The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-06-07
FEDERAL COURT MEDDLING.

The New Bern Journal in an edito-
rial on the Atlantic and North Caro-
lima railroad receivership has some re-
markable things to say. We wish we
had space in our columns to repro
duce the editorial in full, but we have
not. We can only make quotations
from it. One paragraph is:
Whatever motive has inspired the
Wilmington Messenger and Charlotte
Observer, to endorse the receivership
movement for the Atlantic and North
Carolina railroad property, is not a
special matter of public interest, but
their momentum in advocating a re-
ownership, and accepting anything
which would bring it about, has made
both of these papers endorserS of Fed
eral interference in North Carolina
affairs"
The Charlotte Observer is fully able
TO take are of itself. We can speak
only for The Messenger. Our mo
mentum in advocating a receivership''
whatever that term may mean, has
not made US endorsers of federal in
reference in North Carolina affairs.
We wished to see the road taken out
OF the hands of the incompetent, waste
full n selfish management put in
charge by the present administration.
Whether this came through the federal
courts or the state courts we did not
care. All we wanted was a severance
OF the management from the state
government. This pending receiver
ship suit was a legitimate means OF
accomplishing that end. All the talk
about interference by federal courts
with state affairs is bosh, gotten up
for the purpose of stirring up prejudice
against the plaintiffs in this suit who
had the constitutional right to seek
their remedy through that court.
There may be some editors who write
that sort of stuff who know no better
and are sincere in what they say, but
not all of them are so, else We have
been greatly fooled in our estimate of
their mental capacities.
Again the New Bern Journal says:
at is a strange thing to find such
public ~upholding of the actions of 4
federal judge, against a state admins
tration, for it is ar acknowledgment
OF local state weakness, therefore a
demand for federal assistance in the
Onduc or state ana1rS. If there has
ever been such a public expression n
acceptance of federal help in the con
duct of state affairs by newspapers in
North Carolina, the record cannot be
found"
The editor Of The journal should
look a a little in NORTH Carolina
history. There was a time a few years
back when the law abiding people of
this state were glad to De able to call
upon a federal judge and have him
'.medde in state affairs" 1t was
when the state officials deied the state
supreme court and some of the best
citizens in the state were confined in
Jail without warrant Of law. The JUS
tees Of the supreme court backed down
before the governor and his band of
ruffians. The leaders of the democrat
&c party Of the state appealed to a fed
eral judge fro redress. One Of the old
warhorse democrats OF the state rode
on horseback into the town where
this judge resided, carrying in n
hand a United States flag and in the
other the petition for a writ of habeas
corpus from a federal judge for the re-
lease OF prisoners held in custody by
the agents Of the governor of the state.