The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-07-24

From the News and Observer.)

| gan, the Morning Post, denounclng
the News and Observer and pralslng
the Southern Railway. AS the praise
of the Southern is paid for by n
Southern officials it is self-laudatlon.
| AS its abuse of the News and Observer
is also paid for by Southern officials
we enter no protest against at. Inc
laborer is worthy of his hire
The ~pretense seized upon by the
Southern Railways organ for its
praise and denunciation. was this
item that appeared in the local cob
umns of the News and Observer on
Thursday morning:
Zone year e h three great rail
way systems of the State paid not one
penny of taxes into the public treas
ury."
As soon as we discovered this error
| the News and Observer stated that
| what it intended to say was this:
Zone wear ago the three great rail-
way systems of the State paid not one
penny of taxes into the public treas
ury on the ten million dollars addi-
tional assessment made by the Corpo-
ration Commission
And that is the truth. These raii-
roads in 1899, by the grace Of Federal
Judge Simonton, who arrogated to
himself the right to assess railroad
| property of North Carolina, did lot
| pay a cent of taxes into the public
| treasury on the additional ten mill
lion dollars assessed by the State
Corporation Commission, the only
body authorized to assess railroads
for taxation.
The Post says that the Southern
Railway paid last year $116,215.76 for
State, county, municipal and other
taxes. In presenting these figures,
furnished by a Southern Railway Off
cial, the Post presents them with a
gusto as if they met the two
charges which taxpayers make
and which they intend to keep on
making until t~aN-dodging and Federal
usurpation are at an end:
j. That the three great systems of
railways in North Carolina do not
pay one cent of taxes into the treas
ury on the $4,000, 900 increased as
sessment made by the Corporation
Commission, but pay on an admitted
differentiation made by the Fusion
Railroad Commissioners.
?. That they are enabled to carry
out this taN-dodging because Of the
usurpation of power by Judge Simon
ton of the Federal bench, who has
given North Carolina a dose of "gov-
eminent by Injunction" which in W.
years has given the Southern Railway
alone $36,592 per year-about enough
to keep the Morning Post organ grind
ing out it's monopoly tunes.
In round figures the railroad prop
erty in North Carolina is assessed at
forty-two millions. One hundred mil
lion dollars in gold would not buy all
the railroad property in North Caro-
lima. According to the reports made
by the railroads themselves they
earned, after expenses including the
publication of the Morning Post or
gan, six per cent net upon SOC, 100000,
and yet when the Corporation Com
mission makes an assessment Of only
$40, OOO, 900 they rush to Judge ST.
monitor and get out an injunction and
dodge paying tax on one-fourth Of
the assessed value of their property.
And when the News and Observer
prints these facts and figures, and, in
H. .,41, H. NJ, C4~4> I'D
national Platforms, d~enounces gov
eminent by ~injunction," the Southern
Railway employees use their Morning
Post organ to say the time has pass
ed' when such an independent jour
nal as the News and Observer s'can
be sustained by the honest and in
telligent people in North Carolina"
When the time comes that the people
sustain such a corporation and mo-
nopoly organ as the Morning Post, it
will be a sad day for the State, for
it will indicate that the people are
ready to wear the collar of a political
taN-dodging corporation.
AS the Southern organ gave no fig
ures except from the Southern Rail-
way, we will show the taxpayers how
Simonton has made a present annu-
ally of $4,000 to the Southern Rail
way. Here are the figures:
The full amount Of tax paid by the
Southern Railway in 1899 in North
Carolina was $116,215.76. The amount
they would have paid but for Simon
tons injunction was 1852, 7OS-a diff
ference of $50, 592. 33-fuliy enough to
print the Morning Post to denounce
everybody that opposes t~aN-dodging.
Simonton has issued another i%njunc-
ton against the 1900 assessment, thus
giving the Southern another $50, 592. 33
making $73,1S4.66 in two years upon
which it can run it's organ and do
several "other things t. make pub
lie sentiment.
'ul6c o. Vlcc AInr glueI