The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-24
c0NCORD's TROUBLES.
An Open Letter Full of Snap to the Corporation
Commission.

To the Editor: If you gentlemen can
find time TO give a little attention to tri-
angie in our district. or at least send
DR.. Abbott for the information Of your
over-worked tribunal, a small collection
of near ten thousand people in the most
moral and enterprising section of the
State will be much Obliged.
Concord desired several of the South
ems many passenger trains that pass
here at two different hours in the day,
to stop and let off or take on folks who
had disposition to change base a little
bit. To secure this and prevent the
trains from running over folks the town
fathers were invoked. And what they
did was a plenty to fetch Col. Andrews,
who seems to have something to do with
the Southerns affairs, to our midst and
hold public reception. / looked at that
man Col Andrews; the rest of us looked
at him-well, we were his'n. He worked
on us about his burdensome mail con-
tracts, the cost of stopping trains and
other things that make the Southern al
most an outraged overworked charitable
institution.
He said if we would compromise on
just No. 35 stopping when running ahead
of No. to let off passengers from the
Asheville section and the Raleigh Sec
ton, he would erect and present us an
electric alarm bell. When he said this
he caught the town board and the great
diplomat went away all but an uncrown-
ed king.
Now that electric bell sometimes rings
like the devil, train or no train, and gen.
araI w iC Gil n
nuisance, a snare, a failure, an Internal
machine For Gods sake delegate DR..
Abbott to implore Col. Andrews to take
his present back.
Soon after this electric bell hoodwink-
| ed us into a compromise, schedules
changed on the Asheville division.
| Leaving Salisbury coming south at
night the Southern runs the following
trains: No. leaves 1859. stops at Con-
cord No. 80 leaves S:2S, don't stop; No.
| 20 leaves S:53, don't STOP These passen-
ger trains going south within an hour
and No. dies in Charlotte, and No. %
steps at twenty-eight places in South
| Carolina where the Railroad Commits
sioners really commission. Mail con-
tracts don't cut any figure there.
You see what time the. above trains
| leave Salisbury; and, Notwithstanding
Col Andrews declared No. 35 could stoI
at Concord when ahead of No. to let
off passengers from Asheyille division
(see So page 4, of Southern Railway
time table,, the Southern Immediately
changed it's schedule on Asheville divis-
ion. The Asheville train arrives at
Salisbury at 1885, just seven minutes
after No. 80 leaves. And nine times out
of ten the Asheville train is too late to
| connect with No. 80. Within the last
month the Asheville train has reached
| Salisbury and dropped me down there
| for the night, three different times, just
four minutes after No. 20 left. Can't
your Commission make the Southern
cause decent connections at Salisbury foI
passengers holding tickets to points
south of Salisbury? If you can, please
do it; if you can't, please tell us why.
The morning train from Asheville does
| even worse.
| l know Col. Andrews can explain all
this. but we don't want explanations-it's
relief we want and desire.
Just take away that damnable electric
| bell and give us gates; give us decent
train connection to get out and get home
again and let the whirling splendors
with bar-room attachments, pass by
and tell the Southern Railroad to keeI
off the grass while Mr.. Caldwell is build
ing his railroad to Fayetteville, and we
; will continue doing things in Concord
building the best town. morally and
| financially, in North Carolina.
Some few curious journals impugn the
motives of men and officials, who try to
make corporations and companies dc
their duty, and express surprise at the
lack of love for the Southern's manage
ment; but mark you, if the public was
i soulless enough to treat the Southern
as the Southern treats the public, that
concern could then think it had rough
time.
Please, gentlemen, come down off your
high seats, or send us word you have
seen Col Andrews.
c. P. JAMES.
Concord, n c. Aug. %, 1902