The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-01-26
WHY wilson's HERE DEPOStD
The Governor Transmits To the
Legislature His Reasons.
NO NAMES ARE GIVEN.
Claims the Wilson's Received Fasors of .
Substantial Chzrsster From the Soufhern
Railway.

The following is the text Of Gov.
ernor Russeil's message, transmitting
to the Legislature the evidence upon
which he dismissed the Wilson's from
the railroad commission:
To che Senate cad H7pss Of Repre- l.
taJvss:
By tue railroad commission acs Of
1891 it is provided that it shall be the
duty of the Governor to suspend from
Office any railroad commissioner fsa1
shall become the holder of any stock
or bond of any railroad company, or
who shall have any interest in any
way III such company 1t is further
directed by said act that the Governor
shall suspend any commissioner iu
case he shall become disqualified to
act The scope, intent and policy of
this act manifestly are to secure on the
part of these railroad commissioners
absolute Independence OF the railroad
corporations over which they are en-
trusted with such important powers.
These commissioners were to pass
judgement upon complaints against
railroads, to fix rates upon their traffic
to assess their great properties for
taxation, and thus exercise powers vi
tally important to these corporations,
and so the law said in advance that q
commissioner should not hold a share
of stock in any railroad company. It's
words are broad enough (although per-
haps not so intended) to prohibit him
from holding worthless share cf
stock in an insolvent railroad in for
eign country. Then the law goes fur
ther and prohibits him from acquiring
any interest in any way in such a
company. Then it provides that if he
does any of these things, he shall be
suspended. Then it goes further, aud
directs that if he shall become dis
qualified to act, lie shall be suspended.
This last provision l construe to mean
that he shall be suspended if, in tho
opinion of the Governor, he become es
for any reason disqualified to act
Says the law, after enumerating vari-
GUS prohibited interests, such as stocks
and bonds, che shall not have anv in
tersst in any railroad company in any
way" This [ understand to mean that t
he shall not enter into contracts with
| them; that he shall not make money
out OF them. or seek to make it; that
| he shall not make transactions with
| them for his pecuniary benefit or ad-
| vantage. Indeed it amounts to q pro-
| hibition against his having any deal
| ings with them, except those which are
open to the general public, such as
| buying tickets, or sending freights OF
regular rates. He cannot enter into 6
contract to furnish iron or cross ties.
OF other supplies. He cannot make q
! contract with the company whereby
the company is to furnish him anything 8
of value at an agreed price, such as an
| agreement to run a sidetrack to his mill
or mine, or to sell him land, or iron,
| or goods of any sort. In word, ht
must have no pecuniary transactions
with these corporations, except such al
he is entitled to as q member of the
| general public. This is my under
| standing and construction of the stat
ute. If it is not correct, then we b ave
this reductio ad absurdum; that tn,
Legislature undertakes to require tha
railroad commissioners shall be fre,
from all interests in railroad companies
that they shall be disinterested and in
dependent, and for this purpose goe
to the extent of saying that they shal
not own even one share of WORTHLESS
stock in any railroad, no matter whsr
it may be, and Notwithstanding all thi
caution it permits them to enter int,
transactions with these railroads fo
their own benefit or for their pecuni
ary advantage, and to place their owl
fortunes in the power of these corpora
tlons.
Applying these principles to the cas-
in hand, and obtaining such inform a
ton as was svailable, not having tn
power to send for persons or papers
or to examine witnesses, or to take de
positions, or to obtain evidence by an
judicial or quasi judicial method, bu
acting upon the best information OF
tainable, I reached the conclusion tha
Mr.. S. Ohio Wilson should be sus
pended upon facts which seem to b
substantially as follows:
l. He leased for three years tn
Round Knob Hotel from Col. A. E
Andrews and Major James W. Wilson
He said that he leased the property fo
his mother. The information, circun
J stancial and positive, convinced m
J that while he may have nominally lea,
: ed it in her name, he was the only re.
party in interest; that the lease was fo
: his benefit, and that the profits we,
, to go to him; that he used the propsrt
! as his own, and that, while his meth
3 er's name may have been mentioned i
!. the matter, he was the real and onl
genuine lessee.
2, That the lease of the hotel wa
,, with the understanding that the raj
road company should abandon its ca
, | ing houses at Hickory and Ashsvill,
and to give the benefit of its patronae
to Round Knob, and but for this col
tract with the railroad company, NJ
l =,
= the hotel.
q 8. It appears, from the informatio
9 before me, that favors of q very sui
0 stantial character were extended by tt
e railroad company for the benefit of III
9 Wilson's hotel.
o In regard to J. W. Wilson, the fac
= seem to be:
= 1. He was a member of the railros
% commission.
!. 2. He was mortgaged to COL Al
= drews in large sum, to wit: Sc. 90
which. it was alleged, he was unab
a to pay.
g 3. Col. Andrews was manager of ii
: Southern Railway III the State of No
0 Carolina, and the first vice presidel
h of the corporation.
Is 4. lie, J. ". Wilson, was also pa
e owner of the Round Knob Hotel, whil
. was located on the line of the Soutl
n ern Railway, in North Carolina, al
= was valueless as hotel property III
q less it was patroniZel by the railro,
e company IS an eating house.
1t 5. The Round Knob Hotel had be'
: discontinued as an eating house for
number of years prior to the leasing
d the same to s. Ohio Wilson, also
10 member of the railroad commissic
F When the said Round Knob Hotel "
q, closed as an eating house, railroad es
g ing houses were established. one
u Hickory. on the east; another at Ash
% vile, on the west of Round Knob. Co
n temporaneous with the reopeniDg
, the Round Knob Hotel IS ga eatil
d house, during the year 1896. the eati
Of houses at Asheville and Hickory we
y discontinued.
Q The lease of the Round Knob Ho
4 l. H.