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(From the News and Courier.] THE RAILROAD FIGHT. COLUMBIA, December 7.-At the meeting of the House rail rd commit tee to-night Col. H. S. Hi4tns, general .manager of the Savannak, Florida and Western Railway of Georgia, addressed the joint committee at considerable length as to the system of railways in operation in Georgia, and the practical working of the con mission .in that State. When the commission was. fortned it was determined they should make rates for the railroad companies. These rates affected his road in one year $146,000. He went before the commission and stated this fact, but it did not have any practical result. Te roads made monthly reports to -t he commissioner and brought the mat ter to their attention in every way, and finally they made a modification i their rates. They fixed the passenger rate at 3 cents a mile. Lately they have made better cotton rates. Un der the rates they first fixed the com pany lost about $70,000. Before the commilssion advanced the rates would it not hasve been better to allow the railroads to fix their own rates? The rates which the commission fix should be such as to allow a fair retu.n on the property. He said he was not opposed to a commission, but thought they should only be allowed to make rates when the rates made by the compa nies were unjust. If the State under takes to regulate rates, of conme the companies must abide by them, but it seemed to him that t he State was bound to see that the roads did not suffcr on account of too low rates. In reply to a question he stated that the railway laws in Georgia have not stimulated Ihe building of new lines in that State. It is contemplated to build ioads in Florida, but none in Georgia. Mr. Brawley asked If it was true, as hrid been statedI in the newspapers, that since the formation of the commission there had been more building of roads in Georgia than at any p~revious time. and he replied that he (did not think so. Messrs. Brawley, Murray. Haskell an d others asked various questions, which he readlily answered. Col. Hains's statements were fair and non servative, and in contrast to the Intem Perate tone of some other railroad1 Commissioner Bonham said he had been connectedl with the commission for live years, that lie had recontended to the Legislature the adoption of the system in vogue in Illinoise. Illinois has the greatest mileage of any State, and that system is still in operation there. He did not feel that lie occu jpiedl the position of a part ismn, bt represented the interest of the railroads as~ well as the people of the State. In Georgia the Illinoise system still pre vails. Hie read extracts from the Georgia commissioners' reports, show ing that the railroad law In that State had not been prejudicial to existing companies. He said that ihe sulperin.. tendent of the Central Railroad had told him that his road made more mon ey at three eeuts a mile for passenger fares than ever before. There are as. sertions made that the receipts, have been reduced by the commissioners' rate, but they are not borne onit by th facts. Ie then quoted repr s sho ing that In the month 0 Detoper of this year the Clyde roads in SoutihCar. olina made by freight $6,00 more than in the sAme month last year, and on passengers and freight combined $2,600 more, and this notwithstan44Iding the poor crops. Govehnor Bonham ws interrupted several times by President 11 lll, of the Clyde roads in South Carolina. Superintendent C. S. Gadden said the commission had treated his road very liberally in the matter of freights, but not so in passenger rates. They were arbitrary in this regard. The on ly direction in which they expected to increase their earnings was from the phosphate industries near the line df their road. Passenger travel had not been stimulated by the reduction of rates by the commission. President A. C. Haskell was then heard in behalf of his road. He said that Mr. Clyde had so completely cov ered Re ground that all that remained for him to do was to give some figures to supplement what he had said. Ile then stated that the loss of the road in October was $29,000 in freight and 27, 000 in passenger businesss. The loss in tonnage was a little less than 10 per cent. The loss on each ton hailed amounts to$' 23. On every ton,he said, we actually loss $1 13. The committee was in session until a late hour and will h ive another session to-imorrow niglit, when other railroad men will be heard from. So far the railroad men have h Ad it all their own way. At The Old Home. A man does love to go back and view the scenes among which he made his start, even though he may not re member much about them. "There. see there? That is the house your great-grandfather built.'' It was a swell house in those dayS evidently. Two storics; square-hewed1 longs, a porch all along the front. And the bands t hat built it, the voices t hat laughed and sang in it, the merry fea.~. that (lanced on its oaken floors ! Down through the brokeni roof and in the chinks of the tottering walls the sun shines to-day in great bars of gold, just for an Instant, and theni the clouds shiut out the smilight and the pitiless rain b~eats down upon the old old log house. The skies are gray, the trees are leafless, the hills are bare, and the rising wind moans and sighs. 