The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-04-19
Chr Wlessrngrr.
ATLANTIC RAILROAD NvESTg-
CATION.

The Charlotte News of the 18th.
instant has a two column editorial
on the Atlantic and North Carolina
railroad Conspiracy case" in which
1t quotes from what The Messenger
has heretofore had to say on this
matter and makes some comments
on those quotations. In reference
to what The Messenger said regard
ing the purchase of oils, ETC., The
News
Maybe you know more about the
axle-grease than we do. We Were
judging from the tiny wrath OF
smoke that the McBee affidavit, un-
answered by President Bryan, made,
that there was mighty little fire.
The Messengers remarks on this
subject were based upon more def
mite information than the "tiny
wrath of smoke that the McBee af-
idavit made" The Messenger reit-
crates the statement that this axle
grease matter, as The News desig-
mates 1t. should be looked into. 1t
win, IL thoroughly investigated, be
found to lie of more consequence
than The News supposes.
In this connection we will quote
what the Charlotte Observer of the
18th said editorially about the man
agement of this road:
The whole business is rank; it
smells to heaven. The system or
graft and mismanagement which are
shown to mark the administration OF
xhSo r4ata rnfIrnnd 10 NOT IN ho
charged up to the present state ad-
ministration alone-it has existed and
grown for thirty years, if not longer.
1t is seen already hat this receiver
ship is the best thing that could have
happened, for it has resulted in the
disclosure of a scandalous state OF
affairs, and public opinion will en-
force a reformation If this road is
to continue in the hands of the state,
which God Forbid"
Only day before yesterday The
Messenger asked what had become of
the governors committee, which had
started east to investigate h affairs
of the Atlantic and North Carolina
railroad. The public had been prom
ised a full and thorough search into
all matters connected with the road.
We took it for granted that h peo-
pie were to be kept acquainted with
the of the committees
work. We thought everything was
going to be open and above board.
We lost sight of the committee after
its session in Goldsboro several nights
ago. We had begun to become anx-
ious for it's safety. It seemed to have
so utterly disappeared from public
view. we thought, of course the
Raleigh and New Bern ape would
keep in touch with it and inform the
public from day to day what the
committee was doing, and give their
readers a synopsis of the testimony
Ike by the governors representa-
tiveS.
But we heard nothing from the
committee from the time it held that
meeting in Goldsboro until yesterday,
when The Raleigh POS gave us news
from ft-and startling news it'd wasl too.
The Post, through a dispatch from
New Bern, gives the information that
the committee is in that city holding
Star Chamber sessions. Its proceed
ings are strictly private. No per-
sons except h committeeman and
the witnesses are allowed to be
present at the sessions. No infor-
nation as to the progress of the in
vestigation is allowed to go beyond
the committee rooms. 1t is intimated
testimony was given before the COM
mittee; that in its report to the gov
ernor the committee will only give
it's conclusions (that is, in hat part
of it which will be given to the pub
lic). and that testimony taken by the
committee will be withheld.
If this be so, what will the public
think of the investigation? What
confidence will it have in any findings
the committee may make? If this
secret manner of conducting the in
vestigation is to be continued, the
governor may as we'll call off his
committee and tell it's members to go
home. The people were promised a
thorough and open investigation.
They are not getting it. Instead. a
course is being pursued which will
only add to the suspicion that the
state administration is unwilling to
give the public a full insight into the
management of his company.
It is unfortunate that the demo-
cratic state administration should
pursue such a course just at his
time, when the national democratic
party is making SO much political
capital out of the fact that the re-