The Charlotte Democrat., 1889-03-22
Charlotte Democrat.
Capt. Alexandsr's Speech.
CHARLOTTE, N. q.

graphs 1OrCeQ CnaDBo III Jul Oh
but they possess poaoer OF tdcdtso" ana
natronaoe danoeroass to the liberties of Our
peopLe. They haze centralized our qooer",
naent, and trusts, combines, pools ana
naonopoIies are their cfspring. A friend !,
new past three score years and ten, reiateo
TO me the following incident:
"When l was a young man visited
Boston. 7 carried letter of introduction
to Mayor Quincy. He received me with
that hospitality for which he was so dis
tinguished, and invited me to banquet
given in honor of the completion Of the
first forty miles of railroad that entered
Boston. In his speech at the banquet,
Mayor Quincy said 'We have completed
forty miles OF railroad. If we Can build
forty, we can build eighty; if we can build
eighty we can build two hundred If we
can build two hundred we can build one
to the lakes if We can build one to the
lakes we can build one to the facinc
Ocean. Give me the transportation OF the
people and will control them
Prophetic words My friend has lived
to see the prophecy of this distinguished
Bostonian fulfilled. Patronage, free trans
portation and money can nominate any
candidate for Office higher than the Legls-
lature, or failing to nominate, can ceteat
their opponent. What department OF the
State or national government is tree from
the taint of free transportation or tele-
graphic franks i? "No man can serve two
masters" 1t is believed that some who
are elected as representatives OF the people
are retained as attorneys of the corpora
tions. Senator Beck, of Kentucky, intro
duced a resolution in the United States
Senate forbidding any Senator to act as
attorney for railroad in sohich the goo-
ernnsent is interested 1t passed, but the
next day was reconsidered and defeated,
thus giving the sanction OF the United
States Senate to any of it's members to act
as an attorney for corporations, DC. 1t
may be good for the corporations, but 1t is
bad for the people. The motto of syndi-
Gates, trusts, combines, pools and monopo-
lies is "No legislation is good Legislation"
Hence their desire to retain members as
attorneys to keep off legislation, or to
shape it 80 as to render it harmless to their
interests. Our laws were made for past
era, and we have none upon our statute
books that meet the era Of steam and elec-
tricity.
Some people believe that a Railroad
Commission will adjust everything. The
railroads are above the State, any law q
State can pass may harrass them, but the
total tax required by the railroads of the
people will be as great with the Commis-
sion az without it. The National Govern.
ment has tried a Commission, and it has
found that a half.bred railroad attorney
can drive sixhorse' team through it, and
so it will be with any commission law they
pass. The railroads make no showing of
books, and manage their affairs in secret.
How can it be otherwise? The Knights
of Labor, many of them railroad men, have
given as one of their declarations that the
National Government should own every
railroad and telegraph line. Many object
to it upon the ground that it would give
the politician too much patronage. If this
patronage be dangerous to government.
it is more dangerous in the hands Of a
syndicate, for it will control the govern
ment. But / see no need of the govern
ment having as much patronage then as
now. Organize transportation depart
ment and postofice department by enlist
ing men for life or q term of years and not
allow them to vote. The army and navy
are so organized, and no one ever hears of
trouble about patronage in either, or their
interfering In any way with elections.
With the control of railroads, telegrsphs
and the money system, it is impossible for
syndicates, trusts; com bines and monopo-
lies to rob the people without owning the
land as completely as the Barons OF old
who owned the land and claimed the peo-
pie as vassals. Our danger is in being re-
duced to poverty, and rendered helpless,
and the danger of the great army of rail-
road and telegraph employees is in being
dependent they may become servile.
The great number of strikes made by them
show they possess an uncommon manhood,
but as the syndicates, trusts, com mbines and
monopolies increase in power, the struggle
is rendered more unequal"
Capt. Alexander's Statement.
Il Second Reply to Senator Kerr.
The extract taken from nay address de-
livered before the State Alliance is
garbled, and if Senator Kerr had more of
it he would have informed the Senate what
my position in regard to the transports.
tion problem is. He would have read that
suggested TO the Alliance that the solu-
tion OF this question was tor the General
Government to own every foot of railroad
In the u nlLed OCaLes, auu luTIueE suB-
gested how the transportation department
should be organized SO that the politicians
would have less patronage than they do
now. While this is a step beyond Com.
mission, Senator Kerr could have easily
stated to the Senate what my legislative
record was on this question. In 1879 l
voted for q Railroad Commission bill in
troduced by Senator Dortch, and l may
say that procured the copy OF the Vir-
ginia law and gave it to MIR. Dortch, which
was the basis OF his bill, and assisted him
to pass it. In 1883 drew and offered the
Commission bill that passed the Senate
and will further state that my whole
legislative record will show that was not
opposed to Railroad Commission. The
Alliance did not demand what kind of a
Railroad Commission law the Legislature
should pass-they only demand Railroad
Commission. AS to the kind of law, they
left that entirely with the Legislature.
The power in the Legislature that killed
the bill could have amended it, or made an
entirely new bill. To regard to a Commits
sion, believe the one l had passed the
Senate in 1883 would have brought to
light some of the abuses complained of,
and the Legislature could have enacted
penal statutes from time to time that