The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-01-14
FRIDAY. JANUARY A. 1898,
REPUTATION IN NORTH CAROLINA


communication from Mr.. a. S Lanler
in which ne undertakes TO show that The
Times has done the people OF North Caro-
lima an injustice in commenting on at
tempts that have been made in some
parts Of the state to ropudiate town and
county obligations.
We wish TO say in the start that Mr..
Lanier has no higher or more aGcctionate
regard for the people Of North Carolina
than The Times has. and we have in the
several articles that We have written.
invariably saved the point that the people
of the Old North state are much better
than the action which we criticised would
seem TO indicate.
Mr. Lanicr refers to one particular case,
the oxford case, TO which we referred
only incidentally. never having mentioned
the town Of oxford by name. but simply
saying in a general way that it was re-
ported that an attempt would be made TO
Yepudiate the bonds voted to the Durham
ana Northern railroad.
BNt ltA us HUN TUT u iNNih'NN fAN NtiN
oxford case. According 20 Mr.. Laniers
own admission. the people voted $4,000 m
bonds to the Durham and Northern road.
but a. there was opposition, compromise
was effected through the courts on basis
of $4,000 This matter had been settled
before the bonds were purchased and. TO
show IT'S good faith, the town of oxford
paid the coupons first matured.
Whether or not oxford did get what it
expected to get from the railroad is q
matter 20 Doc determined between itself
and the railroad But to take advantage
OF technicality 10 ropudiate its obliga-
tions which had fallen into the hands Of
innocent purchasers cannot Ice justified
by any code Of morals with which we are
familiar. The bonds were not issued upon
any such conditions. and If the town
made bad bargain 90 should stand 10y il
and not make innocent parties suffer for
its own mistake. The honest man. as
the Scripture portrays him. is "he that
sweareth TO his own hurt and changeth
not"
our correspondent further says that he
apprehends that most of the cases 10
which we referred in the editorial discus
sion bear a great similarity 20 the one
which he notes. quite SO. They are on
all fours TO this extent. that the bonds
were voted by popular election for the
purpose OF aiding I'm the construction Of
certain railroads and after the roads
were built. advantage was taken OF a
technicality to ropudiate the obligation.
In the Stanly county case the plea was
put in 10y some Of the apologists that the
road was not built according to agree
ment, and again that the county did not
receive stock In exchange for It's bonds as
promised. But upon investigation 1t was
ascertainod that neither statement was
true: that the road was built and the
stock delivered IN accordance with the
contract. and. so far as We can ascer-
tain, the same is true with reference TO
the wilkes county subscription and the
Bnncombo county subscription. so that
those counties have not even the poor eX-
cuse that is offered by the oxford people
that they did not receive what they bar
gained for
There is absolutely no line OF defence
40 far as We can see from our reading Of
the North Carolina papers, and the fact
that four attempts have now been made
IN different sections Of that State to re-
pudiate obligations OF the character
named will undoubtedly AFFECT most seri-
ously not only the good name, but the
credit OF the state II IL. in our opinion
one OF the most serious blows that that
great and grand State has received since
the war.
our correspondent does not believe that
these attempts at reputation were due In
any measure TO p0puisuc influence.
That Of course. IS mere matter OF opin-
ion with him ~ II is with us but 1t seems
20 us a perfectly fair and logical conclu-
sion. Under the leadership OF Butler and
Russell and other men OF that stripe the
people have been taught that corporations
are without principle and the enemies
Of mankind. The people have been made
20 believe that the hard times have been
due largely 10 the tyranny Of organized