The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-06
JOHN MILTON WORTH.

-
of God
DR.. John Milton Worth. who died in
Asheboro yesterday morning, had
lived long beyond the allotted three
score and ten years. and mp TO a few
months ago his strength Of mind and
body had permitted him 10 continue
in active direction of the enterprises
with which he was connected. lie
was born at Centre, in Guilford coun-
ty in 1911. and lived in Randolph from
his youth enjoying the fullest conf
dence of its people from his first pub
lie service to the day of his death.
He was of Quaker parentaee, descend
ed from the Friends who settled at
Nantucket early after the settlement
of Massachusetts. He ever had the
directness, integrity, simplicity and
thrift which characterize the Quakers.
He was not himself a member of the
Society of Friends, having in his
youth married outside the pale of the
church. BY the rules he was eXclud-
ed, but, as he loved to say to the MEM
bers of that church: You turned me
out of the Quaker church for marry
ing the woman loved, but you could
not turn the Quaker out of me-
DR.. Worth was cminently successful
in business. Beginning life without
fortune, by wise direction of large en-
terprises he became a man of wealth
every dollar of which was clean mon
ey which he never used except in
proper ways. He believed in the old
fashioned methods of industry and
economy, and looked with disfavor
upon the modern combinations of
wealth TO destroy competition. He
was a Democrat in the true sense of
that word, believing in the capacity of
the people for self government. He
was long in public life, he was a lead
er in many important measures upon
lie sentiment, but he never forfeited
the confidence of the people. He al
ways did what he thought was right
and gave his reasons to his consti-
tuents. They knew he trusted them
and they trusted him without ques-
tioning.
DR.. Worth was one of the members
of the famous Legislature that char
tered the North Carolina railroad;
with his brother he had contracts for
the construction of parts of the road
and constructed several important
plank roads before the era of steam;
he helped organize the Democratic
Conservative party in Randolph after
the war, and was Il member of the
Constitutional Convention of 1878: he
was State Treasurer from 1877 to
1885, and was the leader of the meas
ures that resulted in the satisfactory
settlement of the State debt; he was
one OF the syndicate that built the
Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Rail
road, having the foresight to dispose
Of his interest while it was yet pros
porous and profitable; he redeemed
his county in 1887 when it had lapsed
into Republcanism; and in 1896, when
others faltered, though too feeble to
go upon the stump, he wrote letters
for the press urging the people to
stand true to the faith he had preach
ed in his strength.
He was an upright and sincere man,
who illustrated the virtues of the best
type of the unaffected North CAROLYN
ian. He had no taste for parade and
despised pretense. He was slow to
make promises. He never broke one.
His life is an example to young men
of what may be accomplished by in
dustry, economy, integrity, thrift, and
business and political sense. He has
linked his name to important State
measures; caused many blades of
grass to grow where none grew be-
fore; set spindles in molion; given
employment to hundreds, and assist
ance and counsei to thousands; and
given to his family his county, his
party and his State "a devotion that
will cause his name long to be rev
cred in this good Commonwealth. 1T
is better to be than to seem,' fifty
tells his creed as it expresses the
motto of his State.