The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-03-18
RAILROADS AND RIA LROAD
COMMISSIONS.
No. s.
[Cor. Scotland Neck Democrat

have had the chance. The manage
ment of the railroads and the conduct
of railroad authorities have oeen such
that the people have begun to look
upon them as their enemies; and when
called upon to sit in judgment between
these corporations and their fellow
citizen, they naturally give their
friend the benefit Of the doubt in every
case, and they will sometimes strain
a point to make the doubt in favor of
the citizen.
Now, why is this? Why is the
sympathy Of the people in favor of the
citizen and against the corporation ?
1t is because the corporation in nine
cases out of ten ignores the right of
the individual.
The corporation kills a one dollar
pig, or a five dollar calf, or burns
down a poor mans fence, or floods his
two acres of land. He calls upon
some agent of the corporation and
complains of the wrong. The agent
never thinks of the matter again, and
if he should think of it again, it is
none of his business. The man broods
over his loss, employs an attorney,
enters suit and the fight begins. At
the expiration of two years he gets
Judgment for three times the value of
his pig, say three dollars, or fifteen
dollars for his calf. He has paid his
attorney fifteen or twenty-five dollars,
lost ten days attending the courts, and
two witnesses ten days each. The
corporation has paid its attorney fifty
dollars, fifty dollars cost in the case,
and seven times out of ten the corpor-
alton appeals to the Supreme Cour at
a cost of twenty dollars more to the
finally defeated party and twenty, five
dollars attorneys fees on each side.
Now, what is all this for? Simply
a legal fight over a pig or a calf. Is
it surprising that the citizen feels dis
gusted, outraged, abuses the lawyers
and secretly determines to get even
with the whole thing the first oppor-
tunity.
A railroad commission could have
settled this matter at a saving of cost
and hard feeling between the citizen
and the corporation.
A man is on the road bed where he
has no business. According to SEIZED.
ule, however, no train is due at this
time; but an extra engine shoots along
and the man is killed. A suit for ten
thousand dollars damage is entered.
Perhaps the mans family are as well
off without him as with him. He
might have died any way. The jury
gives a verdict of $500; the admins
TRAITOR takes one half and the lawyers
the other. The corporation curses the
jury system and swears it will get
even with the people. And so it will.
A commission would have settled
the matter upon Investigation, and
would have saved all the cost.
A bridge breaks in. An engine and
nine cars plunge down the precipice.
Seven lives are lost and nineteen other
persons are wounded. The engine
and "a cost the company one hun.
dred thousand dollars. Suits for as
great amount of damages are entered
against the road, and judgment is
given for forty thousand dollars. Five
of the wounded die, making in all a
dozen lives lost, and as many families
stricken with grief.
A commission would have inspected
the bridge and stopped travel until it
was repaired. Now, up steps Mr..
Know-all and says, What right has
the State to inspect or interfere with
the business of railroads? What right
has the State to say what kind of a
bridge a railroad should have any
more than to say what kind of a
bridge a private citizen shall have
across the same stream on his farm?
If the State can control the railroads
why not control the farms, the cattle
ranches and the merchants ? If the
State can fix the tariff to be charged
by the railroad companies OF a bushel
of corn, a bale of cotton or a barrel Of
apples, why can it not fix the price
for which the farmer must sell his
corn, his cotton or his apples p A
simple answer to all these questions
would be this. AL these things existed
before the State had it's being. Pro-
ducts are not dependent upon the
Safe for their existence, or value, or
use.
1t is cheerfully admitted that the
State has no right to interfere with the
private affairs of any citizen so long
as they do not infringe upon the
rights of any other citizen. This con-
dition does not apply to the railroads.
They never could have had existence
but by authority of the State. Their
existence is a special, peculiar, valu-
able privilege granted to them by the
State and withheld from all others.
These rights are granted to the cor
porations to build roads over the lands
of the citizens of the State regardless
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