The news & observer., 1897-04-07

they would without doubt give a verdict
in accordance with the facts in the case
why not turn the settlement of the
mooted questions over to this jury2'
asked a gentleman standing by. And
why not?
The court met at 10, and the time
until nearly noon was taken up with the
reading of briefs, Mr.. Manning following
Judge MacRae
After the suppresSend sensation at
the reading Of the Governors refusal to
heed Judge Simonton's order, Judge Mac
Rae proceeded, and presently the Gov
ernor said that after what he had learn
ed since the writing Of his message
which was sent to the Legisla-
ture, he would, instead of with
drawing anything, have not made
it so mild, if he had to write
it over again. There was another slight
sensation here, and n smile went clip
ping its way over Carlisle's face like
bright fitting memories Of coupons blown
by wind that was not i'll.
But in all these smiles of scorn i'm
ported for money from other States by
the Southern Railway, the North Caro-
| linians took no part. Not even did Mr.
Fabius Busbee. His patriotism got the
| best OF him and there was no relish
snickers at the expense Of their blood
| bought commonwealth.
And yet there are some very few of our
| citizens who have acquired the taste like
| eating olives of not seeing anything out
of the way in this spectacle that is
enough to wake up "the devil" in any
good pious North Carolina citizen.
One cannot, by reading this, appreciate
| the spectacle in the court house and in
| the lobby last night, when the fat-bellied
! men with fat-bellied pockets began to
gather and chuckle at the prospect of dis
posing in an orderly way OF the State
| before a United States Court. This
| morning the State is dragged there, and
| the county court house is being used for
| q purpose never dreamed of by the far
Mers of Guilford whose taxes paid for it.
Judge MacRae, after the reading of
complaint and answer, submitted an
affidavit of one of the new directors of
the North Carolina Railway, setting
forth that they would take charge of the
| road in April, and, therefore, would like
to be heard in answer. AS the lawyers
| were not ready to go on with the ques-
tions as to the validity of the appoint
! ment, postponement was asked, there
| upon the corporation attorneys retired for
consultation. And for the purpose Of
hearing all together, the Judge named
June Sth next, at Asheville, for the hear
ing.
Two hours afterward the Judge made
| an order practically following the sug-
gestion of Mesrs. MacRae and Day,
though Mr.. Crawford was not agree
able to the above effect, and putting the
new directors on an equal footing with
Al -
quo. This was a point gained, the Judge
saying he was unwilling to put anything
in the order that would in any way in
volve decision as to the standing Of the
two rival boards of directors.
The trains to Raleigh and Washington
leaving at the same time, about one
o'clock, there was quite n crowd at the
station, each train having hooked on the
end a private palace car, one containing
Carlisle and Stetson; the other Col. An
drews and his attorneys. Stetson stood
on the rear platform waving adieus to
the other private car, and soon the whole
outfit was off,
All these attorneys and Col Andrews
get their money alternately over the
marble counter OF Drexel, Morgan e.
Company and the travelling
and freight public of North
Carolina pay enough money to
the Southern to reimburse it for all
this palatial expense, with 100000 profit
over. OF this $600,0000 the Southern
pays the State $210,000. That is the
arithemtic of it.
But the people have stood it, because
at essential points of the State there arr
free pass attorneys to educate the public
sentiment up. But the North Carolina
lawyers were held back to-day. They
were like little children, seen and not
heard. Mr.. Busbee did read little paper
of some kind, but Carlisle and Crawford,
two foreigners with foreign Judge, had
the business in hand. They had to get one
lawyer from Chicago, another from
Washington and a judge from South :
Carolina to test their right to the lease
of the North Carolina Railroad. And
not a lawyer or railroad man would have
been here except for the money sent
them through Drexel, Morgan & Co.
1t was against all this that the answer
of the Governor was directed. 1t will
do the people good to read few sen.
tences before reading the whole of the an
swers, which follow:
Il deny that the State of North
Carolina ever entered into any contract
with the Southern Railroad Company
for the lease of the North Carolina Rail-
road"
Il hereby expressly decline to appear
in this court as Governor aforesaid or
to do any act which might seem to make
the State of North Carolina n party to
this suit
This is the first time Though it may
not be the lasO, when corporate AFRO
gance has arraigned a Governor for his
communications to the Legislature and to
the people, whose servant he is. If, when
l gave out this interview, 1 had known
as much as have since learned about
the frauds and impositions put upon the
State by this Southern hallway Compa-
ny, that interview would have been less
mild nd ola horn To Ri. y