The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-05-17

/ lie sentiment, an opposing state ToVeTn-
ment. executive, legislative and Judici-
arv. and the combined power of ad verse
corporations.
but it succeeded, aud nothing sue
ceeds like success. while it is a chsrac
~teristic Of the governing class in North
Carolina to bow down and worship at
} the altar Of successful wrong
5 Perhaps the above allegation so far
as relates to a public desire to drive
Messrs. Best & Co. out of the State
should not be allowed to pass undenied.
The fact is that instead of encountering
opposition (save from his former confed-
| ~erates) Mr.. W. j. Best has had a greater
amount of public favor than probably
ever before was shown to any man. Gov
errors, Senators, Congressman, Leglsla
} tors, Judges, leading lawyers, newspapers,
political conventions, all have united to
chaunt his praises, and work his pleas
ure. In truth, We have long regarded
Col. VIM. j. Best as the Boss Perslm-
mon among the Railway Financers and
Public Trigger-P ullers of this Trigger
pulling day and generation. Name, II you
please, any other bare-tooted lrlshman'
who within 80 years after he landed III
this country, ard ran the streets as a For
ter-boy. without friends, funds, or lntiu-
ence, could rise by shere dlnt OF energy,
ability. upper-lip, and Lord Dundreary
i'd -whiskers, to the command OF mil
lions, the chair of ChiefW recker of a
Bank, and an Insurance Company and
the leading manipulation of the Railroad
map of North Carolina
1t is scarcely three years since the Col
onel limped into the Marlborough, SO great
a stranger that amid that omnirm gath
erum of State Notables (dont spell that
omnibus gather 'emsD there was none,
no not one, not even the genial landlord,
Maior-General Blacknall-had so much
as heard of him! Yet within a short six
weeks, who so well-known? who SO pop
ular? who SO great a exposure OF admir-
ing eyes, as he that promenaded to and fro
along the Marlborough quarterback
Within six months, the stranger stood
10 the Senate Chamber, at the capitol, to
address by formal invitation, the General
Assembly of the State, convened IN spec
cial session, at a cost Of $40, 600 for the
special purpose of handing over to him
the great State Railway, whose 125 miles
of line mad taxed the minds and pockets
of the two generations of North Carroll
mans.
1t was a beautiful speech-Wm is, was;
and the applause it was beautiful, alsol
After the usual statement that this was
1.-The proudest day Of his life,'-the Col
onel pledged his faith, his fortune,
and his honor, that he should trot
that road to the Tennessee line by
July /, 1881, or-Bust ! He-Bustedl
The specified time found the Road not
even at Asheviile. 1t reached the Tenn
7 essee line more than a year later than ne
. promised.
HE WAS A srRANGER"-BUT HE DIDN'T
!, GET ''TooK IN"
Let that pass! We now come to look at
the result of Mr.. Best's little speculation.
A few months after he received the mag
%niicent gift Of the Western n. G. r. R.
(given to him on the condition that he
should go right to work to finish 1t, and
naone 1t part ola Grand 7runk-L,ne from
the mountains to the sea-, he announced
: that his three colleagues, Grace, Fish,
and Tappan, had deserted him, leaving
him the bag to hold, and as the bag was
rather heavy for one person, he had bar
gained with the Richmond & Danville
fellows to take it, and comply with the
contract, which would render the bag
(or Road worth six millions of dollars;-
J the New owners to give him one-sixth
share in the completed Road, as a bonus
5 for his bargain!
! Wasn't hat a nice little speculation?
4 Look at this summary! A total stran-
ger comes into the State; talks big; gets
the support, of Governor, Senators, ETC.;
e gets a special session of the Legislature
S called; gets 125 miles of a great State
I Railroad given to him, together with the
use VI OOO COuNlCIS, ctC.3 Ou jill COuOIlioH,
e namely that be shall build the remainder
l of the route.
e He holds it several months while it was
paying handsomely from the Summer
traveD, then passes it over to the Clyde,
Logan & Co., under a bargain by which
I they build the road, and give him one
t sixth share therein! SO that within one
C year this perfect stranger won one-slxth
S interest in a Road which is already valued
at six millions!
This don't look as if he had Jared bad.
ly in North Carolina. In truth he has
: had remarkable honors paid him. For a
: long time he was a bigger man than ole
Grant" or s'the Man In the Moon" or
any other man
1t is generally known that when he
went to the Hancock and English" Ma
tional Convention at Cincinnati, he had
as his guests in his private palace car
where champagne popped with true
Democratic, Bourbonic effusion) many of
the prominent citizens of the State and
a motion was instituted to invite him
,-oa +ho p1otfor,o - roo.oron+ No.tb