The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-01

Line had fought the Commission he
fore. That was merely a dispute as
to taxes. The railroad had a perfect
right to come to court against the
Corporation Commission, just as cjti-
zens come into court, and the Commits.
sion itself may have to appeal to "a
higher court.
Mr.. Il. n. Simms.
Mr.. r. n. Simms. Of Raleigh. fol-
lowed Mr.. Jones for the Atlantic Coast
Line. He spoke of the increased pow
ers of the Corporation Commission,
starting out simply as an administra-
tive body and finally being designated
by the Legislature as u court of re-
cord. And next thing, see if it does
not come, will be request to the Leg
islature to take away the right of ap-
peal from the orders of the Commits
sion. No part of the government was
better able to take care of itself than
the Corporation Commission. They
We're liable to make. mistakes. One
was a lawyer, and this trial had shown
that lawyers could not make railroad
schedules. One was merchant, and
there were several merchants on the
jury. One was a farmer, and most
of this jury were farmers The jury
had heard witnesses testify for four
days and a half. The Commission
had examined only two witnesses, and
then issued it's order. They had simp-
ly made mistake. OF course, it
might seem that there ought to be
some sort of connection at Selma, but
the Commission had jumped at the
wrong road, that was all. The South
ern was the road that had broken this
connection. There was no complaint
until the Southern broke the connec-
ton last October by moving its train
up 30 minutes earlier. Then the re-
cord shows that the sole complaint
that came to the Corporation Com
mission was from Mr.. Henry Gillian,
of Tarboro, who asked that some
thing be done because the Southern
had broken the connection. Mr.. Hor-
ton had testified that he had often
raced with the Southern train to Cary.
and it was nip and tuck between
them. That showed the Southern
could make faster schedule.
Mr.. Simms then reviewed the is
sues, explaining and commenting
upon them. Mr. Busbee had said the
accident at Lucama was caused by an
engineer leaving switch open be-
cause he was SO benumbed by over
work that he did not close it, and yet
Mr.. BuSbee was here asking this road
to increase the work of one of those
engineers to about ID hours.a day. If
they break up the business of the
truck farmers, there would be no chill
dren to come to school, for these
truckers were the men that paid the
bills for the school children. They
said they would rest their case OF,
Mr.. Lacy If they did that, it was
won for the railroad
Col. Y. VI. Argo.
Col. T. NJ. Argo, of Raleigh. argued
next for the Corporation Commission,
He commenced by explaining that the
Corporation Commission was not the
plaintiff, but the State of North Caro-
lima was the plaintiff. The Corpora
ton Commission merely informed the
State of the failure of the corporation
to properly serve the people of the
State.
We had had Il burnt cork perform
ance here, declared Col. Argo. Mr.
Douglass was the performer, and Mr..
Pou the manager, and the result was
a very ordinary minstrel show. Mr..
Jones was Il professional politician,
and the professional politician
had been called an incarnate, living.
breathing, walking liar. Mr.. Douglass
was what might be called Il high -rater.
l.
a "cavorter." the Episcopalians lay
reader / don't know what the Bap-
lists would call him, but at any rate
he breaches sometimes.
Col. Argo dWelt upon the previous
failure of the Coast Line train to get
to Selma at 2:5O, although its schedule
was 40 miles an hour. Yet they say
we can't run the proposed train along
the same track at 80 miles an hour.
Col. Argo told how the State had built
the road from Morehead City to Char
lotte. and then leased it to the South
ern Railway, which paid about $780,
900 to the State for it's lease, and this
he says, was the road Mr..
Douglass had called a by
path. Mr. Simms had not only OPP
posed the Corporation Commission but
had cussed out the Legislature as
we'll Had he gone over BODY ana
soul to the corporations that had al
way opposed the act Of the Legisla-
ture establishing the Corporation
Commission But there was no hope
for Douglass. He had tried the Ia
bernacle and that could not save him
and ne had tried the First Baptist,
but it was no use, and Mr.. Pou was
standing by consenting to his death.
Mr.. Douglass had distorted himself
into every possible shape. He had
tried to dance Il clog, and all that was
lacking was a niger with BANJO. AT
times his face had looked like bat,
at others like crocodile, again like
a chimpanzee, but when he had as
sumed the role of a gorilla he had
failed utterly
Then Col Argo went into the issues
involved in the case. On the question
of expense the report showed that the
net income of the Atlantic Coast Line
from North Carolina alone during
1902 was $1,943,117. Nothing but
greed and gain prevented the road
from making that connection GIVE
the Yankee a "cowcumber" if he wants
it, or a saucer of strawberries, but
don't Inconvenience all the people OF
Eastern Carolina to do it. They paid
a dividend of five per cent. on their
stock. Mr. Borden had stopped US
all two mortal hours at East Durham
Just before last Christmas. He was
III palace car, with IL Niger to wait
on him, eating dinner We could see
MN through the window. ] wish |
had that copy of The News and OBJ
server here that told all about it. ]
belleVe Mr. r. l.. Gray was on that
train, and Mr.. Aleck Andrews broth
er. and he used some right smoky Ian
guage, too.
The daily movement west brought