The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-07-01

quo could b manufactured and sold
| only be done by permission Of the PEG
pie Of the towns. The main q
however for b passage OF the Watts
law. and the reason which ought to
satisfy and wiz firaiiy satisfy every
right thinking man. was that the man.
ufacture and sale OF liquor in the
country was a constant menace to hte
peace. quiet and good order OF the
country. The towns and cities MAIN
tain q police force and thus are enabled
to restrain and lessen the evils flowing
from drunkenness. There Is no Police
force Il the country and the state Is
not prepared 20 maintain one. There
Is no greater menace TO the quiet and
good order OF any country community
than a whiskey still and a bar roor.-
No man viii deny this.
We ave entered ID an educational
awakening In this state which Is seek
ing not only 20 open the door Of the
school house TO every child. but 20 per
suade and influence every child TO en-
ter that schoo house. There are men
who have seen a schoci flourish In n
town close by a bar room or a stu,
but no maj has ever yet seen a school
grow up and prosper by the side OF 4
whiskey still or a bar room in the coun-
try. The legislature therefore was
confronted with the question whether
they should open and maintain school
houses in the country for children. or
whfskey stills and bars for the men,
The legislature made its choice and the
PEOPLE will ratify IL at the polls. In
my judgment this act Is one OF the best
ever passed by any legislature. The
conditions justified IL. The demands o.
the people required IL and the results
have proven beneficial. With the pass
ing OF the years IL will be found 20
have been a most effective agency in
the Of temperance.
One other thing which the Republi-
cans attack IL the management OF the
Atlantic and North Carolina railroad.
/ wish TO a ~emphatically In coanec-
ton with this matter that the Atlantic
and North Carolina railroad has been
better conducted under the present a6-
ministrstion and is in better condition
than ever before In It's history. The
receipts OF the road have nearly doubled
under the present management. The
road bed is in excellent repair. rs
rolling stock was never In so good con-
dition. The facilities for transacting
the business OF the road have been
greatly increased. The road earned
last year s75,s2a.17 over and above all
, operating expenses and fixed charges.
n earnings iii excess OF these ex-
penses and charges nave for several
years been put into the betterment OF
the road. In pursuing this policy the
management has been aware that IL
was probably sowing for other people
TO reap. but for the finai good OF all
has perservered in the work. The stock
today is worth and is selling for twice
as much as il was the day that l was
; inaugurated as Governor of the state.
1t was not bringing more than $25.oo
at that time, and is today selling read
lily at $4,000. An investment OF $500
three years g would today bring n
man 5000, an annual increase of 80 Ia
per cent. While the stock in the South
ern. the Atlantic Coast Line, and the
Pennsylvania railroads has been stead
lily declining, that of the Atlantic and
North Carolina has been steadily
advancing. While the interest of the
state and the private stockholders a
thus been subserved by doubling the
value OF their stock, the service 10 the
people along the line and to those hav-
ing occasion TO use the road. has been
in every way of the best. Every COM
mercial traveller who has been travelling
in the state for the last ten years, will
bear testimony TO the wonderful. i'm
provement OF Atlantic and North Caro-
lima railroad within the past four yeas.
Every shipper along the line OF the road
is pleased with the despatch n the
excellence of the service performed.
During my entire term of Office l have
received no complaint from any stock
holder nor from any director OF any
wrong doing concerning the road. The
only complaint ever made to me b. a
stakeholder was to he effect that ]
would not agree to lease the road at q
figure below what / considered its true
value. Less h two years ago the
highest offer for the road was l-2 per
cent. Today / have three offers aver
aging more than 5 per cent and ! am
Satisfied that the road can be leased
at from 3 TO 8 per cent as soon as IL
comes completely into the control OF
stockholders again. II these undenia-
BILE facts show mismanagement, cor
ruption or inefficiency, then what must
be said OF the management of the
Southern. the Atlantic Coast Line and
Pennsylvania systems?
Early in his year while propositions
to lease were being considered by me,
upon application OF a person who was
not a stockhoIder and who never had
i,een a stakeholder, put who entered
into a contract to purchase stock in a
road which he alleged was being mis-
managed and to pay more tina twice
as much for il as had ever been paid
ror any of its stock. this valuable prop
erty in which the state owns two-thirds
of the stock, was thrown int the hands
of a receiver by a Federal court with
out notice. An investigation INTO the
facts of the case before the Chief Jua-
tice Of North Carolina. at my instance,
resulted in showing that the plaintiff
did not own the stock on which he bas-
ed his suit: that he had never owned
any stock and that he had this con-
tract to purchase he stock at twice
its then value. OF course this suit was
dismissed and the road restored to its
owners. Subsequently another bill Was
filed in the name OF a former stock
holder who at the time OF filing the bill
did not control his stock. He claimed
To- own only thirty-seven shares, which
even atpar, would not pay the expenses
of a lawsuit in the Circuit court of the
United States. caused an effort to be
made to purchase MS stock. but he de-
clined to consider any proposition Tor
its purchase. He would1 nQt take par