The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-02-17


never dreamed of.
Again, to create great monopolies to
absorb the wealth of an entire citizen
ship, and, at the same time, to clothe
shem with the advantages of per-
petual exemption from all the burdens
of citizenship is contrary to the pub
lie good, and in plain contra vention
of public morals. And to hold that
the legislature of 1884 could create
and fasten such monOpol;es upon the
people of this State, as a perpetual
burden to the people, and 4 perpetual
menace to liberty, is to hold that one
generation can fasten chains that may
never be broken upon all future gen
erations. One of the highest rights
OF a free people-if, indeed, it be not
the very highest right that free PEG
pie can have-is the right to free
themselves, by means of peace or OF
war, from the institutional burdens
placed upon them by the general ons
that have preceded them. To admit
that the legislature of TO day a bind
the citizenship of this State to insti
tusions and enactments that trench
upon their pursuits, their happiness
and their liberties is to surrender, at
once and forever, al hope t:eedor
AL Inc le54s.G -Aos 4ld cuu-.s IL Jas
world cannot bind the people of the
future to institutions that limit unnec-
essarily the right to life, liberty, and
pursuit to happiness But this is pre-
cisely what the Wilmington & Weldon
Railroad Company claims today that
the General Assembly of 1884 gave
it the right to do, not alone for the
present, but for all future time. The
expiration of the charter of the Peters
burg road puts it within the power of
North Carolina to compel this road
to give up the high privileges it has
been claiming and exercising all these
years; and if the legislature does not
take advantage of the opportunity
now presented, to relieve the people
from these exactions and burdens, it
will, in our opinion, be guilty of a
grave sin again st the people.
Again, we are in favor of with
holding the charter demanded by the
Petersburg and Weldon road, because
the State is under no obligation to
part with her right, except for what
she may regard as a fair equivalent
in value. If the combination which
holds the stock of both these roads
values it's exemptions under the VII
mington & Weldon charter more
highly than it values TIE charter it is
seeking, let it keep the axe ptions if
it can, and let the Safe keep her char
ter. But it will be said that the
Petersburg and Weldon and the Viii
mington and Weldon roads are dis
tinct, and separate corporations;
and that one road should not be
punished for the sins of another.
This objection would be fatal to our
position, if it were true rs a matter
of fact. While there is kept up a show
of distinct corporate existence, as a
matter of fact, the stock of the two
roads il owned by the Atlantic Coast
Line combine. The distinct corpo
rate existence of these roads is mere
technical fiction, destitute of any sem.
blance of a justification in fact. The
Wilmington and Weldon road is nee
essary to the Petersburg and Weldon
road; the Petersburg and Weldon road
is necessary to the Wilmington and
Weldon road; and both r property
of, and are necessary to, the Atlantic
Coast Line combine, which is seeking
to entrench itself behind exemptions,
and escape its just and righteous share
of taxation. Let nobody be deceived
by the cry of unfairness to a separate
and innocent corporation. No such
corporation is involved in the contro.
versy now pending.
Again, let it be remembered, that
no person is trying to coerce the
Wilmington and Weldon road into
doing wrong. We are only arguing
that It is the duty of the General AS
sembly to take advantage of a cir.
cumstance, which has fortunately come
about, by which this road can be forced
to do, in the future, what its owners
ought to have been willing to do long.
ago. In seeking to va cate the charter