The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-08-26
OvERsEERg.

OvERsEERs.
B-for. tn. war the large slave own
ers Rad oyersevys to manage their hn-
man live stock. They were far more
oppressive and tyrannical than the
owner, no in truth were usually kind
and humane. And VI all irresponsible
and tyranpical beings, the overseer OF
non. resident proprietor was the
worst. He cared little for tn. real in
teres;- Oft owner. He exercised his
power to the utmost and sought to
commend himself 10 the absent owner
by large returns, collected at the end
Of a lash out Of bis helpless and over
driven laborsrs.
or late years, By methods which will
not bear describing, the railroads Of
this STATE built By the taxes and sub
scri ptions Of the people, have passed at
the expense Of a small part Of their
cost toto the hands OF bankers living
at great centres, Rothschilds, Pier
pOnt Morgan and the like. They know
nothing Of the property and never
VISIT it. They derive from it an in
come, by their reports, OF Is per cent
a year or the real value and which is
from 30 to 200 per cent on what they
bought up the properties for. For in
stance, the entire Western North Caro-
lima Railroad with its hundreds OF
miles was bought for $500 900, and i'm
mediately it was bonded and stocked
for $685. per mile (see Railroad Com.
mission report, 1896, at page 2iG) and
the human live stock" on each side OF
that railroad is taxed, by freight and
passenger fares, high enough to pay
the interest on that sum.
TO manage these "prOperties"-so,
no railroad magnate nor railroad over.
seer will ever cOndescend to use les.
than the plural properties" in speak
ing Of the railroad and the peOpl,
appurtenant whom they can tax-th,
non resident banker owners thereO
appoint Overseers, as "befO de wah
whom they call presidents, vice-presi
dents, general grand this and genera
grand that, but when you come dow
to the fact it is the same old time over
seer. Their vocation is not to super
intend the operation of the railroads
for that is done by praqG al workin,
men who get small salaries, but thes
"Oyerseers" are to oversee the people
They manage and manipulate pOlitica
conventions, they run legislatures
governors, judges and newspapers
They watch for and suppress all indi
cations of independence among tn
people. They bully some leaders an
buy Others. They use free passes lib
orally. 1t is cheap purchase for then
"a those who pay for their own ridin
pay enough more to pay the fare O
those who ride free. In return for thii
these "Overseers" are paid high sala
ries--from $4,000 year down to $40
600 q yesr-out of our pOckets-beside
free passes for their relatives an
friends" and bigpalace cars, with ser
wants secretaries and lawyers to wal
on them. The people "pay the freight.
These Overseers, like those of oil
time, are more exacting, and unrelent
ing, in keeping up the high rates an,
fares than the owners would be. The
fear that if the income from the "prop
critics" should diminish, the hig
wages and big perquisites Of the over
seers might be reduced
Thus the people are "Overseered" an
their conventions and their chose
servants are manipulated that no par
of sour tale of brick shall be in augh
diminished"
People, thus you are governed, an
not By yourselves. Was it worth " hill
TO make the revelation of 1776 if we ar
TO thus live under the rule of the over
seers of the British bankers?