f clear
understanding and devotion to the
an_d responsibilities of American citizen
r.T’l iff* that you have st ruck the key
who mair w? 1 ?”*’ 11 teachers all
unit P t e °d e ’ %nVrgy
ih-it ’ •<„ 1 <le ' lare the correlated doctrine
that w e must show that the law is
adequate to deal with crime by fr’ein
delay.’ ery Vestlge of technicality and
"lour stirring words will serve to D”ess
home upon the people a
thoH?v r r ae r ng l ! e - Vonr! « JI these in au-
To arouse rt .h r * ‘ e ,® sent tally their own.
io arouse the realization o- that re
to°entirelv anc ’ that H Implies will be
’ eradicate conditions which
so h clear ? v m a ay I bec °. me as J’™ out
verv 5 /.’I imini nent menace to the
'erj .ife of the republic."
Governor Heard on Lynchings.
Baton Rouge, August 10.—In dis
cussing the letter of President Roosevelt
to Governor Durbin, of Indiana. Governor
| Heard said:
I 1 think the remedy for Ivnch law Is
prompt and speedy trial. The law should
, be relieved of its technicalities by which
(criminals are al lt . ge[ b , ng . re .
| pouted delays. Every lynching weakens
I respect for the law, and when men per-
I s ‘St in this form of redress they lose
all respect for the law. and chls.'ln it-
Ise f, superinduces and invites other
i ciimes. I agree thoroughly with the
president In his statement that the cor
ner stone of the republic, as of all free
governments. Is respect for and obeii■'nee
to the law. Whenever th. law is permit
ted to be defied or evaded, in the w rds
<«X the president, it weakens the ’. onds of
our civilization and increases the chances
of its overthrow
"The president’s letter is a strong and
i timely one. and I agree with much of
I what he says. But there is one point on
which he is clearly mistaken and on which
I strongly dissent from his view. He
| seems to think that the punishment meted
| out to negroes for certain nameless
I crimes are punishments especially aimed
I at them by reason of their color. His mis
conception arises doubtless from the fact
that this crime is limited almost ex
clusively to the colored race. The punish
ment knows no distinction of color. White
men rarely commit this crime, but when
they do tl'ie record shows that it matters
little in what section It occurs the same
punishment usually follows."
.«
The first period of the contest car
ries with it S2OO special prize for the
nearest estimate on the Port Receipts
received during July or August