The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-03-26
VOL. TX.
RAILROAD LEGISLATION
THE W. d w. PROPOSITION
AND THE PETERSBURG
CHARTER
Thirty-Seven Charters Granted
for New Railroads i'm Spite of
the Fact that q Commits
sion Bill was Passed.


ures taken under consideration by
the General Assembly was a Rail
road Commission. The Joint special
committee that had the drafting of
this measure in charge gave full
and patient hearing to all railroad
men and other parties concerned.
The bill as drawn gave the Commits
sion power To regulate passenger and
freight ra.e., to prevent unjust dis
elimination IN favor of or agains,
any individual or place and many
other important and needed duties
and powers IA strong bill that gives
the Commission ample powers to
protect, in every respect the inter
est of the people, yet one that will
not in any respect cripple the rail-
roads or prevent railroad building
or damage their legitimate interest.
The fight was close and strong in
both houses to prevent amendments
being tackled on that would injure,
cripple or weaken the bill. But
when the amendments were defeat
ed and the question came for or
against a Commission the bill pass
ed by a large majority, for large
majority of the members were pledg-
ed by their constituents to- support
Commission.
Judging by the great fears ex.
pressed, by those who opposed the
bill, that such a commission would
cripple railroads and check railroad
building, it would have been sup
posed that not single, or at least
but very few railroad charters
would be asked for. But quite to
the contrary, capital i.ever seemed
more anxious and ready to invest in
railroad building in North Carolina.
AS will be seen in another column,
under the head of "Legislative Sum
mary" charters fer thirty seven
railroads were granted, while others
were asked for that did not pass.
In truth, the Commission. by re,
quirin9 all parties to- do equal and
exact justice will dispel the popular
prejudice against railroads and be
really conducive to their growth
and progress. With the judiciously
selected Commissioners, an expert
enced, wise and patriotic civil en-
gineer from the west, the honest,
energetic and faithful Secretary of
the State Alliance from the centre,
an able, successful and pure lawyer
from the east, both the people and
the railroads feel in advance that
pure and simple justic nothing
more and nothing less will be done
on all sides.
After hard fight a bill was pass
ed extending the A. & n. G. from
GoldsbOro to some point on the G..
f. &. Y. V. railroad and on to Char
lotte.
After the Railraad Commission
the next most important matter be-
fore the Legislature was the w. &
w. proposition to pay a limited
amount of taxes for certain great
and extraordinary privileges. Over
this proposition and the various
complications arising therefrom
were the hardest fights of the ses-
sion. AS we have said before, after {
long and rather lively discussion the
Senate refused to accept the HUsH
AND PURCHASE money by a vote OF
% to IA; thereby saying to the w
q w. railroad that you can get nt
further favors or from
the people until you surrender you
claimed exemption from taxation
and stand on the same footing a.
the poorest and hnmblest citizen
On the heels Of this the Legislature
was asked to recharter the Petersbur.
road, running from Weldon to Pc
. tersburg in Virginia. The charter
of this road expired a few months
since. This road and the w. & w
are both in the same syndicate, be
ing two of the roads forming tn,
through "Atlantic Coast Line" Be
fore considering this bill the Legis
lature passed bill suspeniing chap
ter 40 of the Code relating to char
tering railroads before Secretary O
, of State and repeating every known
existing charter which might b
utilized by the w. & w. railroad il
making northern connection. Thi
done, then the Legislature granite
5 the Petersburg charter for two year
only. This serves positive and ur
mistakable notice upon the w.
w. railroad that within the mex
two years it must pay taxes-not
limited amount dictated by it, bu
full taxes under the general law O
give up its northern connections fo
: a through line, unless, forsooth, j
should be able to control the mex
: Legislature, and that is not proba
BILE. When these important bill
passed it was Monday morning, tn
last day of the session, the hands @
the clock pointed to 1890 and th
General Assembly OF 1891 had onl
an hour and half of life. Yet a
{ this late hour a bill, unheard of an