The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-09-15
In sunnort of nv co,-;c,;on ,b., ,bev

When they got the road, TO near the la,
Of NAY Of this year, not a labOrer ex
cent the convicts furnished BIZ the Stat
was out upon that work. unless it Nigh
b. 4 few skilled mechanics. As to IN
convict being hort Of the FIVE hundrc.
which tho State contracted TO furnish
Col. Andrews fails u state that Gov
Jarvis dli tender the number that va
deficient and they were not received
Owing. a. was said. 10 the uncertainr-
attending the ownership Of that road
Even i the whole number had peel
furnished by tie State. il was a well
known fact that they alone could 10
nave flushed the road IN the time re
gIlreQ Dy the contract Nor did the
keep Oh the Ducktown line a force sufh
Gent 70 insure It completion to III,
Pigeon River by the 1T Of July. az re
qlIred BY the contract. Ia answer I,
the allegation that four Of the De-,
months OF last year we're lost before they
took the contract. it Is sufficient 10 say
that the same force a at work durin.
those four months as was kept at work
afterwards, up to the latter part of MAJ
y this year, t wit, the convict force
alone aud my modest opinion is that
but t)r the withdrawal of my assent &c
that application for an extension Of time,
and the threatened danger OF a forfeit
ure OF their contract, there would not
now be any except the convict force on
the French Broad branch, aud uoat
on the DuCktown branch.
In the matter of determinations on
irelghts aud charges, forbidden alike ex-
pressly IN the contract with W. j. Best
and his assigns, and in the charter oil
the Piedmont Railroad, against North
Carolina town and cities against one
town. in North Carolina in favor of an
other, and against all roads connecting
with the North Carolina road, time
would fail Inc 10 expose them. They
are obvious and glaring each town and
depot in the State from Raleigh west
has It's own tale to tell. | have the au-
thority of some OF the most prominent
merchants in Charlotte ior saying, some,
that they have to pay themselves the
Height on goods sold south ofthis point;
others that the freights so far south a.
Columbia are cheaper than to this point
from Northern cities, and to sell their
goods they have To pay this difference
agaIns. them. And still others say that
when they receive an order for goods
from any point on the Western North
Carolina road they can make no profit,
except by filling the bill by ordering
from the wholesale merchants in Rich
moni to be shipped direct to their cus-
toners | have IN my possession freight
bills showing the rates between Rich
maud and ASheyille, n. c., to be sixty
five cents per hundred pounds, and |
have also a freight bill In which, Oh
goods coming to Charlotte, from Maii)n
to 0'atesvllle, IA distance of sixty-sever
miles, the charges are $l.l4 per hun
dred pounds. Similar statistics can
readily BE- found anywhere In Western
North Carolina, although we do not zee
them OF our newspapers. The Rich
mOnd and Danvllle company own OF
control all roads west OF Raleigh. With
one or two exceptions, and these they
are said to tie negotiating for and vii
doubtless get. Even whilst | write, ii
is stated in the public prints that they
have purchased the Virginia Midland.
The result ofthiS. iftrue, will probably be
TO discontinue the work now in progress
to extend ii FROM Danviile to Mooresville.
cutting off the only hope Of the people
along that line for y railroad, and com
pieted or lot, destroying also the las,
hope Of this section to obtain a compa.
ting line. Then the coils will be Com
pletelv around Us. We will be abso
lutely at the mercy Of strangers. a
foreign corporation will dispose Of the
wealth, if there be any left and dictate
the policy of North Carolins. The
ia; that taxes the earnings OF our PEG
pie issues from the city Of Richmond.
The crops of this part of the State
have utterly failed, but the eastern
counties have been blessed with abun-
dant harvests Of grain, which if permit
ted reasonable freights would feed our
already suffering population. But one
Wan. j. Best is in control Of that road,
and is trying to build another through
the heart % North Carolina Tie
Richmond 4 Danviile Company don't
like Mr.. Best, SO this order issues, and
the people Of these parched aud suffer
ing plains are denied Access to the
abundant stores OF their eastern breth-
rem. Tie roads Of their own State are
made the instruments of their oppres-
sion. These things have induced nv
conduct as a commissioner of the Yves
tern North Carolina Railroad and % q
c~itizcn. [ am aware that by puisu-
ing this course | subject myself, not
only to the danger Of being misunder
stood by that portion Of my fellow
citizens who can he made to believe
that | am trying to stop the progress
Of the work, but alao to the enmity Of
a vast corporation in the bands OF
strangers, who may have the power. >.
they certainly have the will, to crush all
who stand in their way. | know that
such institutions have insidious and ir-
resistible methods Of %corrupting legis
istors, Of suborning the press, and
forcing public opinion. [ know full
we'll the danger incur by attempting
to thwsrt the purposes Of one Of these
vast combinations of capital, which,
deifying the spirit OF gain, embody the
very essence of selfshness and 60
straight on to their object, regardless o
all considerations except those which
contribute to success. | know how
powerless an agricultural people, OF
moderate means, spread over q wide
extent of country like the people OF
North Carolina are, to contend with
such a power. If | consulted my OWL
ease or-convesience. ] would retire
from the contest. But the representa-.
tives Of the people, ~confdiug in M
integrity snd failhfulnes., chose me as
one of their commissioners TO superin-
tend the execution of this contract.
shall Justify that confidence, or tly tc
10 50. lei the consequences to myself ot