The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-20

Ibis friend. Colonel Holt. under date Of
May 10, 1902, telling him that 1.-THE point
that struck Page and still strikes him
yet is that his railroad property was
grossly u~ndervalued for taxation, and
that he was paying his employees much
less than other railroads. Hence his re-
cent pamphlet. Had he saved the money
lhe has spent on them (the p~amphlets)
land what ne invested an the Mckinley
i~canlpaign fund aid put the same into
reasonable wages for his employees n
the purchase OF proper appliances for
his rains he would not now be so press
ed to pick out judges who shall relieve
him from paying damage when pas
Isengers or employees may be killed or
injured by negligence IN operating his
road"
He can't forget the little cut. Those
lare the points" that struck Page, mark
you. Let US examine the point a little.
l want ito pick out judges who shall
Irelieve me Of damages" l believe I
mentioned the names OF Judge Sheperd
land Judge Common in my CORNER letter.
Are these the gentlemen against whom
CLARK brings this charge? 2nd- My road
was grossly undervalued. i do not think
$50; but I probably would not think so
liz 1t was SO. I beg to say that the rail-
Iroad commissioners have always valued
lit, not j. Moreover J have never asked
them to reduce their ,aluation, nor have
ever once objected to their figures.
They have seen the property and have
Isaid what they think Il is worth; Judge
CLARK has never seen it, I believe, but
Ihe thinks it is grossly undervalued-
Bird. 1 was n am paying employees
less than other roads They seem on
tented and happy, and / think they will
Isay they receive as much for their la
dor as any other railroad employees in
the state, for h same class of work.
4th. The roa is not equipped proper
hry - " boz h~1 f--~- I; -
THAN any other road in the state with
half our mileage; have the best unbal-
LASTED track in the state. among the
lclass of roads to which ours belongs.
In a corporate existence ~ thirteen
lyears we have never a a passenger
KILLED nor seriously Injured; and but
two employees killed. In all that time
we have had but one personal injury
lease before Judge Clark's court. We
have never a but one complaint of
ANY kind, lodged against US with the
railroad commission, and that one was
TOR failure to furnish cars in time Of a
lear famine. We have spent most of
THE money the road mas earned in ex-
tending the line, and developing h re-
sources OF Moore, Montgomery and
Randolph counties, and I am quite sure
the citizens of these three unit will
readily testify that the management of
1.-THE Page road" has been neither slow
lnor niggardly in it's cooperation with
Ievery movement tending to the better
iment Of the section.
9TH. One word, for Judge Clark's ben
left, as to how my money has been
spent. l personally paid the job office
lof the Charlotte Observer twenty sew
len ($2O dollars for printing the PAM
lphlet Judge Clark does not k The
Ionly money ever paid to any campaign
fund by the Page road, or any Of its
!owners, was during the white suprem-
lacy campaign of 1900, and those pay
Iments were as follows: 500 to Mi. w.
IC. Hammer. Asheboro, N. c.: $500 to
lMr. U. L. Spence, Carthage. N. c.; and
1890 to Mr.. C. T. Luther, Troy, N. c.
These contributions were solicited by
1.-THE gentlemen named, to De used in
helping to carry the three close counties
If Moore, Montgomery and Randolph
for Governor Aycock and the amend
ment. The high character of the gentle
men named is sufficient guarantee that
the money was properly used.
It is true, as charged by Judge Clark
: 81 t !*Ste 'eo5I SaE@ssnd d
1T6Yy; there was no secret SboEtSt moth
ling to destroy nor burn" andNI am
mot seeking a confessional yet. More
lover in 1896 I persuaded some tnlrty
lother democrats to do likewise. L was
lsurprised to find that the world did not
burst when I scratched the democratic
ticket. SO, while 1 greatly prefer TO
vote the democratic ticket entire and
|complete, I have fully determined tnat
I will never again vote for any man Oh
ANY ticket whom I believe to be unft
for the office, or whose moral character
lis not above ~reproacn. That may RUE
ort of democratic councils, but 1t
Icannct force me into any other party, |
NOR can l be prevented from voting the
democratic ticket when l want to. HaV-
ling SPOKEN thus plainly, l want TO say
I~A 80 rn nv nTTn VIEWS L
land intentions, and hat they do not ap-
Iply to any other man. / do not want
YOU, my lear Mr.. Daniels, to get me mix
ed up with my brOtherS-lt Is not Ialr
to them. AS you know l nave TOUR
three Of them associated with me IN the
MANAGEMENT of our little road l am
proud to say that I should esteem 1t an
honor to be mistaken for any one or
them, but We think and act each man
flor himself, and we differ In pontlcal
matters as in other things.
Now let me call your attention TO tne
lCiark-Russeu io;;cr No. Z. Permit a
suggestion. = 3. aSend w. c, Douglass
To-day to Solicitor Pou, iEfcIm him OF
what he heard of Page and have a Dill
VS.. Railroad sent for hauling frelght
one-half pr;ce Summon Page anG
freight agent there with his books, and
the party who's: goods we're haulec
free Cor half price,. He cannot re-
ItuSS 10 testify, - HS |
only the common carrier. A very
lutte trouble wiil get bill as to botn
iaDuye transactions n it is worth II.
Destroy after reading" Mi. Lacy says
of this letter. Unsigned and un-
Ioared." he does not mention the fact
THAT it is in Judge Clark's Handwriting.
tI am inclined 20 the view that the last
s~entenra. Destroy after reading,
Txhd.Id ne held to be the full signature
lie md This letter was certain
L. not c.to the gov |
ernoI's
iclaimS UNnftN
a sugg "SenUVW. c. I
Douglat Nv. c. Douglas was
the cou |the Aberdeen and Ashe-
sboro R5roa0 and in such capacity he
tearny that I lad moved some goods