The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-12-04
Tho Railroad Commissioner,

~ ~ fhil tnht y determined effort
Will bo 'nndo by the rniirouda n,,d icir
frioipls 10 induce The Legislature 10
abolish tho ofllc0 OF Rnilr0nd Commits
slolns. ln thor inscrunbIc schemes
of pooling, consolidating nnd discrimi-
l'ntlng they would prefer not to have
q Stnt0 officer. Tho fy,aIl sum OF
money cuuh road Is compelled TO pnv
for tho commissioners snlnry would
not DO grudyed were hr rlinni tool
IN ti'cir hands. but whenever iu tho
performance OF lia strict limo OF Jl,v
ho thwnrts schemes whose bpuotlcinl
eiEots upon tho public cu, hc detected
by no ono save tho rni!rund mc,I Them
sclros, II ~ not long before tho pubIc
enr ls regalcd with Tho report that N,
Wort VIII 10 NM 10 to abolish tho Rail,
road commissioners office.
In behalf Of tho inr,nrrs and shin,
pcrs of South Cnruliim wo pro,rM
against tho abolition Of this uillrc. So
powerful lns tho railroad ln,rrrsl be.
como that only tho collective power
ol tho lroplr, operating through II
Slalo 0i'lcor, IL nbln 10 check gncronch.
mcn's or prevent violations OF charter
restrictions.
Wheh private individual ia nv
grlrrcu anl seeks rcdrcsa IA tho
courts, tho ruilroud, by lihrrul cx.
rohditnro OF money III law trcs aud
costs, IL able to utavc or Il decision for
such a lcngLh OF time TINT the ind(-
Eidl nj snccumbs, or In any event oh.
rr private persons, wnrnrd by hIs
experience, submits To wrnnw from
sheer inability TO help themselves. But
ny Invoking tho authority Of tho Slnt,
aNro''Ai tho Railrond Commissioner,
Inc wcnk or poor citizen IL enabled to
socuro tho cn!nrcrmrn Of his rlYht 0,
tho prevention OF wrong,
Most Of tho lending md progressive
StMos IN tho Union, Il not all, hnvr
their Railroad commissioners, and
So"th Caroltnn should profit by their
experience. Tohholish tho Raslroutl
Commissinior would bc to tnkr u stcp
backward. anl' put tho material ,ntcr.
"sts Of tho state In tho hantls OF cor.
rorMSons, that, To shy tho lcnst, have
not @dn'cd any ,conSnmtng loyo for
those who ITO business with them.
Moro than this. Not only should
tho office bc retained, hut IL should bc
put on II higher aud moro uurmanrut
basis. The prcSont law IL dcmoralis-
my and degrading In its ton,lrncy, and
sotS II prominm upon nmoial tnNdsli.
ty' III the first place tho SALARY Is tuo
small. In tho next, the Commissioner
Is compelled to seek Il from Ihs rail.
roads themselves. a SubSrrvicnt Com
misstonrr would experience no Gtm,
r"''v IN securing prompt payments.
H"t as soon ns hn gives tho railroads
trouble They strike back by rcnpSinx to
r"y their quota nntii compelled to do
80, amor tho Most veNatious DELAYS.
This has brcn Governor Nnnham's rx-
rcrirnrc. So soon as he ovinccl u
determination to ito his tuty faithfully
and {" bring tho roads 10 taw. the
difficulty about his salary began. And
tho roau with which he has como into
most serious conflict, mud over which
no has won legal victory, Is now the
most positive IN It's refusal to nay him
cent. This is unjust to Governor
Nonhan. lie has discharged his duty
faithfully aud admirably, aud tho rro.
plc should stand hv hin, Thr cotton
decision gained by tNr MvrrGqu!s y;
WinnSboro. through lis aid, Nax h,r,
W hcalc0lah(c hrncft ~ >hiYnrvS Hll
along the line Of thu Charlotte. ro'um.
hia amt Augusta Eai!MaI. Will, /,
has not ruined tho roal it$rlt. rs i
rvmccd by the prize, OF lis >,orN an,,
Its bonds IN market,
TINS NNwS ANn lEHNN,u i no >nrnv
to railroads. Hhry are monster a,r-
r'rs nt li,r and Stvcn&,h. Nu, chew
must tn subjected tn some rontrN!lny
power. At no distant dsv mus; ne
question hr answered, "l>ocS South
ta'"lna hcl"ng ~ the Railroads or the
EailWaas to South Carolnaw This
State Is not yct hna,>a hand and foo,
as arc New dorsey, Ca)ifbrnjs ana OH.
cr integral portions OF our Union,
But IN "rhc Associated LINES" VIC
may read the note otwarn,n&, .\Ncl-
ishthc Railroad CommiS<ioncr<hip, aoS
rm long like the cu;tlch<h, the V,m.
Sylrania Central, or some mai, ro,Nh;-
nation, will pat forth its tcutaclcs aud
crush the life out OF $ovcrc;xn South.
rrn States As it has already dcvournd
their Northern sisters.
This is no ovcNirawn p;ctavA, Some
"tour wataors may "rooh-,ooh" the
idea rs sensational But even now
the financial sccptc of the railrnaas
has departed nom this State, and th,
control OF tho leading lines Is ii al;>,,
hands. When John Smiths COW is
Killed br tho train and he S>oSs &c
sccoN damages, it is not John Smith
re'rSa$ tho in>sl lhnc, but John Smith
WsSHs from twenty 10 Nrty million.
OF dollars OF capital stretching over $
dezen States. Consequently Johr