The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-02-28
WHY WAS Ir wrTHpRAwN2


A few days ago news came fis,aa
that Peter Cobb am w.
Who had instituted q ISN'T ~ as's'a' M
% go, l,ase of tlae n q Y y. 70 wy
Railway had nfandonml
their suit No explanation was given
why, having instituted the suit la good
fatla. 3hoae parties ndd,slN nhon
aonea III.
At thsa time statement W'0t thr
rounds al the press thot the suit of
the Stsgte Alliance seeding te declare
the lease illegal would also he with
,lrawa. and that tho legaliat 81 the
lease would not come before sl,e eouftA.
This week eN-Jodge Spier Whitaker
attorney for the Alliance. won't into
court and formally Withdrew The suit
thus showing chat the newspaper
paragropher's prediction was wei
founded
we have been trying pR ascertain
what influence was brought Ia bear
anon the Alliance officers 81 withdraw
tass sntt. but have been unable 70 learn
further than the general statement
that under It's charter Il was learned
that The state Alliance had exceeded
its powers In tnstituting the suit,
This reason will deceive nabodN. The
State Alliance has been a law unto
itself, and az the meeting IN Cary it
gave stringent instructions to prose-
cute the suit. Since when aiid the Al
lance become 50 sensitive and SO
particular about technical rights
How comes it that the officers can re-
fuse to carry out the mandate of the
State gathering Of the order? From
what source came the pressure" TO
stop2 What influences" have been
eNerted? Are n few servants of the
Alliance more competent to declare
the limitations on the charter than
The whole body of the Alliance2 How
comes it that, after starting in hot
pursuit to stop the 80 year lease, the
Alliance suddenly comes to halt and
withdraws its objections? Have the
Alliance officers gone over to the rail
roads2
These questions will have to be am
severed. The people of the State have
'thundered their indignation against
the lease and the manner of making it.
They justly think that, however wise
twenty or thirty year lease might
have proven, ninety-nine year lease
was contrary to wise public policy, and
amounts to a gift of hundreds Of
ton. There was no excuse or good
reason for thus giving away the herit-
age of the children. The State Ali
ance was indignant at the action, and
their officers started out to test the
legality. But before it could be tried,
the officers have ''seen a great light,
and abandoned the effort to do the
State the greatest service ever under.
taken by that body.
The question whether the directors
had the right to make aninety-nine year
lease, so long time before the expira-
tion of the present lease, is one that
ought To be passed upon by the courts,
and it IN to be regretted that no stock
holder or body Of citizens will present
the question to the courts. If they
should declare that the directors had
no right to make such lease, as we
believe they would decide, those who
procured the annulment Of the present
virtual sale for much less than the
value of the road, would earn the graft
tude of unborn generations.
We write earnestly because we feel
deeply that a great wrong to future
generations has been done, and because
we are disappointed that there seems
to be no desire TO right the wrong We
do no oppose a lease of the road to the
Southern for a reasonable term of
years. But lease for ninety-nine
years is such a palpable giving away
of all the growth of the future as to
cause ever-increasing surprise that
men of good Judgment in other matters
ever could have brought themselves TO
it.