The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-08-02
How The People
Were BETRAYED.
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which 1t owed TO the people, agreed
10 surrender it's claim 10 exemption
from taxation in the future. As d
part Of the $40, 900 already mention
ed, about $4,000 was paid to the
counties along it's main line, Pender,
Duplin, Wayne, Wilson, kdgecombe
and Halifax. In the next few weeks
YOU will have lot Of machine Hade
roosters Growing around about the
big money CHE rAKTI" got out Of
this railroad for the counties. Now
for the answer which shall put
them down. The Petersburg and
Weldon Railroad Company IL All in
despcnsabIc link in til" Chain Of the
Atlantic Coast line Of which the
Wilmington & Weldon j. the richest
and greatest member. The owners
Of the Wilmington y Weldon are the
owners Of the Coast Line. The Pc
tersburg and Weldon was in 1891 IN
the articles Of death by reason of the
expiration Of its Charter by lapse Of
time. The Legislature of 1891 Ic
fused to renew It except fox two
years. IL 1893 the Wilmington i,
Weldon and Coast lime people were
at the mercy Of the State. by re-
fusing to extend this charter and by
proper restrictive Legislation the
State could have annihlIated the
Wilmington 4 Weldon Railroad
Company and the Coast Line. An
honest Legislature would have said
to this band Of foreign capitalists,
who had for % years enjoyed the
benefits Of the States protection, the
use of It's courts and police without
contributing ore dollar to help bear
the burdens which fell on the reo-
pie: 1--WE have you III our power.
You shall pay the taxes to the last
dollar which you owe the State and
counties and towns. We may or may
not enforce the penalties and de-
mand interest as would be done with
ordinary citizens under like condi-
tiOns. Before you can come here
asking for fayors and for franchises
without which you cannot live, you
shall pay the taxes which you owe
and some of which You have evaded
by sorry Subterfuges and criminal
conceaIments. DO this and do more.
Surrender your claim to exemption
from taxation in the future. DO
this and do it quick or we will
knock the bottom out Of your prop
critics and privileges and franchises. -
When that music had sounded, the
Wilmington 4 Weldon Railroad
would have begged for terms in
tones louder than those of Robcspere
whose voice, as he stood before the
Revolutionary tribunal begging for
his life, was said to have been heard
across the Seine. But no. The
Boys who had got to the Legislature,
leaving at home the men who were
elected, did not see it thusly. They
knew that they had parted company
with the people, and that in the flu
ture they must look to the machine
and that the Railroads would con,
troll the machine And this is Just
what is in the mind OF every Judge
who distorts the law by ruling in
favor of corporate privileges against
popular rights. Some gIaring and
recent cases Of this might be given
AS to the exemption of the Whining
ton & Weldon Railroad Company
which it surrendered it is questlona
bic if the people got any thing by
that. | have already shown tina
this surrender should have been OBJ
tanned without giving tax money foI
it. But it is doubtful whether they
had any exemption at all for more
than 100000 of their 81, 100000
of property. The railroad from Hall
fax to Weldon has been liable t,
taxation under the law for slXt,
years and never paid dollar.
In 1891 the Railroad Company list
ed for taxation 100000 Of persona
property. 1t never listed 1t befor
or after that year. 1t owned thi
much, probably very much more, 70
many years previous to 1891 bu
simply lodged the tax lister.
In 1892 it transferred this per
sonal property to a corporation il
Connecticut at a valuation of 81, 500,
900. BY SO doing it removed l
from North Carolina law and Mort
Carolina taxes. The farmer VIII
makes false returns of his land o
cattle is mulcted in penalties an,
put in chains. The Railroad mil
hOnalres who do the same with thei
millions are let off with less than tel
cents on the dollar and told to kee