The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-08

branch road that had been built some
thirty or forty miles in North Carolina,
and the cost of its building had been
borne principally by the people in his
community.
I'VE want more roads. We want this
bodybuilding to continue, and that is
why ! am hereto ask you to be careful
what you do in regard to this matter.
Il don't believe, with the people of
North Carolina in control, we ought to
have any such meeting as we've had
here this evening. / don't believe the
heads of any of these great corporations.
any private individual. ought ever to be
called on TO appear before Finance
Committee. 1t ought not to be done by
the introduction of a bill much less by its
threatened passage.
"All taxes must be equal and adj
valorem, says the Constitution. That
must be your guide. When you go be
yOnd that you are treading upon dam
gerous ground.
I'm sorry this bill was ever intro
duced. / had hoped this Legislature
would meet and adjourn without so
much as frightening n single individual
or business enterprise. This bill, il en-
acted into law, will work unreasonable
harm"
Maj. Guthrie, of Durham, represented
the Lynchburg and Durham branch of
the Norfolk and Western.
MY friend, Mr. Watson, and l were
sometimes together in 1885, he said.
I'm 1893 believe we were very often
together, and now we are entirely to-
gether.
HE says he's a sort of a cow-coroner
for the Roanoke and Southern Rail
road. I'm the same for the Lynchburg
and Durham.
There is such thing as putting in
the coulter too deep, and I'm afraid
when this Legislature adiourns you'll
find you've done that, so far as railroads
are concerned.
"There's a bill to require separate
waiting rooms. There's another bill for
separate cars. These bills will pass. and
they win impose additional burdens on
railroads. Then comes this bill. Ger
tainly the weak roads can't stand it,
and | doubt if the strong ones can.
Isn't it time to call a halt?
''If you impose these heavy burdens,
where's the encouragement to continue
the building of roads in North Caro-
lina?"
The last speaker was Mr.. +. II. Bus
bee for the Southern Railway.
Mr.. Busbee began by saying that the
tax was not in accordance with the let
ter or the spirit of the Constitution;
that there had been no discussion of
the question in the public press, and not
a single individual in the State was de-
handing it.
In Mcdowell, he said, the railroads
pay 90 per cent of the taxes: in Meek
lenburg, 10 per cent; in Johnston, "a
per cent; in Burke, % per cent.
The Southern Railway, he said. was
paying / per cent dividend on sos, 900
600 capital stock.
THE question just comes down to
this: Is raid upon railroad property
to be madeE Here you are talking
about increasing taxation, while the
Railroad Commissioners threaten to re-
duce fares. And all this in the name of
justice.
THE people haven't asked this; if they
have they've done so in ignorance. They
ask no burden to be put upon railroads
ut the expense Of justice"
lie said the people had no right to
complain, as they had lower rate of
taxation than in any other State in the
South.
Interference of this sort can result
only in evil and certainly in injustice.
This singing out of one class of property
for this attack is most painful and dis
appointing.
I'm the last campaign the business
interests of the State were aroused as