Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-09-12
query Answered ms 10 Freight Rnies
10 New England Poinfs.

went to Phliadelpnla Id the interest,"
of the farmers and the railroad COM
panies, to try to get freight rates
reduced, viz: that my motive was to
advance my political aspirations to
the supplanting of Hon. s. w.
and that freight rates
would have been reduced soon any
way, and therefore the committee
did not deserve so MUCK credit for
what they did, and that others be-
sides the committee were entitled to,
and deserved, as much credit as the
committee, and since the query pub
lished in last weeks issue of your
paper over the signature of w. L.
Mock, it becomes necessary that 1
should give an explanation and also
render an account of our steward
ship to Mr.. w. L. Mock. Before this
effort to try to get the rates reduced
was made, I was deeply impressed
with the idea that if an effort was
made in the spirit of an appeal and
the railroad companies could be made
to see that there was necessity for
it, they would reduce their freight
rates, and under the plans had for
mulated in my mind, there could be
no risk in trying, as the effort need
not cost anyone more than ten cents
and realizing that if the effort proved
q success it would be saving of
perhaps one hundred thousand dol
lars annually to the farmers OF Ac-
comac and Northampton counties |
to make the effort. To
prove had no such selfish motive as
have been accused of, instead OF
writing an appeal myself, as l after
wards did, asked two gentlemen to
do it, one of whom was too unwell to
undertake such work, but did en-
courage me to do it; the other said
he was too busy to do it. / then
wrote the appeal and also circular
letter and had fifty copies of each
printed and distributed them to
representative men in every neigh
borhood in the two counties, asking
these men to act as agents for me in
getting names signed to the appeals,
and also to collect five or ten cents
from all they could who signed them,
to raise fund to pay the expenses
of delegate, or delegation wished
to send up to Philadelphia to make
the appeal to the proper official OF
the railroad companies.
After receiving several letters of
encouragement from these agents to
whom 1 had sent the appeals, and
also encouragement from 30 many
in my own town by giving me their
names and ten cents, l was convinced
that my plan for getting names and
money were succeeding, and that l
would get names enough to present
a good showing and possibly money
enough to send up three delegates.
l then selected DR.. 6. w. LeCato,
who l thought was eminently suited
to aid me in the execution of the
work already begun. l then sent for
him to come to see NE and we talked
over the matter and decided to write
to Mr.. r. B. Cooke, and sent him q
copy of the appeal and asked him to
give us a name of the proper official
in Philadelphia to whom we should
go with our appeal, and also asking
him to go with the delegation and as
we then thought it best to send up
at least five, and knowing we would
not succeed in getting a fund SUI
ficient to pay the expenses of five, we
in our letter asked Mr.. Cooke to give
us half fare rates for five. DR.. LeCato
and myself then mutually agreed on
whom we would select to go with US
to Philadelphia in case we, with Mr..
Cookies aid, could send five, viz: DR..
Charles Smith and Captain o. A.
Browne to represent Northampton
and DIR. LeCato, Hon. S.W. Matthews
and myself to represent Accomac.
But on hearing from Mr.. Cooke, he
did not notice our request for half
fare rates for five, but said two was
enough to go. Again, to prove l had
no selfish motive, then said to DR..
LeCato, if two were better than three
to go 1 would stay at home and let
him and DR.. Smith go and represent
their respective counties, but this ne
would not consent to, saying, the
credit was due me for starting and
planning the enterprise in its begin
ming, and I, first of all, should go and
help execute the work, and as l had
in hand forty dollars and sixty-tive
cents after paying the cost of print
ing stationery and stamps, which
amount would possibly pay the ex.
penses OF three, I decided to go, and
with what results the following let
ter from Mr.. Charles A. Chipley, the
official to whom we presented our
appeal, and who, with the concur
renee of Mr.. R. B. Cooke, reduced
the rates, will show:
Mr.. s. R. NELSON,
Onancock, Va:
Dear Sir:-I have your favor of the