The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-07-26
COMPLAINTS NUMEROUS
THE COMMISSION INVEST IGAT-
ING THEM.
A FINAL HfA'IN MKT SATURDAY
The Seoboard Air Line Comm nded for The
ExceI,nt Manner IN Which it is
Carrying u, III, SEPARATE
Car Law,
Car Law.

The Southern bit off Il '-big chaw
when it set out to make the jim Crow
Car unpopular. by running it for the
comfort and advantage OF the negro ana
TO the sore discomfort and dsadvan-
tage of its white patrons.
Seeing that it had to come to the
corn on this matter il should have done
50 gracefully, like the Seaboard Air
Line and Coast Line have done.
But no, it set out to put the law into
execution i'll the most Objectionable
manner possible. Result: a loss OF
business to and from competitive points
and jacking-up before the Corporation
Commission.
Complaints against the Southern $
manner of carrying out the law have
become so frequent and so loud that they
could no longer he ignored and the
Commission ordered the officials of the
road to appear and make'answer to them.
Mr.. Henry Miller Col. Andrews private
secretary, and Mr.. L. II. Busbee, attor-
ney, appeared.
The only formal complaint before the
Commission was preferred by Mr.. NJ.
l.. Gable. of Reidsyille.
The principal answer made to this was
abuse of the petitioner. Mr. Miller said
Cable was very troublesome indiv'd-
ual" always ''meddling with the affairs
of others" He read Il letter from Vice
President Cannon. of the Southern, re-
citing the fact that Cable had once
been in the employ of the road and then
and since had brought several suits
against it in which he had been award
ed damages. He ended by discriminating
Cable a "blackmailer and very unreiia
BILE person."
This letter Mr.. Miller kept saying he
did not care to file it with the Commits
sion* He denied the charges in Cables
complaint.
Mr. Busbce followed in a few remarks
much to the same effect. Gable. he
said, was discharged empioye and had
obtained damages more than once on
''trumped-up claims of injury from the
railroad.
The first case he said was while Gable
was a conductor. He claimed to have
fallen from a broken ladder and been
road 500. Later he was hit in the
back while coupling Il car and got SSG0
from the railroad and 81 900 from an
insurance company for total disability.
Still later he jumped from Il moving
train, claimed to be hurt and was given
81 800. He did NOT think the complaint
of such Il man was worthy of beng
given serious attention.
Chairman Mcneil reminded MesSrS.
Miller and Busbee that they were not
there to answer that particular charge,
but TO confer with the Commission n
regard to the general improvement Of
the roads service i'll connection with the
use Of separate cars for the races.
There are many COMPLAINTS Oh your
lines of the manner in which yon are
carrying out this law. We simply want
a conference with YOU and 10 ascertaIt
if you are willing to remedy he t'ou-
ble."
Mr.. Miller said he didn't think there
was any general complaint. that 50 far
as he was able to ascertain the com
plants had originated with he newspa
pers.
"No." replied Mr.. Mcneil, they have
not. a large number of complaints have
cope UP 10 us informally
Then Mr.. Miller shifted his defense
by saying that the complaint was of
the division in the car. which he said
law. e@k " Z
Mr.. McNeill-"No it's not that Is
simply that you don't furnish adequate
accommodations"
This Mr.. Miller contcndeI couisi not
he so: that he had ridden on the South
ern's trains several times recently AMI
he'd never had any trouble getting IL
seat.
Mr.. Mcneil 1--we ridden on them
too and I've found that people with
first-cass tickets have nal t. 20 into
the second class car TO- u scat
Mr.. Miller-"That must have been on
Saturday when we have heavy travel"
Mr.. McNeiIl-''No j; is sometimes on
Monday
Mr. Mllcr-"Oh well that is another
day we have heavy travel"
Mr.. Beddingfield-"Then yon ought to
have accommodations sufficient COR that
heavy travel
Chairman Mcneil called attention to
the very excellent and satisfactory man
ner in which the Seaboard is carving
our this law.
Yes" said Mr. Miller. "and the Sea-
beard does not furnish as good acconmo-
dations for the colored passengers as il
does for the white passengers. AMI. for
this | understand a civil suit for dam
ages will he brought against it,"
Mr.. Miller then proceeded 10 detail his
woe because Of he fact that the negro
wasn't getting as good accommodations
on the Seaboard as tho White man gets
''Now on our road" he added. she
gets the long end of the rope His
accommodations are equal TO those Of
the white man. We have III least TWEEN
ty-fve letters from colorad people com
mending r> for the mlunnr in which we
carry out the separate car law
Continuing along this line. Mr.. Miller
said:
I'D sooner have Negro sitting by
me than great many white people.
He then said the compliant was main