Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1852-03-06
For the Standard.
NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD.


pressed their dsa of the late change OF the
Eastern terminus of the North Carolina Railroad.
And this work is one of great Importance, what:
ever affects Its prosperity win in.eres. me 10 o.
successful, probably the last effort North Carolina
will make in this generation. We are of those who
believe that the interests of this improvement Will be
promoted by subjecting the acts OF its agents VINO
have the work in charge to public scrutiny, and that
due Difference on their part to public opinion Is
necessary TO its final success. -
The failure, and consequent unpopularity of our
works of Improvement, great extent, have
resulted FROM the wretched bunders of those who
directed their construction; and in this respect their
greatest bunder utter disregard of public opn-
ion. Our first efforts were the Raleigh and Castor
Road and the Wilmington and Raleigh Road. These
Roads give line through the State, from
CASTOR ria Raleigh, across the head waters Of Neuse
river navigation TO Wilmington, contemplating in the
future extension West through the blue ridge to
the valley of the Mississippi, and East to Beaufort
on the Atlantic and thus, while it connected COM
mercally the East and the West, it afforded pas
sage North and South through the State. Such was
the system advocated by our wisest Een and intend
ed by the legislature that granted the charter, and
approved by public opinion. Petty jeaouses and an
utter disregard of public sentiment destroyed this
system, and resulted in two parallel roads, running
North and South through the State. Again: In the
construction of the Raleigh and CASTOR Road all the
shire of the Counties through which it passed
avoided, and instead Of building up the beauti-
full villages of Louisburg and Warrenton, it was To-
ate few insignificant railway stations. Public opln-
ion was disregarded and the road overwhelmed
with unpopularity, and it is next to impossible to get
Railroad vote from that section of the State The
Wilmington road commenced with act of injustice,
and has probably made Wayne County an ant-iner-
nal improvement County forever. The citizens of
Waynesborough, the shire town of Wayne County,
were assured by the Company that condition they
would subscribe very literally the road should pass
through their village. They strained every nerve
and subscribed about fifteen thousand dollars. The
road about mile distant, and the conse-
quent removal of the Court House to Goldsborough,
has left the old town truly deserted village"
monument of the truth of the legal maxim, IS corPo-
rations have SOULS -
Now, instead of avoiding these errors, the North
Carolina Railroad Company is about to commit one
still more gross, inasmuch with all the rest II In
wolves palpable violation of its charter.
The patriotic Legislature of 1889 resolved to
undertake great State work. And in doing SO, the
first object to reconcile as far possible,
tional interests. The East and the West TO be
united and the interests of the capital and of two
most important commercial towns, Wilmington and
Newbern, 10 be harmoniZed. Therefore, to Sc
this object, the Charter of the North Carolina
Railroad Company expressly fixes the eastern termi-
nj, respectively on the Neuse river where the Will
mlngton road crosses and at Charlatte it also fixes
the intermediate points, Raleigh and Salisbury With
these express slipuations the charter would
have been granted. TO avoid either of the points
designated is violation of the public faith-a palpa
Bile public wrong. The Neuse river was fixed upon
as a terminus with view to make Newbern and
Beaufort eastern ports OF trade and in order that this
might the more readily be accomplished the State ap-
propriated forty thousand dollars to improve the
vigation of the Neuse Therefore cannot conceive
of more pal Pabe violation of the charter than the
removing of the Eastern terminus from the bank Of
the river. Now. however incredible it may seem,
this is attempted to be done, and if not speedily pre-
vented by legal means, will be done, under circum
stances which mark 1t act OF extraordinary in
justice.
TO make this injustice apparent, we will leave out
of view the wrong done the whole West by de.
priving them of the advantages of the navigation of
the river Neuse, and choice of markets, for which
the Stale is now exPendng the forty thousand dol
lars but desire to call the public attention espe
cally to the manifest wrong done to the good old
town Of Newbern.
In the first place will remark that the represent
| tatives from this-Craven County-both Wings and
Democrats have been remarkably liberal towards all
other sections of the Stale, in voting for works of in
ternal improvement. Their names rarely found
in the negative, and the talent Of her sons, which in
many instances the best talent Of the State,
always enlisted in the good cause In the Legisa-
ture of '4S-49 her representatives energecaly adj
vocated the charter of the Central Road. And, 1--WE
say it not in a spirit of boasting) without their eff
forts and their votes the charter would not have be-
come the law of the land neither would the Will
mington and Raleigh Railroad relief bill have passed,
measure absolutely necessary to the existence of
that road neither.wou the plank road system have
been adopted, by which sister town Fayetteville
is greatly benefited ard in the of which
We all so much rejoice; neither would that great
work. the Deep River navigation have been undertake
en- which is TO develop that source of wealth,
our coal mines. Regarding first, as it was their duty
to d. the general good of the whole State, they
happy that these embraced the interest of
their particular section. To secure, to US, beyond
doubt, share of the general good the faith of the
State pledged to us, that the Eastern terminus
of the Central Road should be upon the bank of the
river Neuse.
The charter being secured, it was necessary to SUBJ
scribe the million of dollars. The citizens of
Newbern did not relax in their exertons And al
though the road did not reach them by sixty miles,
yet, with assurance of good faith, and in connex-
1 ion with the navigation of the Neuse, with pros
pect of benefit, (by some considered remotely they
subscribed about $4,000. We labored against ev-
cry dculty-we travelled into the far west to attend
the meetings of the Stockholders. The citizens of
the west sympathzed with the spirit our citizens
manifested, Il speak of those few who engaged in
this work. and they rewarded US by electng A. T.
Jenkins. Esq, director of the Company. Mr.
Jenkins diligent in attending the meetings of the
location of the road its Eastern terminus. After
repeated discussions depot located upon the
bank of the river at Waynesborough, and the road
run thence in nearly straight line to the Whining
ton road, which literal a compliance with
the charter possible. With this arrangement all
parties should have been satisfied, but there was dis
position continually exhibited in certain quarters to
change this location, but its manifest justice to all
parties secured the support of The West, and 1t was
finally considered settled and our people lulled into
feeling Of false security and the contracts tor this
section of the road actually taken.
Again, it was well known that this was matter