The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-18
MR.J.F. RAYS PASS
He is lawfully Sorry Mr..
Bryan Committed the
UnpardnabIe SIM"
Mr.. Ray Will Pay Ten Dollars For
Every Mile He Has Ridden If Re-
quested by Any Person Whose
Opinion is Entitled to
Respect.

To the Editor:-As L have seen
quite a good deal of late about Mr..
Bryan's selection of local counsel Cor
the Atlantic and North Carolina rail-
road and as my name appears in the
list, l hope you will allow me space to
say a few words. 1 am awful sorry
Mr.. Bryan committed the unpardoa-
able sin to issue a few passes to men
living outside of the Immediate local
ity of the road, and at least two act
ually west of Asheville!" My God, just
think of it! His books / am told, act
ually show that he issued a pass to
Frank Ray and also one to j. +. Ray,
as local counsel in the county of Ma
con. l am both of him. Mr.. Bryan
sent me a pass which was probably
destroyed by fire along with a few other
valuables of mine, and l acquainted
him of the fact and he sent me an
other. This accounts for there being
two of me. / am not entirely uninter-
ested in the welfare of the road if
do live west of the Blue Ridge. II.
legal parlance. / believe / am a ten
ant in common in a trifle over a mill
lion of dollars of stock in the road. l
have for many years taken perhaps
quite as lively an interest in the en-
actment of such legislation as / be-
lieye would be beneficial to the road
as a great many men who lived along
the line. l am not ashamed for hav-
ing helped to enact legislation which
in my opinion was the cause of raising
the value of the stock from about
Is cents in the dollar to 100 cents in
the dollar. l believe some has of late
sold at that figure, while other stock
was not for sale at all.
| do not charge one cent for my
services, not even a pass, but / do
hold one as local counsel for the year
of our Lord, 1904, and am proud of It.
beg pardon of the wise and virtuous
for saying this, but if any man in
North Carolina whose opinion is re-
spected by the public after acquainting
himself with the facts will say that
Jim Bryan did wron~ in issuing passes
to men as local counsel living in diff
ferent parts of the State. / will put
into the State Treasury ten dollars for
every mile 1 have ever ridden on that
pass. Mr.. Thomas Lee lives 'west of
Asheville' also. He was puc on the
Board of Internal improvements
which had practically the entire man
agement of the Atlantic and North
Carolina railroad. Did anybody ever
hear of any criticisms of the power
that appointed him? There is no better
man than Tom Lee and is, so to speak
my next door neighbor If he is
eligible to act on the board and also
on the committee of investigation with
Mr.. Gray and Mr.. Page, why should
Mr.. Bryan be criticized if he sees fit
to recognize the fact that some good
might result from communicating with
men living off the line of the roau
Outside OF Mr.. Bryan's unwarranted
assumption in undertaking to consult
with men in different parts of the
State if in his opinion it became neces-
sary, about their own property, at
that. l have heard nothing against his
executive ability or his management
of the road from any source which the
people of the State ought to respect
Yours truly,
J. F. RAY.