The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-13
. WISE GEORGIAN'S VIEW OF
RAILROADS.

When HOn w. j. Mortimer was gov
| ernor of Georgia he impressed us as a
particularly practical, sagacious and
judicious public official. He evidently
carried around a head we'll supplied
with good common-sense. Since his
term of office expired we have seen
from him now inc then some express
sion of opinion that revealed h same
practical turn and sound judgment,
and showed that he had lost no inter-
est in the progress of Georgia and the
general welfare Of the south. In a re-
cent paper he wrote for the Baltimore
Manufacturers Record he takes a SEN
sible, fair view Of a subject often
twisted and misapplied. He writes in
diligently and fairly of the railroads
and the people, and shows how they
should work together in harmony, in
the interest Of both, with a spirit and
policy neither unkind nor antagoniz-
ing. Governor Northen we'll under
stands the baleful, dangerous power Of
trusts and other combinations against
the interests of the people. He sees the
evils clearly and says plainly that the
people do we'll to use all lawful and eff
fective means to defeat and destroy
trusts of this kind. Such business con-
dition, however, does not at all argue
hat all combinations of capital are
made to Cypress the people n exact
%exorbitant and undue amounts for SER
vice."
While some railroads in this country
have been badly managed, even ras-
cally and. oppressively managed, rob-
bling and wronging trusting stockhold-
ers, for which they should be severely
and promptly dealt with by the leg
islatures of the states and by the
courts, there are others that are man
aged with proper regard for the in
! terests of private stockholders and the
communities at large through which
they operate. We know. a great rail-
way hat used the dividends of pri-
vate stockholders for a term of years,
but honorably and justly, when its af-
fairs had got into a healthful condi-
| ton, restored every dollar thus used
and all accommodating interest. We
| know another railroad that ruthlessly
seizes and misapplies every dollar of
the private stockholders dividends
and never returns a penny. Both oper-
ate in North Carolina. We call the
attention of the railroad commission to
this statement. But let u hear from
the clear-headed Georgian. Ex-Govern-
or Northen says.
Not many individual citizens can
! build railroads of much commercial
/ advantage. Corporations are simply ag-
| gregations of citizens, who undertake
to serve the public in such capacities
as can be only reached by a union of
forces. We must have long lines of
railway, either under one management,
| or practically so; otherwise, We can
; not control market opportunities nor
the c~onveniences of personal travel"
No one can gainsay that. A great
benefit is conferred when men with
| money build a railroad developing thus
a section&nd making travel and trans
port easy and swift. The south today
absolutely needs lots" of such help
and such railroad building. Governor
Northern writes:
There are now millions of money in
opportunities at the south, in mi
featuring and mining, as we'll as in ag-
riculture, that will be absolutely idle
until railroads are maintained for their
profitable utilization. Georgia, alone,
has unmeasured wealth in raw mate
ria now being utilized because of ac-
feasibility to markets by rail. . If
however, the railroads are to be con-
tinually harassed by exorbitant de-
mands for reduced and ruinous rates,
their resources for strength must be
depleted and the lines eventually
wrecked. This result will, inevitably,
bring relative ruin to every industry
the roads are now sustaining. It must
be accepted as a fact that the south
need not invite capital for investment,
whatever he opportunity for wealth,
If we do not. at The same time. GUAR