The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-07-08
MR.. TOMPKINS' FOURTH OF
JULY GRAFTON.

WI. IL. n. IOIHpklnS, OF CnarlOIJe, ndue
very interesting Fourth of July speech
in Gastonia. He showed how up to 1910
the South led in manufacturing, but that
gradually slave labor made agriculture
the South's principal industry. He point
ed out, now that reconstruction and it's
horrors have passed. the South is again
becoming a fiourishing manufacturing
section. He presented Gastonia as an
object lesson of what the South can do
and has done in creating prosperous
manufacturing Industries. 1t was fine
concrete example. Mr.. Tompkins then de-
clared that There can be no competition
between manufacture, agriculture and
commerce." In the early celebrations of
the Fourth of July there was always a
toast to the trinity in our national prog
ress-agriculture, commerce and manu-
features. 1t would be we'll if that toast
were revived to the end at least that
the attention of our law makers should
not discriminate against one for the
benefit of the other.
Toward the close of his otherwise inter
esting and instructive address, Mr.
Tompkins made certain observations with
which all will not agree. We quote from
his speech
"Our long training as an agricultural
people has brought to us a certain
abiding degree of prejudice against man
ufactures and commerce. The manufac-
turer is looked upon with too much sus-
'pcion. The railroads, our chief instru-
ments of commerce, are treated too much
as common enemies"
This is a serious indictment of the
sanity of the people of North Carolina,
and it is to be regretted that Mr. Temp
kins did not go into particulars so that
his hearers might decide for themselves
whether manufactures and commerce arc
looked upon with too much suspicion and
railroads treated too much as common
enemies" If this indictment is correct,
North Carolina is not the State of fair
minded and conservative citizenship with
which it has always been credited. When,
where and by whom are manufactures
and commerce looked upon with too much
Suspicion" Instead, every town and COM
munity has exerted itself to secure the
location of factories and the establish
ment of large business enterprises. They
are given every encouragement and leg
islative privilege, are taxed less than
in any other manufacturing State in the
Union, and treated as benefactors who
are helping to build up the State. That
is the spirit of North Carolinians, as
seen IN its newspapers, in the utterances
of public men and private citizens, and
in it's statute. books. ta-
Where is the evidence that railroads
are treated as common enemies?P 1t
cannot be found in the liberal charters
granted to railroads, for they are as
broad as anybody asks. 1t cannot be
found by examining the rates charged
for passengers and for freight-they are
1t cannot be found from the tax books
the railroads are assessed for taxation
at not more than one-half of the actual
cash selling price. 1t cannot be found
in the courts, for fair treatment is adj
ministered by judges and juries. In what
way. then. do the people treat the rail-
A Of
particulars, with proof, ought to follow
so sweeping an indictment of the major
ity of the people of this great State.
Mr.. Tompkins then takes a 'swipe"
at the politicians, saying:
Everybody admits the value to COM
munity of manufactures and good trans
portation facilities for commerce. 1t
would seem natural that the representa-
tives of these should be invited into the
counsels of the government. But our
politicians, claiming to represent the
farmers of the State who are in ma
jority, set it UP as offense if it is sug-
gested that a manufacturer be put in
position to take hand in the law MAX
ing of the State. This is the more in
COMPREHENSIVE when it is considered
that these politicians are rarely them
selves farmers, nor are they in position
to do the farmers approximately the
benefit that they derive from the manu-
facturer. They simply lead the majority
into an attitude of antagonism against
minority element, the benefits of whose
works everybody admits
If Mr. Tompkins will read the roster
of the last General Assembly, if he will
famliarize himself better with what
goes on in the State, he will not declare
that "our politicians set it up as an
offense if it is suggested that manufac-
turer be put in position to take a hand
in the law making of the State" The
reason why there are not more manu-
facturers in the General Assembly is one
and one only: they are so engrossed in
business that they will not take the time
to thus serve their State. The Demo-