The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1890-06-19
Georgia and South Carolina, bnt
not in North Carolina.

1885. Then there were five or
six amendments made, which
are imlnaterial to the question
under consideration. This con
stitution stood until 1868, when
the Candy Constitution was
adopted. During all this time,
from 1890 to 1868, the word
railroad or corporation was not
in our Constitution. When |
made my speech i'll Raleigh
against the Railroad Commis-
sion, Col. Fuller and Judge
Strong both came to me and
said that they were Ign ,rant Of
the fact that such was the case
till they heard my speech.
| Now the Constitution of the
United States says thatno &c
post .tacto law shall be passed.
Therefore every road chartered
in the State prior to 1868, of
which there are ten, could not
be controlled by the Legis lature.
In 1868 our people saw the de-
feet III our Constitution of not
giving the Legislature the pow
er To regulate tue passenger and
freight rates of railroads and to
prevent discrimination, &C., so
they put in such clause. The
trainers of the Constitution of
Georgia showed more wisdom.
When that State entered the
Union the trainers of the Con-
stitutiOn, in article 4, section 9,
page |, gave the Legislature that
power,so a commission can reach
all roads in that State. North
Carolina is the only State in the
Union that did not have d clause
in its constitution giving the
Legislature this power over cor
porations. So the ten old roads,
which are the strongest, cannot
be touched. Then is it right to
pass a commission that would
throw wet blanket on the new
and weaker roads, in nearly all
of which the State hwns an in
terest, while the ten old roads
ale owned almost entirely by
parties who live in other States.
In the c.. F. & Y. V. Railroad,
which runs forty miles through
your county, the Stae owns a
S150.OOO interest. So why should
you wish tol Cripple the interests
of the State by putting a wet
blanket on such roads? In the
charters of these ten old roads
the rates are fixed at 9 cents per
ton per mile for freight and 6
cents per mile for passengers.
And the Supreme Court says
that such a charter is a contract
and therefore a commission
would have no power to regu-
late or prevent discrimination
You say that the Alliance
wants a commission. Who vo-
ted with me against the Com
mission. 1t is true the Repub.
licans voted against it for an
evident purpose, but Of the
whole eight De .locrats who vo-
ted with me all were members
Of the Alliance, with one excep-
ton, and he was a young law
yer. White and Hughes, both
prominent men, in the last Leg
islature, said that a commission
would injure the people
I ain not againt the Alliance.
The Alliance is more nearly
with me than you suppose. If
| see you about to make a mis-
take, is it not my duty to tell
you about it? IT | see you go
ing a road and know a bridge is
up, ought l not ask you to stop
and look, and should you then
say that was an enemy?
Now some one says that the
Commission is doing fine in
Georgia, but Texas, the home
of the Alliance, has no commits
sion. | stand here and dare
anyone to contradict me when l
say that the Commission is doing
damage in Georgia. If any of
you will get man from there [
will take him around with me
and make him tell the truth
about the Commission. Yes, I
can show you myself that a
commission is grinding the giz
zard of the people of Georgia
l can do it with the last report
of the Railroad Commission of
that State, and this is the thing
that | mashed the life out Of
those who were in favor of a
commission i'm the last Legisla-
ture.
i Here railroad passenger fare
is B cents per mile first-class,
q cents per mile second class.
In Georgia there is no second
class, and the passenger rates
are 3 cents per mile on the y
roads, 4 cents per mile on the Is
roads and 5 cents per mile on
the e. roads. Now the A roads
} are those down in the eastern
portion of the State, where it is
level. There are only two roads
! down there. So there are only
two roads in the State but what
} charge over 3 cents a mile. The
B roads are those up in the cen
, trail portion of the State and the
c roads are up in the mountains.