The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-30
UP TO THE CORPORATION COM
MISSION.

Last week committee Of the first citi-
zens of Durham waited on Vice President
Andrews, of the Southern Railway, to
urge for the ten-thousandth time the
request of that growing city that a de-
cent passenger depot be erected. They
had previously waited on the authorities
Of the Norfolk and Western and the Sea-
board Air Line roads. Both had expressed
their readiness to unite with the Southern
in building a union depot in keeping with
Durham's other public buildings. What
was the answer Messrs. Watts, Fuller,
Glare and Guthrie received? Simply that
the Southern wouldn't even consider the
matter unless the city of Durham would
give to the Southern Railway, for its
99-year lease, a deed to Peabody street.
The question as to the ownership of
Peabody street has been in litigation for
Durham to deed that street to any rail-
road, and when Vice President Andrews
made such a gift a condition precedent
to giving Durham a decent depot he said
in action what Vanderbilt said in words:
THE public be id"
1t is worse than idle for the people of
present any more reasons, to send any
more delegations to the authorities of the
Southern Railway. For twenty years
they have been asking for decent treat
ment. Though their business is greater
than any point on the road, the authori-
ties of the Southern do not afford them
any better accommodations than are
given to Morrisville or Efland. Pressed
into corner and shown that they have
no valid argument to offer for denying
the reasonable demand of the people of
Durham the authorities reply: "You will
get no decent depot until you give us a
deed to property worth hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars-to property that Dur
hams every interest demands should not
pass into private ownership.
Has Durham no redress? Must a city
of IL, 900 inhabitants put up with the little
shanty no larger than existed before
Buck Blackwell, julie Carr and Wash
Duke began the manufacture of bright
tobacco? Have the public no rights which
the Southern Railway is bound to re-
spect?
The remedy is easy. Let the people of
Durham quit warming their heels in the
ante rooms of railroad insolence, let
them quit saying please give us depot,
let them quit throwing harmless missiles
at the boy in the apple tree. The time
has come to throw the stone that will
bring down the game. Let them invoke
the strong arm Of the law. Let them
officially, through their board of aldermen,
their chamber of commerce, tobacco board
of trade and other organizations that rep
resent the business and manufacturing
poration Commission to order the three
railways that enter Durham to build a
union depot in keeping with the business
and the growth of Durham. The Commits
sion will give them an immediate hear
ing. 1t will grant their just and rea-
sonable demand and order the high and
mighty Southern magnates to do what the
Norfolk and Western and Seaboard off,
Gals are ready to do without compulsion.
If the Corporation Commission lacks full
and complete authority or if they cannot
impose sufficient penalty for failure to
carry out heir orders, the General AS
sembly meets Wednesday of next week,
and it will grant any additional legisla-
ton needed.
Durham is entitled to a modern union
depot and is entitled to have it built in
the year 1908. 1t is entitled to have it
without buying it and paying for it by
giving to one of the roads deed to
enc of it's most important streets. 1t is
entitled to it, it can get it, and 1t can
have it completed by January 1st, 1904, if
it's people will resort to the lawful au-
thorities and compel the high and mighty
Southern Railway magnates to understand
that While Vanderbilt may say "The peo-
pie be id" in New York. no individual
or corporation is great enough to over
ride the just demands of the people OF
o,y community in North Carolina