The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-05-13
The Russell Clark Correspondence.

matter they must settle between lhCn2.
The Russell Clark Correspondence.
On receiving the last named letter. my
friend. the Hon. Mr.. Lacy. called on Mr..
Busbee who gave him copies OF the cor
resDonfence but could not give an in
s~pection of the originals as the attorney
OF the r r. system. Capt. W. H. Day,
had carried them of in his pocket. On
his return yesterday. the originals We're
inspected and compared with the copies
and the following certificates to the fol
lowing correspondence given:
This contains all the letters l have
ever had or seen written by Clark 10
Russell. w. II. DAY
Al your request Lacy's) glance over
the letters which Mr.. Day delivers and
they are all the letters and papers Of
which | have ever seen or OF which |
have any knowledge.
"F. H. BUSBFE."
Having thus the certificate of both
these great railway systems, through
| their eminent and distinguished counsel.
the letters will now be printed. Thcy con
| sist of six letters. notes OF memoranda,
Lesides two which are wholly typCwrit-
ten. unsigned. undated, and With moth
inc in any way TO connect me With
| them and which | do not remember 10
have seen before, and a draft form in
Typewriter Of Governor RuSSellS ORR
ginal draft of his or no
tice to show cause, to the Wilson's With
some half dozen verbal or grammatical
| changes made therein by me. This sum
mons was not used, a different one hav-
ing been in fact issued to them by Gov
ernor Russell. 1t is hardly credible, but
it is true. that THESE hall dozen verbal
changes, in an unused is the
sole basis for the charge that | prepared
the papers for the Wilson trial before
Governor Russell.
The following are the six letters or
memoranda which constitute that much
talked-of
CLARK-RUSSELL CORRESPONDENCE.
LETTER NC. /.
Ny Dear Governor:
l enclose Ed. stating on Mr.. Pages au-
! thority that his road cost $3.50, 600 and
has been "a good paying road from the
beginning"
On p. 8 R. r. Com. Report, 1896, you
will see that this road costing $500, 600
and paying we'll is rated for taxation at
! $1l3 600 only. On p. 323 Of same you will
find that the general officers" are Page
and his three sons, tut they att-'a to
saw mill. etc, so that in fact Henry Page
is practically sole officer. On next page
(324) the debt IS put at $50, 900. On page
326 gross earnings $51, 059 which is nearly
80 per cent on tax valuation. This is re-
duced you will see on p 321 by charging
m new ears, bu .ldings, etc, to operating
expenses and salaries general officers
SIS, 500" (p. 32S), on a 40 miles Road and
an unexplained addl. item general eX-
penses' $S,S37. On page 800, you will see
that cost of general officers" Cthe fami-
ly) is one-third total salaries. You Will
/ see on same page low rates paid his men
i. e. engineers $50, etc.
4 IN News and Oh. July IS you will see
II. A. Pages speech that his tax value
was high enough and in two other num-
bers,are letters of his attacking you and
me for meddling with tax valuation ard
rates.
These Nos. are in st. Library, but
can give you reference to dates, If you
wish to re-read them.
| enclose you letter showing j. II. Pear
son is willing. | also am in receipt of
letters from leading Democrats endors-
ing the suspension of two Railroad Com
! missioners. Return me Ptarson's letter.
Yours.
w. C.
Governor Russell had then recently in
some proceeding before Railroad Com
missiOners complained that the railroads
were not paying their fair share of
taxes, thus throwing the burdens of a
heavier taxation on other Taxpayers.
Mr.. Page had replied in newspaper ar
ticles assailing the Gos position
and Juggling me in because of my views
on the same subject as stated probably in
some magazine article or speech. The
above is an undated memorandum to
Governor Russell. referring to the joint
attack on us, and giving data from Mr..
Pages own returns in the Railroad Com
; mission report.
The points that struck Page, and still
strike him yet, is that his railroad
| property was grossly undervalued for tax
I alton and that he was paying his en-
ployes much less than other railroads..
Hence his recent pamphlet. Had he
saved the money he has spent on them
and what he invested in the Mckinley
campaign fund and put the same into
reasonable wages for his employees and
the purchase of proper appliances for his
trains he would not now be so pressed
to pick out judges. who shall relieve him
from paying damages when passengers
or employees may be killed or injured
by negligence in operating his road.
The reference to Pearson's letter is,
to a letter (Which l still have) from Col.
w. S. Pearson. a lawyer whom I we'll
knew (and who was a candidate for Audi
tor before the Democratic Convention,
and a Bryan and Stevenson elector from
the Eighth district in 1900) saying, if a
Democrat was appointed he would like
for his brother, John H. Pearson to be
named. l knew John H. Pearson very
| slightly and as he states in his recent
card. | am sure | had no correspondence
with him before his appointment. On
the above slight reference, the whole
allegation that | had him appointed is
based. though it would have been a
credit to me if | had. for he made a
most excellent commissioner. We have
had none better.
LETTER NO. 2.
"Whatever thou dost, do quickly'-ere
they have wit enough to (nominally)~