Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-02-03
Consolidation.


the North Carolina Railroad and the North
Western North Carolina k' 1lroad. AND
why Why not let this great State work
alone II is in prosperous condition.
We believe it is we'll managed, except In
the unfortunate contract with the Raleigh
and CASTOR Railroad, to which we Will
revert. We have, from the first, opposed
the consolidation of this road or It's lease
to any other. It has cost the State too
much. The credit of North Carolina is
too dependent upon this magnificent
property to try any experiments. The
State cannot afford to jeopardize any of
her assets, much less this, the most valua-
BILE and prosperous Of her works OF inter
nal improvement. We arc now on the
very verge of bankruptcy. Cripple the
North Carolina Railroad by uniting Its
fortunes with an Improbable or unfinished
road, and you precipitate the State into
the yawning gulf. By all means let the
Legislature protect the States interest In
this road. Save to North Carolina her
homestead, as a contemporary so aptly terms
il. which she has in the North Carolina
Railroad.
Scheme after scheme has boen devised
to connect this road with the falen for
tunes of other works. but they have been
defeated by the stand taken by the press
and the people of the State. We regret
exceedingly that the North Carolina and
Atlantic Railroad is not prosperous. We
would like to sec the Western North Caro-
lima Railroad finished to Paint Rock and
Ducktown, and the North Western North
Carolina Railroad completed through to
the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. We
will do all in our power to contribute to
these ends. We can appreciate the bene-
fits to be derived to the State by the COM
pleticn of these roads as keenly as those
who live in our mountain Businesses, and
look to them for on outlet for their crops.
If the condition OF our people justified,
We would advocate liberal appropriations
in their behalf. We have ourselves O
cherished scheme to build-the Whining
ton, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad to
our Western borders. It needs help as
much as those we have mentioned. But
we shall never favor any project which
would ally the fortunes of the North Caro-
lima Railroad with either or all of them.
We shall never consent to hazard this
valuable Homestead. Under existing
circumstances we regard it not only as
wrong, but criminal.
We may be over-sanguine, but we ex-
pect in few years that the receipts from
the North Carolina Railroad will pay the
entire expenses of the State Government,
as the State Road in Georgia has done so
long as it was honestly managed, and I'M
til the carpet-bag government leased it
to Northern and Southern Company for
twenty five years for one half its annual
value. We look to the successful manage
ment of the North Carolina Railroad as
the turning point in our financial affairs.
We expect this road to be principally in
strumental in restoring the credit of the
State. In the name of the people of North
Carolina, we ask the Legislature to keep it
from all entangling alliances.
While we are satisfied that Major
SMITH has made good President, and the
NOrtu CdEOlAAd 1SaAlKOAA AdS PEOSp0E0O
under his management, we must again
protest against what we have always
thought was manifestly unjust to our city.
We refer to the existing contract with the
Raleigh and CASTOR Railroad, by which
the road between Goldsboro' and Raleigh
is neglected, and the merchants of this city
are deprived of large and valuable trade.
which President SMITH should foster, but
which he is compelled, by the terms of his
contract, to cripple. We have taken fire,
quent occasion to object to this contract as
injurious to the road and as unjust to this
because only o portion of it is worked
to advantage and the rest tied up against
the interests Of Wilmington and Newbern
Unjust to these cities because it cripples
their commerce for the benefit of Vir-
ginia and South Carolina ports.
But for the contract existing between
the North Carolina Railroad and the
Raleigh and CASTOR and the Charlotte,
Columbia and Augusta Railroads, Will
mington would sell to Raleigh and the
central and western portions of the State
the sugar, molasses, salt. coal, iron and
other heavy goods used, or those classes
of freight would be shipped through this
port. This contract prevents the authori-
tiles Of the North Carolina Railroad from
joining the Wilmington and Weldon Rail
road in low tariff rates from our port to
the interior of the State. We have in our
city at least four Wholesale grocery estab-
lishments, if not more, each of which sell
upwards of three-quarters of q million of
dollars of goods annually. They Justly
complain that they cannot obtain moder-
ate rates Of freight TO the interior of their
own State. If their business was fostered
by our own railroads it would be doubled,
and the number would be more than
doubled.
The bonus paid by these roads to the
North Carolina Railroad does not pay that
corporation for what it loses from this
home businass and NO amOunk of mopav