The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-31
ALEASE- WHAT
Is the Morgan Syndicate
to GobbIe All?
With Deep Water at Morehead ana
Competent Railroad Management
The State Has a Good Thing in
the A. & N. c.

the A. 4 N. Y.
To the Editor: l read the numerous
letters and opinions upon the SupJecl
of the lease of the A. 81 n. &. Railroad
published in Sundays News ana
Observer with some interest. 1t seems
to me, however. that the main ques-
ton is very little regarded.
Just now there is a serious effort be-
ing made by the people of central
North Carolina to get in touch with
deep water and the sea, and there is
at the same time a conspiracy between
the three great railroad systems in the
State to prevent this connection. The
purpose of this conspiracy is to force
our people into the long haul between
us and the Virginia cities. The people
are interested in having Il short haul
between them and their own deep wa
ter. The interest Of the railroads il
TO haul out of the State SO they can
remain under the jurisdiction of that
monument of incompetence, The Inter-
state Railway Commission. The in
terest of the people is to have "a sys-
tenn of railways directly connectt1
with their own tidewater and running
entirely within the limits of the State
so that the rates, fares and freights
may be regulated by the State Gov
eminent. The purpose of the rail
roads is to continue the broken and
zig-zag connection between the people
OF central and eastern North Carolina
to prevent any community of interest,"
or concert of action. The Selma con-
nection-or misconnectiOn-is a spe-
cimen of what the railroads mean, and
that connection is one of the many
broken links by which they defeat tho
unity and tax the prosperity of North
Carolina.
Now, concerning the lease: If eth
er one of these three systems, all of
which now belong to j. Pierpont Nor
gan, or will shortly belong to him, get
hold of the Atlantic and North Caro-
lima. or get hold of the men who gel
hold of it, it will enable them to con
tinue their policy of making North
Carolina mere tributary to the
States north of us.
The leasing or not leasing is very
small consideration compared with
change of management which would
doubtless soon or ultimately put the
road into the hands of the Morgan
Railroad Trust---a trust which, in har-
mony with its we'll known principles
has stopped a road in the woods TWEEN
weight miles from Raleigh road
which would connect central North
Carolina with both the Albemarle and
Pamlico water systems. The same
combination of railroads which can
stop this road within twenty eight
miles of the capital. and keep up
ience-worm misconnection between us
and the sea- has got influence enough
TO get control of the Atlantic and
North Carolina Railroad II 1T ever
slips out of the hands of the State
Government into any hands, however
apparently domestic they may be fol
the present.
l,ne
had in its railroads now goes to feed
the Morgan trust. This is the history
of railroad gravitatlon. All comets
gravitate toward the sun until they
have disgorged the solid matter IN
them, and the Morgan trust is big
enough to attract any little wandering
interest the State may have hylnS
around loose after it once leaves the
states hands. no matter how patriodc
the private hands may be into which
it goes.
Nothing is more surely written III
the book of fate than that the people
Of North Carolina will, according to
their universal desire, come in close
connection with their own sea coast
A million dollars spent at Moreheaa
to perfect a harbor there would more
than double the value of the Atlantic d
North Carolina Railroad and as soon as
the people demand this Improvement
in their party platforms or show any
serious determination to get 1t, lnf1u-
enceS will be set to work which VIII
accomplish it: but without perfectlES
a single harbOr or deepening Slngit
water channel, direct conneUlGS
with our own Seacoast would be OF
infinite advantage to our people. Th1s,
the Morgan syndicate well knows, and
hence our zig-zag misconceptions.
Because the people along the line OF
the Atlantic x North Carolina Rail
road have never taken enough interest
in it's welfare to demand that an ex-
perienced and competent railroad man
be put at the head of its affairs is no
reason why they may not be educated
up to such an interest in the future.
Ten or twenty-five thousand dollars
a year spent in the shape of salary
for president who has had lifelong
experience in rairoading and thor
oughly knows his business would east
y be worth Il quarter OF million DOL
lars a year to the State and to the
road Such man would also have
influence enough with the business in
terests of the State to procure any
legislation necessary to make the At
lantic & North Carolina Railroad the
best paying road in the State. me
railroad ought to pay at least 10 per
cent. on the capital invested under the
control of an experienced rallroau
man and backed up by such friendly
legislation as he may recommend, but
what it may be made to pay is small
indeed compared with what it may ba
made to do toward improving our
eastern connections and preventing
the last link in the chain of non-resi-
dent combinations.
w j. PEELE.
Raleigh, n. c., August 80, 1904.
SEPTEMBER WEATHER.