The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-09

q 4
Der Of miles run, exk enses of main
the road OF real estate Of the
corporation, the earnings from pas
sengers freight and ether sources,
dividends on stock, payment to sur
plus fuDd and lO.al smount of said
fund, the numlec of persons injured
ia lie and LIMB, cause Of injury, &c.
aud It The same time it was prOYid~
ell that The general assembly might
from time to time alter or reduce the
rate Of freight, fare. q" other profits
upon any railroad, whenever the pro-
fits were as much as six per cent.
per aLnum on the capital actually
expended. 1t IS easy to be seen
that it was the intention Of the leg
Islature to require these annual re>
ports so as to keep informed AS to
the true material and financial con,
ditiOn Of each road in order that
such additional laws as might appear
necessary could be enacted to cor
rect any evils that might be found
to exist, and IN order to 80 regulate
the freight and passenger traffic as
to relieve the people Of unjust bur-
dens. But from that Ume tt the
bringing of certain suits by DR..
Hodge in Wake Superior Court to
enforce the payment Of certain pen
altics the different railroad com
panies have treated tais law With
silent contempt. The statute fur
ther provided that any railroad cor
poration which neglected to make
the foregoing report should be liable
to a penalty of five dollars to be
recovered by any person who might
see proper to sue for the same. What
is cyerybOdy's business is no body's
business, And so no body sued for
the penalties, no body understood to
enforce the law, and the railroads
continued to run political conven-
tions and manage their own affairs
to suit their own sweet selves. At
last after this statute had been con
tinuOusly and persistently disregard
ed for seventeen years, DR.. Hodge
instituted suits in Wake Superior
court against forty different railroad
companies to recover from each one
the five hundred dollar penalty, and
IN order to test the question " whether
or not the railroads of the State are
above all law. The different railroad
companies will, as usual, conte st
every inch of ground in the courts
endsavor to prevent the plaintif
from recovering Judgment against
them until the coming of the next
legislature and then work for re
peal Of The statute. Tbey have
heretofore shown. such skill in tht
management Of legislatures that i
should occasion no surprise if. thC
statute was repealed and Dr.. Hodge
left with large bill ot costs an(
lawyers fees to pay.
Ii We had railroad commissio!
it would require these reports to b.
made aud the legislature and tht
people would be kept informed as tC
railroad matters in so for as it con
cerned them.
/ In ORDER to show the animus of th
railroads and to let your reader
see how they undertake to crush an,
man who dares TO expose their shor
comi02s or interfere with or opPos
their schemes | will give you a piec
of history in connection with thi
matter, as | have learned it. Tn
/ Governor Of the State had, as it s
happened. announced his intentjcI
Of appointing Dr.. Hodges two law
yers State proxy and directors c
the North Carolina Railroad; bu
when these penalty suits were II
stituted the railroad bosses went t
the Governor and insisted upon hi
appointing other persons cIaimin
that the appointment of these Law
yers would be an endorsement b
the governor Of the Hodge suits
and they were not appointed.
The Governor has however, sine
that time appointed one Uf thes
lawyers julse Of the Superio
Court, and already the r. & D. RI
attorney at Raleigh has gone t
work 10 defeat the nomination {
this judge in November next.
We await the result with conside
able interest.
G. N. Scott, Of Okolona, Miss
wrote to Dr.. Shallenberger: