The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-13

~ aud State pride of our people.
Not content with crltici>iny this
agreement in severe terms and imputing
improper motives to the commissioners
who entered into ii, the officials Of the
Richmond and Danyille Railroad un
ceaslngly abuse and ridicule Nr. Best
and his associates. Their habiruai
mode Of peaking Of him i to charac-
terize him as an "adventurer. b
swindler, without mooney. etc have
40 personal desire Of or interest in de
tending him, but SO far as his project,
are likely TO conduce u the welfare and
prosperity of this State, 1t Is prope-
that he should have fair play. Some
say that because he has failed once. h,
is not TO be trusted a second time, 9th
ers ask what Is the difference bctwecr
Richmond syndicate and a Boston
syndicate. To the first | would answer
that Mr.. Best's failure to ral-e the
money required was due TO the deser-
ton of his associates, for which he Wa
in no wise responsible; and that the
sacrifice of his property by hi, assign
ment to the Richmond aud DAnvIlle
syndicate was the direct outcome of his
good taith-his earnest desire to sec
the contract fulfilled. Ia reply to the
second question, | answer, Much i
every way" In the first place, two
railroad systems under different control
gives us competition and cheap rates /;
and it SO happens, granting that they
are equally selfish, that the Boston syn
dicate proposes to establish road just
where the people desire it, and to oper-
ate it 50 that it will and can benefit only
North Carolina towns and cities. 1t SO
happens, on the other hand, that it l.
to the interest of the Richmond sEndl
cate to 50 operate its system Of roads a.
to benefit the towns and cities Of Nu-
yinla alone, using North Carolina only
as road bed and trade province, re
ducing her, III fact, to mere geograph
lcal expression.
Let us see what this "adventurer'
has done towards the performance Of
his agreement. in the first pace. he
has put into the hands Of DR.. Worth
The $3.50, 900 in cash, "a agreed upon,
to reimburse the Clyde syndicate. IL
the second place, he has taken the least,
of the Atlantic and North Carolina road
aud deposited $S5, 600 as security tol
the rental and rolling stock. Ia the
third place, he has finished the survey
and begun work on the road from
Goldsboro to Salisbury, and the process
Of construction IS going on as | write;
1000 tons Of rail to lay down the track
as completed-all of which has been
done through this agreement 50 much
criticised, and the dishonor or honor OF
which the Richmond and Dapvile road
strives to place upon my shoulders, to
the exclusion of the two other commits
sioners.
1t would, perhaps, be instructive o
consider 10 tins connection the differ
ence between the manner III which this
'adyenturer" secures his contract. and
that 10 which honest and substantial
people like the Richmond and Danville
Company secure theirs. That corpora
| tiOr having procured a lease of the
sally conceded to be questionable, if not
positively fraudulent, secured to the
lessons then stock and property by CIV
| ing the note Of their own company, a
corporation whose property was then
covered by at least two mortgages for
millions more than it was worth, al
though the contract required hat other
security should be given. That a cor
| poration such as this, which was then
without money or much character OF
Any sort, and which, in the opinion Of
Dany, was saved from bankruptcy by
thus obtaining control Of the property
of North Carolina and reducing there
| by to a grlevous commercial servltude,
the people whose substance they were
enjoying for such q corporation TO I'M
pugn the motives Of three reputable
c,tizels Of the state for simple at
tempt to do something which they
might honorably DO: which patriotism
required them to do, in behalf Of their
corporation cursed people, displays an
amount Of impudchcc and arrogance not
to be found except with people who be r
ieve they have their victims il their
power.
There is much ground for that be
lief There IS a great danger upon the
people OF North Carolina Their pros
perity and their freedom are alike
threatened by an old foe with a new
idIC- llC tulIt llIcS
By which the products of their industry
are carried to market, and their arti
cles OF necessity procured by exchange
therefor, are about ali to pass under the
control Of one set Of men. This is the
revival Of one Of the oldest grievances
which ha afflicted mankind since the
organization of society -moROpolY. In
the earlier ages of European govern
ments, monopolies were granted BY law
chiefly by the crown. Their opera
ton Was: everywhere most intolerab.e,
and constituted the principal obstacle
to the prosperity of the poor. The
French and German writers, as Well a.
the English, are eloquent upon the sub
ject OF these grievances. am Indebted
to the elaborate and learned brief of ex-
Judge Campbell, filed in the Slaughter
House cases In the Supreme Court Of
the United States. for a collection Of the
instances compiled from them, regard
ing those days when the pryiny eyes Of
the government followed the butcher
to the shambles, and the baker to the
oven; when the peasant could not cross
a river without paying to some noble
man a toll, nor take his produce to
market until he had bought leave t. DO
so; nor consume his grain till ne had
sent it TO the lords mill to be ground
noa full his clothes on his own works