The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-03-20

| be breathed, as if he should be freer
| from attack than other men; as If he
| were aught more than arms and legs
| and trunk as other men. He has work
/ ed for his salary and for his railroad
| crowd. and has been impatient if men
! dared to defy him. The State and the
| Democracy of the State has been with
! ing under this man for years. His hand
| has no place in meddling with the laws
! the people desire to put upon the statue
/ books. unless he pursue his ways after
| the manner of other men. If it be true
| that he took two Senators into his office
or one and bade them by hope of re-
ward TO do his bidding, beholding after
| ward their votes with satisfaction. he is
i guilty of crime by the side of which
the negro question grows less threaten
| ing in aspect. Why don't this man keep
out of the politics of this State any
way? Why don't he attend to his rail
road business, or is he employed to at
tend to politics and not to railroad bust
ness: AS an individual opinion, this
amounts to nothing, but only as repre-
Senting the consensus of many opinions
of many men in this State. This pa
tient folk have stood by and sem
their Democracy so cOlored by
the opinions and forces of
this man. that, fOrsooth, men
began to doubt if Democracy meant the
people. God knows something was
matchmaking less than the enthusi-
assn and intent of Jefferson's spirit put
| in the flesh of Bryan. Vance resisted
him: more men have done so; the resist
ing spirit came slowly: it has almost ar
! rived in good shape by now: il will hard
ly be supposed that Vice President An
drews would deny this. | am talking of
Vice-President Andrews because in that
capacity, only, does he come officially in
contact with the people. Colonel An
drews is another matter-that part Of the
man does not enter, at least, in a discus
sion of his public acts. 1t is one Of the
most wholesome advances made for a
long time by the people this coming to
know the danger involved in this great
Southern system and the determination
to apply all possible remedies. Men had
become so used to many Courteous
things on the part of the railroad that
they would doubtless pass over the
courtesy" of Judge Simonton riding in
the private-car of Vice President An
drews. 1t WAS crime against decency,
and whether or not justly, Judge Sim
onton by that act lessened in him
self the confidence of great
part of this people. This may
be contempt: / hope not: it
is meant for the truth and nothing
more. without malice. with a conviction
only that what is said is toward a
healthier understanding of the principles
of Democracy as Jefferson saw them.
Standing on that basis, if it be contempt
TO Judge Simonton, or too plain speaking
for Vice-President Andrews, I do not
care. The Democracy of the State can
never again be pure and strong until the
hand of this man Andrews be flung
aside and with force and
resentment. 1t is good
thing for the party that he voted for Ne
Kinley; that is something gained; he IS
that much further from the Democratic
party and, therefore, has that much less
business meddling in it's councils. For
the good of the future of the party his
influence cannot be too narrowly watch
ed. Although he voted for Mckinley. i'll
may not take a seer to discern his adroit
agencies at work during the formativaI
stages of the Democratic State conven-
ton.
And this brings me to one of the
anomalies which have come into exist
tence under the new railroad corporation
order of things in America. Behold
public conscience that is no longer agi-
tated over United States Senators being
openly retained by great syndicates-
and railroads and other corporations.
The public did not know it, but the
press gallery knew that C. Z. Hunting
tpIl of too ~
the peoples national capitol building
while almost within ear shot in the Sen.
ate chamber Mr.. Frye plead for Hunt
ington's Pacific Coast harbOr scheme.
Mr.. Frye opening his speech found it
necessary to say that no money had col.
ruptly found its way into his pants
pocket. These railroad mas nates sit
around Senate chambers for no purpose
good to the people. But this aside this
retaining habit of the lawyers has
done muth 10 debauch public spirit IA
we'll rs HE aigh ideals that once had
their pace in the legal profession. One
could not truthfully say that many rail.
road attorneys were not conscientious
in trying to keep apart their personal
opinions and their official duties; but
there are cases in this State where
small attorney of the Southern railway
in n small town is not content with
finishing up his cow-case and going
about his business as from the case
Of any other client. His whole horizon,
becomes suddenly colOred with the pur-
poses and policies of the Vice-President
Andrews. And this man in many eases
is blis.fully ignorant that he is bought
and paid for and owned. He carries
Southern Railway policies to church
and 10 the club, he sees new branches
and links and combinations in the smoke
of his post-prandial cigar. If it stopped
here. all right. But that same man
though advocating certain things only
because he is paid attorney, goes
further and gives to group of friends
his paid opinion a his own. He stands
well in the little town, is a man of
prominence in church and social circles,
and many are led by him believing that
he would be of the same opinion even
II he were not a part of the railway
system. 1t hardly seems possible for
any political organization with its mar
shalling of forces periodic only can with
stand the steady day to day work of
this State-hive of railroad attorneys
making honey while the DeoDle dream