The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-25

iaI DtI SuaAI pIOW his cotton or what
he shall receive for it when it is ready
for market. The farmers have been
organized, talked to about hard
times, duped and excited ny de9igo-
ing politicians pretending 10 be Their
disinterested friends, until they are
wild; and imagine that If they can
only have railroad commission with
power to regulate freigbts. the cotton
and the corn will flourish and grow
while the farmer loafs at the neigh
boring village, and with the end of
the harvest will come hearily laden
barns and gin houses and big prices.
Such legislation will pat an end to
railroad building In North Caroline,
and utterly bankrupt and destroy
those roads now in operation"
From one to another of these lob>
byists and railroad men | went seek.
iGg information, aud from one and all
| received substantially the same an
swer, the only difference being in
the manner in which it was given.
The lobbyist being petite, free and
easy, speaking as if he thought lie
was only a gentleman and no better
than any other gentleman; while the
railroad proprietor was naughty,
cOndescending, grand, and seemed
to travel, as one distinguished gem
tleman remarked of another distin-
gnished gentleman, on an elevated
railroad.
[ next turned my attention to cerN
tain Legislators who were pronounced
advocates Of railroad commission
to learn from them what necessity
there was, if any, for such legi8la-
ton but | found them all 50 much
engaged in the performance of their
important duties that | gathered but
little flom them except that the rail
road presidents had been debating
| the nominations of State officers, in
! perhaps the conventions Of both pO~
! litjcal parties, to such ar extent
that 10 mAn, however deserving and
| popular. could possibly hope for pc,
: 13t Il Z
ing the knee to the TailtCad presi-
/ dents of the State, especially the one
at the head Of r. & d. system tina
/ the charges OF the different railroads
were unequal and unjust and that
these corporations, creatures Of the
State. had become SO powerful and
di3tatOrial that they had already or
were about to take charge Of and
become the master Of their creator,
the State. And in my travels, since
the adjournment of the Legislature
and direct contact with all classes ot
people, while | often and everywhere
hear denunCiations loud and deer
against railroad corporations, and
against those Democratic members
OF the Legislature who with the aid
Of the solid Republican vote def at
ed the railroad commission bill
have never, from the beginning ci
the agitation of this question up tc
the present moment, heard solid
argument based upon facts and fig
ures tending to show the necessity
or advisability of railroad COmis
sion. Yet it is hard to comprehend
how the great msjority of the most
intelligent people Of the State witt
the exception, of course, Of subsi
died newspapers, railroad attorney:
and politicians afraid Of their shsd
ow) should be so outspoken, so earn
est and so determined in their al
vOCacy of railroad commission o
any Ctuer measure unless Their
should be some good reason for it
believing that this was q suhjec
worthy of serious consideration anC
study, l have begun careful invest
igation Of 1t and have concluded tAa
as l travelled along the pathwa,
which will lead me to the house o
knowledge l would for the sake o
good company. extend an invitation
to your readers to go along with me
A> good as amy.