The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-10-28


ter
THE McUrHPIEt ~ AID A poi os's,s
tFTHE ALIEN OWNERS OSTHK
sTATk's HIGHWAYS
The slavery Of the people u the
monopoliss i. becoming SO dense that
it is getting to b. regarded a. the
natural condition. Just so il was with
chattel slavery, ard Just so it is with
the rule OF the Brahman in Asia aud of
the Lords and Dukes and Princes and
Mobiles of Europe. Men and women
suffer the extortions Of the ruling class
until they come to regard it as the de-
cree Of fate, and slsvishly submit to
what seems to be their unavoidable
destiny. But their robber masters al
ways support an army of hired retain
ers, Of newspapers and lawyers and
other salaried strikers to keep the
masses quiet, to make them believe
that they are getting some chance in
life by parading every incident that
may have upon its face the appearance
of an advantage to them.
And SO the Railroad robbers through
their Tory press are now engaged in
working the recent failure Of the
Southern to get control OF the Sea-
board. The leading hireling corpora
ton sheet in this State has the impu.
dence to talk loud about the benefits
to the public to be derived from COM
petition between the Seaboard and the
Southern, and to pretend to be glad
that the Southern has not yet absorbed
the Seaboard. He knows that if tn.
monopolists get the next Legislature.
the Southern will have the SeabOard
and the Coast Line-all that are left.
He knows that his employers and
masters succeeded in working the last
Legislature SO as to prevent the pas
sage Of John Fl. Pearson's bill to pre-
vent the further aggrandizement of the
Southern Railway Company by pro
hibiting them from purchasing OF
owning other lines without the con-
sent of the State. He knows that it is
only a question OF time when the
Southern will own every mile of Rail-
road in North COrollna, unless the tax
payers and wealth producers of the
State can get together and send up an
honest, incorruptible and patriotic
Legislature.
But he, and such as he, are trying to
lull the people to sleep by telling them
that they are assured of the benefits
of COMPETITION between the SeabOard
and the Southern. Where is the COM
petition? Where are the vast numbers
OF taxpayers and freight-payers who
are to get the benefit of this compesi
tion, even if it existed? There are Just
two interior towns in the State, Raleigh
and Charlotte, where there is semb-
lance of competition. Every other
town and neighborhood is at the
mercy Of the owners of the highway
that may be 1t its doors. The value
of every bushel of grain, every pound of
produce, depends upon the sweet will
of these alien owners of the highways
of the State, and yet these monopoly
howlers are yelling about the benefits
to the PEOPLE of railroad competition.
Oh they are beauties.
There is no real railroad COMPETE
ton at Raleigh or Charlotte, or any
where else. At such so-calIed COM
petitive points, the people are plum
dered by the pool agreements, a scheme
of combining against customers that
is precisely equivalent to the old COM
mon law crime of forestalling. Fore
Sailing was a combination Of those
who have something to sell, for the
purpose of agreeing upon price and
taking nothing less than that. In
other words, trust, and so we have
a railroad trust, even where there is q
pretence of competition. This rail-
road trust is not only the product of
railroad combines, but it is the child
of Federal usurpation.
As was pointed out by Governor
Russell in his Alliance speech, these
Federal courts have actually decided
that they will not permit any rea
competition between railroads. Tht
law that they expound, COMMANDS cut
throat competition among farmer
and producers ard prohibits it amon}
railroads.
All the talk about healthy railroa,
competition is fraud. There is n,
hope for the reduction of the toll
exacted by the highways except il
political regulation. Until the coun
try comes Co government OWNERSHIP
of its highways, the only hope of tn
property holders and producers is il
the Railroad Commissions. And tn
the only hope there is in getting me-
who are strong enough, bold enough
true enough to be independent of tn
brides and blandishments of railroa
magnates and overseers.
"HONESr MONET" AND "a sTRAIGH
FIGHT"
There is striking analogy in tn
| hiH6on nfiuos ,h;o h 49,.