The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-11
A MATTER OF RIGHT; NOT A
MATTER OF FAVOR.

Two incidents have recently occurred,
not even remotely connected with each
other, both teaching lesson of the
wrong conception of public rights, which
deserves to be considered by all thought
full people. They are
First, the arbitrary and revolutionary
closing of the postoffce at Indianola,
Miss. by President Roosevelt, and
Second, The contemptuous and bullying
refusal of the Southern Railway in North
| Carolina to permit Durham to have a
| decent depot.
| Both proceed upon the same theory, to-
J wit that postoffices and depots are mat
tiers of favor to communities, which may
be withheld or granted or denied at the
good pleasure of the president of the
United States or the manager of a rail-
road corporation.
Mr.. Roosevelt says, in effect: "'The
people of Indianola have no right to
postoffice accommodations. can shut
up their business, destroy the orderly
conduct of affairs, and, retard their COM
merce at my sweet pleasure. That town
Is at my mercy so far as its postal af-
| fairs are concerned. If 1 choose to put
upon them a negro woman as postmaster
and they object, then they cannot receive
or mail a letter, they cannot send Or
receive a money order, all their COM
merce or business, dependent upon the
mails, will be cut off until they do as
dictate"
Vice-President Andrews, Manager of
the Southern Railway, says in effect
to the people of Durham: You have no
right to demand a depot. 1t is in my
province to graciously give you a depot
| as great favor, and demand your graft
tude and villien service therefor, or to
keep all travellers standing in the rain
and cold until you do what l want done.
The Southern Railway wishes you to give
4 it deed to Peabody street. 1 know that
as a municipality Durham needs that
street, but the Southern Railway wants
it, If you will give us deed to that
street, worth more than 100000, then we
will confer with you about letting you
have a union depot. If you refuse, Dur
ham shall not have a decent depot I
| know that the Norfolk and Western
railroad and the Seaboard both are ready
| to pay their share toward building a I'M
/ ion depot. But if we get Peabody street,
! we can shut both of those roads and any
prospective road out of Durham. except
on its suburbs. and we will have the
heart of Durham.
| Now Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.. Andrews
are both proceeding upon the theory that
the people of Indianola have no rights
with reference to their mails, and the
people of Durham have no rights with
reference to depot accommodations. They
act upon the theory that postoff1ces and
decent depots are like Christmas pres
| ents or boxes of candy, to be given to or
withheld from children in accordance
with their behavior. If Indianola people
will be obedient to Mr. Roosevelt's whims
and race notions, then he will give them
/ a postoffice. If not he will slap their
| jaws and send them to bed without any
| supper. If the people of Durham will be
| good to the Southern Railway and give it
the heart of the town, Vice President An
drews will pat them on the head and
say: you are good boys and if you
keep on being good I may give you a
| depot But if you dare to disobey my
slightest Injunction, you shall never have
a decent depot
The truth is that Indianola as a matter
of right is entitled to mail facilities, not
as a matter of special favor, and as
a matter of right Durham is entitled to
q decent depot, and does not need to get
on Bonded knee and pray for it as a
| suppliant. If the American people ever
admit that it is in the province of a
president to open and close post-offices
at his pleasure, they have, by that ad-
| mission, surrendered their liberties and
given to the chief executive powers great
er than the Car of Russia would dare
! to exercise. If the people of Durham
admit that the question of decent depot
accommodations is one which a railroad
magnate, accustomed to override the
wishes of the people, may grant or re-
| fuse at his own sweet will--then the peo-
| pie have abdicated and we have already
| government by railroads.
These two indictments serve to show the
drift toward dissolution in government
and contemptuous disregard of the rights
| of the people by certain railroad mag
| mates. Both are usupations that have
hardened into practice because the peo-
pie have not been alert to check the first
| encroachments. Instead of asking the
President, as a favor, to open the post