| From the Western Tennessee Whig
(Jackson, Tenn.} |
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| March 8, 1861 |
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| ??? Railroad |
| ???? past the Memphis ?????
finding grave fault with the manner in which the Mobile & Ohio
Railroad has been managed south of Corinth, and they have not scrupled
to charge unjust discrimination against Memphis, on the
managers of the road. Feeling sure in our own mind, that these charges
were not well founded, but not having the data by which we could make
it appear, we forebore to make any allusion to the matter, trusting
that some one in possession of the facts would appear to vindicate the
road against the assault made upon it. Our hope has not been in vain.
We find the following article, explanatory of the charges preferred,
copied into the Appeal of the 5th inst., and gladly transfer it
to our columns, as a clinching argument: |
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| The Mobile & Ohio Railroad |
| The Mobile Tribune
gives the following explanation of the charges of unfair
discrimination to the injury of Memphis merchants on this road:
"When the tracklaying was completed to Corinth, the Mobile &
Ohio Railroad Company did not own a sufficient quantity of land on
which to erect a warehouse, or place any of the conveniences necessary
for the receipt, delivery or transshipment of freight. It was entirely
unprepared to perform the freighting business at that point, and as
has been the custom, at the station to which the road has been opened
during its progress, refused to receipt for freight for delivery
there, or to run their freight trains to that point. Notwithstanding
this, many persons without notice that the road was ready to take it,
purchased supplies in Memphis and directed them to be forwarded to
Corinth for delivery on the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, but failed to
make any provision for the payment of freight, either on the Memphis {&
Charleston} or the Mobile road. All goods shipped to Corinth
were detained until the parties made the necessary arrangements for
paying the freight there, which provision produced some complaint. All
persons between Mobile and Corinth who have ever shipped anything on
this road knew that it has been the invariable custom, sanctioned by
every administration on the road, to require everything, except
cotton, to be prepaid, and therefore had no great reason to complain
of the delay produced by failing to make the necessary arrangements to
comply with it. The agents of the Memphis merchants have industriously
circulated the report in Mississippi that higher rates are charged
from Corinth southward than from Mobile northward, or between
intermediate stations. Upon inquiry, we ascertained that this is
untrue, as the tariff in existence was made in June, 1857, and is
applied alike for the same distance to all parts of the road. |
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