The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-04-15
RAN FROM TROUBLE
-------------.--- IA
Governor Gone to His Farm
in Disgust.
HIS STAR Is UNLUCkY
HAS HID GIVEN CAI.nWEl.l'S
PLACE TO GRAHAM?
REPUBLICANS THINK THAT He HAS
Caldwell Will Probably Come to Raleigh at
Once to Keep the New Man ftem
Taking Charge Of the
N1,na

II is generally believed that Governor
Russell has already rendered TO Johh
Graham, of Warren county, the chair-
,nansnip of the Railroad Commission
made vacant by his acceptance VI e"iu
wells resignation.
II is generally well understood that
Caldwell will resist and attempt to hold
the Mace. fighting the matter through
the courts.
He is expected to arrive here to-mor-
row or Sunday to prevent the Governor
and his new appointee stealing Il march
on him in his absence.
There is no doubt about it. The Gov
ernor is sick at heart with it all, ana he
has gone off to Wilmington to get away
from the clash and worry.
Ii the devil ever sat cross-legged for
an administration that's the attitude his
Satanic majecty is assuming toward the
present reign in North Carolina.
If Russell were well out of politics it's
to be doubted. with what he now knows,
whether he'd ever return. We're he
back in private life and away from thu
troubles that beset him. he'd more than
likely be coEtent to live the safe bal
ance of his years TN the privacy of his
New Hanover rice farm.
1t IS to be questioned. even at best.
the game is worth the candle. Certainly
it is not when there are penitentiary
scandals by the dozen, Hancock affairs
to burn. railroad fights to half win and
then surrender, boards of directors that
always insist on doing the wrong thing
and Railroad Commissioner that fiops
and falls around like a w;lted collard
every time you take your hand off him.
And yet this is only Il few of the
Governors troubles and they continue
to multiply and replenish the face of his
administration.
But there Is mo rest for the wicked
His Excellency must press on. It's too
late to turn back or fly to a rice-field
for safety.
His own friends are the ones that are
daily comprising his destruction. If
ever man had good reason TO pray. "Oh
Lord, deliver he from my friends, | can
take care of my enemies" that MAJ,
is Governor Russell.
1T is no secret that the recent Cald-
well resignation incident is now giving
the Governor more unadulterated trouble
than anything else and well it may
The Republican fus:onists have now
been in absolute control of the State
every department. of it-for nearly two
years. And what have they done to
signalze their administration? Wherein
is the State any better off; how have the
people been benefited?
Governor Russells hope was in the
railroad situation. or at least that is
what he said. The Railroad Commission
was to be his instrument for helping
the people; the political power of cor
porations was to he broken and rates
reduced. Along these lines. for awhile,
his Excellency developed IA wonderful
zeal. 1t was his dream by night ana
his ambition by day.
Then all of a sudden tire fire dies down.
the Governor, with characteristic yacil-
lation, gives up the lease hunt and
calls off his attorneys. Mind you, Cald-
well. agreeable to his wishes had already
voted to reduce passenger rates. Now
he asks them to restore the rates III
order to allow him to make the Atlantic
and North Carolina lease. The cas-.
IS re-opened for this purpose. But il
is not done. A second time Caldwell
votes for low rates, this time over the
Governors protest.
Then the Governor gives up in despair,
says he can't lease the Atlantic ana
North Carolina Railroad at any price
and declares the deal off
At this juncture Caldwell comes on
the stage again with a pompous letter
about the sanctity of his oath, his duty
as a judge, the law as laid down in
the Nebraska case. the fnsufficiency or
the evidence on which his two first
votes were cast. and-yotes to restore
the old rates. The motion prevails, DR..
Abbott voting with Caldwell and Pear
son against him.
In this letter also Caldwell rendered
his resignation. The Governor was mad,
mighty mad. He was advised to accept
it immediately. He declined to do so
on the ground that to do so without
allowing some time to intervene would
be putting Caldwell in an exceedingly
bad light; that the fire behind Caldwell
had been made so hot that now his
flop was sure TO be construed as n
selling out to the railroads for a price.
Immediate acceptance of the resigna-
fion. he said, would add color TO the
charge.
So ii was held up for n few DAYS
and before those few days elapsed Cald-
well withdrew it. The rest of the story
is fresh in the minds of the readers OF
this paper. 1t was contained in the cor.
respondence between the Governor and
Caldwell, printed in these columns Wed
nesday.
What the next development in this
remarkable performance will be no man
can guess-unless it he about time for
Caldwell TO flop" again. He will prob
ably be here tomorrow or Sunday and
it is just possible that by that time
he VIII change his mind again. either on
the rate question or the resignation ques-
ton.
Who knows?