The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-11-06

~ SNS SNO 3-6ASSO N~AA0 OR
preparations to the Western Division
of said road"
Col. s. Mod. Tate was at that time
president of the Eastern Division Of
the Western North Carolina Railroad.
He is now the Democratic candidate
for State Treasurer. See page 2O5.
@. Do you know of Littlefield re
ceiving anything from any of these
railroad presidents?
"a. Isaw him with 800, 900, which
he said were bonds issued to the Chat
ham Railroad Company, which he
said he got from DR.. Hawkins. Gen
eral Littlefield gave me an order on
General Stubs president of the w.
and Tarboro Railroad.) for SIS, 900 to
meet some past due paper. i x Lit
tlefield claimed that Colonel Tate, as
president of the Eastern Division of
the, Western North Carolina Railroad,
was indebted to him Eli, 600 for procur-
ing legislation beneficial to that divis-
ion. Colonel Tate told M to do what
was right about it. I paid it to Little
field and afterwards charged it to Tate
in settlement"
It seems that there was some prOvis-
ion in regard to the issuing of these
Western North Carolina Railroad
western Division) bonds that the
State was to issue, to a certain limit, a
81 900 bond for each bona Jfde private
subscription to the stock of $5OO-that
is, the State was to take ~two-thirds of
the stock after the other third had
been taken. To get these bonds a large
subscription list was made.
Littlefield subscribed 81, 600, 600.
I s. Med. Tate subscribed $500, 900.
Gen. Henry subscribed $40O, 900
Others subscribed 800, 600.
Swepson certified the list to the
Treasurer and drew 81, 600, 900 bonds on
this fraudulent subscription list.
See later testimony, page 215:
"All these large subscriptions of
stock had been transferred to Little
field at that time, except Col. Tate's,
which was cancelled, because he had
not paid his five per cent"
Fraud all through. and Tate was in it.
See page 216.
SO. Was the contract with Littlefeld
and Tate, or either of them made in
writings
ga. Yes, both of them, etc.
%. Were not these contracts con
sidered at the time as a mere formal
compliance with the charter to pro
cure the issuing of the bonds and with
out expectation that either of the par
ties would comply with the teIms9
etc.
"a, It was considered a mere for
NAL compliance in order to get possess
ion of the bonds"
~. W. Wilson appeared, was sworn,
and testified" See pages 1925.
e Have you made any contract,
Or had any understanding with any
officer of the road by which you were
to receive more than the original esti-
mates2 Or has any proposition of
that kind been made to you9 If so,
give the Commission the full informa-
tion on the subject.
GA. l have made no contract, or
had no understanding with any officer
of the road, nor have my partners by
which we were to receive more than
the original estimates. A proposition
was made to me by Col. Eliason, then
Chief Engineer, through Col. Tate
Is. McD.) first, then afterwards di-
rectly to me, that if I would turn over
to him 5000, 900 of first mortgage bonds
he would make out out my estimates
for $7O1, 900 in addition to what 1 had
received. This amount would be a
majority of the first mortgage bonds.
This proposition I declined, as it was
much nor than was due me, and l
regarded the transaction as corrupt"
s. Med. Tate was President, Trustee
and Financial Agent; Col. Eliason was
Chief Engineer, and J. w. Wilson, to
whom the proposition was made, was
a contractor, all on the Western North
Carolina Railroad.
Now. dear reader. you have been
appealed to, to remember the Dark
Days of 1868-'7O, and vote the straight
old ticket, the very man they ask you
to put in the most important State
Office in the gift of the people was one
of the chief ringleaders and actors in
the frauds and crimes that made those
days dark. No patriotic citizen of
North Carolina can afford to vote for a
man who has helped to stain the fair