The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-10-29

means the subj-ction of the Old North
State to Railway Kings.
North Carolina is very small dose,
comparatively, for such throats to
gulp, and that they are licking their
lips for her now is unquestionable.
In your issue of the 18th find an
article contributed by Charles F. Will
son, of Winston, N. c., in which he
takes the position that the position of
zone of the people" is too strong in
regard to corporations in general and
the Richmond & Danville in par
tGculur @4
welcome into the "People's Fo
rum" this gallant champion of the
Richmond & Danville "in particular, "
for as such he appears in the arena.
We confess feeling of kindness to-
ward this gentleman, which, no doubt,
he is, when considered as the Scotch
say, Gin the abstract and we feel a
regret that we cannot deal with his
gentility, unmixed with,a and unde6led
by the Richmond & Dauville in par.
ticular. The mixture is exceedingly
unfortunate for Mr.. Wilson, because
his masters have imposed upon him
the task of defending what must in
evitably be the lost cause of injustice
and oppression; and it is unfortunate
for the r. & D. Gin particular in
that the corporation has selected a
champion who thinks he can cover up
a multitude of sins by spreading over
them some of the flimsiest tobacco
cloth rhetoric we have seen in many
years. The crossing at the Fries
plantation was an obstruction of the
highway, because loaded wagons 60
ing into town were compelled to travel
another road. And any obstruction
of the highway is nuisance, and the
R. & D. sin particular put up the
nuisance That crossing was the
dsrtlest, mauddiest fact that Mr.. Wilson
has ever run against, and it is not at
all surprising that he gets "stuck in
the mud" when he wiggles around it.
Wagons have been running along
that highway and the cold Man
Providence has been raining on it
from time whereof the memory of
man runneth not to the contrary" but
never till that POWERFUL CORPORATION
"like wounded snake, dragged its
slow length" across the road, did
aOagon stop Mr.. Wilson says (very
truly, we doubt not), 81 know some.
thing of that Brookstown road"
There are multitudes of men who also
know something of that Brookstown
road, and this knowledge is the highest
degree experimental, acquired by
plodding "their weary way" along
that road in summers heat and win
ter's cold, till that powerful corpora
ton reared it's pile in the highway,
and said stick and stop, and they
STOPPED and STUCK.
Mr.. Wilson acquired that something
which he knows about that Brooks
town road, probably, while sitting in
his tent door, smoking cigar and
enjoying the breezes whispering
among the pines. Our friend, the
valorous defender of corporations and
of the R. & D. Gin particular" is too
clever gentleman not to know that
distance lends quite as much enchant-
naent to the view of the Brookstown
road as it does to the Balsam noun
tain, and that as a witness he is pos
sibly not as competent as other men.
In this case the testimony of the
canister is more reliable than that of
a topographer-even a Typographical
engineer of a powerful corporation.
The Richmond and Danville has no
doubt found some difficulty in run
ming the sun, moon, stars and weather,
but by no means greater than the
world has found in getting an inter
ested witness to see that which he has
determined not to see.
Mr.. Wilson says, We labor under
some grave misapprehensions relative
to power and authority vested in a
railway corporation. Possibly Will
he not kindly lift this burden of mis-
apprehension under which we labor -?
Will he not pity US who sit in dark
ness, and bring US the light ? We
beg leave to assure him that he shall
be patiently and courteously heard.
Let him rise to the "height of this
great argument" and justify, if he
can, the ways of Railway Kings, and
he shall be heard to the end by at
least ONE OF THE PEOPLE.