'Drip. Elrip, drip the water falls from the broken eaves, like I he monotonous tdck f a clock that tells the lives of four generations. But for the moaning wind ind the weeping water, now still, iow quiet It all is. "My great-grand !at her built It, then ?" I wonder, if I wait here until the d'iy is gone and the wening is gray and fulil of shadows, if e will come to the dismantled old door, mnd with ghostly silence and old-lime sourtesy bid his great-grandson wel some to the acres and manor of his meestors. "And the orchard on the hill, Robert, your grandfather platited. And he built the briek house on the other side f .the road). There Is the qrehard still. Year at Mer year the fragrant blooms and the. robins come together, but the boy who planted the tres .?'e orchard bloom and the withered leaf of November are alike to, him, and- the song of the robik does not reach his ear. "Your a notje: was born in.that Al, .my n)other! She".-Was -a litt1g girl here, then? All these hills ar6 iacre(d'with the totich of her pattering feet; down this winding glen she has plucked the wood violets and amen ones; and the birds In the swaying branches above her head have sung in wild joyousness to hear her laugh. She was a school girl here-my mother. And how pretty she was then, with the tender curve of her lips and the full-orbed eyes of brown, soft and deep as the shadows of these hills; ah, she was beautiful when she was a school girl ! And that. night I stand In my native village, and I look at the stars that come out in the blue sky, and listen to the low-voiced Monongahela singing at my feet; and in the stars I see the soft light, of my mother's eyes, and listen ing to the soig of the river I know where her dear voice caught the low, mellow music that in the long-ago lulled, with the old-time cradle songs, her little ones to sleep.-I. J. Bur dette. LINCOLN IN RICHMOND.- After Rchmond had fallen into the hands of the Federal forces the Cabinet room of the Capitol was kept in exactly tihe same condition as wnen occupied by Jeff Davis. President Lincoln, it will be remembered, arrived the day after the surrender, ind while walking through t he building, inspecti)g the headquarters of the Con federacy, came to this room. Godfrey Weitzel, who was in charge, said ; "Mr. President, this is the chair occupied by President Davis." and motioned Ohe President to sit down. It was a trying moment, and those present expected to see a look of triumph in his face as he per formed the act which signalized the compilete dlownfall of the rebellion. Mr. Lincoln app~roached wearily, sat down withouit a word, and as his great head fell into his hands there was an oppressive silence. is mind seemed to be wandering back through the dark years of bloodshed and eat ntage. He saw visions of death, of broken fam ily circles, loss of treasure, and the lit tie mounds that dot the South under whlch sleep the Northern dead. He did not utter a word, but heaved a deep sigh, and even to this day 'the warriors who stood in his presence at the time tell the story with tears in their eyes.-- -Washington Letter, -Old as the hills-The valleys between them. Those Indebted to us for Guano are notified that they maust come for ward and Settle at once, as we need and muast have OUR MONEY. So do not delay. ALso, Those due us on Store Account must settle upat one, so that we mfaybe1 enabled e supply you again. A word to the wise Is sm~telest. ROBINSON A WYATT. Nov 16-tf D~R GOODS eA 44inrtei1 for Dress obds,' Black md Colored Silks, Black Cashineres, I4fietta T lothA Albatrdosa loths AC1tp% A' f"eP every An exquisite line of Walkinug Jack ts, .Cloaks, Dlmans, Paetots and CHILDREN'S CLOAKS. The only place you will find Evitt & Bros'. Fine Shoes for La des, I ses md Children. They have numerous friends. It takes but one' trial to make tor then a customer. For .. Style, Fit and Comfort they are unexcelled. Table Liuens, Towels, Blankets, Napkins and Doyles in abundance. Sw Come and see us. Prices an inducement. Bargains to be had at J. H. MORGAN & BRO., Wholesale and Retail Merchants, GREENVILLE, S. C, Nov 2-3m REMEMBER One and Alt, ROBINSON & WYATT EASLEY, S. C., Have just receivedtheir Fall and Winter stock of goods, consisting of Notions, Clothing, Hardware, Groceries and Grocers Drugs. SigGive us a call and we will be sure to sell to you if low prices are desired. Oct 12-12m t A WORD TO THE PUBLIV FROM A vi sit to Ownbey Bros. wvill con vince you that we can sell you GOODS as CHIE AlP as the CHE APEST. Our stock is now complete, consisting of F~lour, Bacon, Lard, Coffee, Sugar Canned Goods of every description, Plain andl Fancy andles in endless, variety, Hlard ware, Tin and Hollow ware. A full line of. shat compete with Greenville prices. Our line of 'Tobacco and Segars is large and varied, and will be sold at prices that will induce. all to buy. If you need anything -in the shape of Earmin g implements, we keep It. We ceep a full lie of Clocks, and will sell theim cheap. Jewel'y to please all >oth in st1e and price. And please to remember that we pay he highest market price for produce. We have no house rent nor clerk hire o pay, and can sell you any thing we <eep at the very lowest prices. Very respectfully, OWNBEY BROS. Octi12-1 2m J. T. N IX, WF1ORNEY AND COUNSELOR AT LAW, GREENVILLE, S. C. Practices ina the State and United States Courts. BW Office in Mansioa. litouse, -9 Nov 9..-1=