The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-02
Mr.. Cox Almost Acne
in Optimism.
THE BOBBIN STORY
How Mr.. Cox's Monopoly is Said to l.
Protected BY Great Trust---A Man
Who is Hated and Praised, Al
ways Connected With
Railroad.
lstaf Corresnondence.

(Staff Correspondence
Go to High Point and talk to the va
rious manufacturers and business men
and you will find that outside Of the
business Of manufacturing itself. in
which all the town is directly or indi-
rectly engaged, there is one basic line
of difference between the citizens
the personality and the aims of Mr.. J.
EIwood Cox.
Why this should be true to the ex-
tent il is argues some other reason
than a mere strength and a mere sue
cess. Business activity alone does not
either win the friends or the enemies
that Mr.. Cox possesses. That condi-
ton means a display of power. What
is the power and how is il useo2 You
can hear fifty differing versions in
High Point from those who oppose the
man and mistrust his motives, with
one central and localized point at
which they all agree. that the efforts
he has made and is supposed to be
still making to control the town are
secondary to the wish TO represent the
Southern Railway. On the other
hand, Mr.. Cox's friends say that these
charges spring from a jealousy that
begrudges success.
After Mr.. Cox's testimony before
the Interstate Commerce Committee
some weeks ago, / went TO High Point
and visited a number of manufactur-
ers and others prominent in the bust
ness life of the town with view OF
finding out somwhat as to whether his
home held the same view as TO the
satisfactory condition of railroad rates
as was held by Mr.. Cox.
Did Not Speak for High Point.
That supposition I may say with
positiveness is not remotely true.
Men even who were his friends, while
not protesting TO a knowledge suf-
fIcient to speak as 10 the rate ques-
ton in its larger economic aspects,
were positive as to existing dfscrimi-
nations and hardshiDs In the matter
Of rates on manufactured products
shipped out of High Point and on
material shipped into the town.
In fact there was only one man or
the many / saw-Mr. Tomlison, or
the Tomlison Chair Company,-who
expressed himself as satisfied with the
rates Mr. Cox. said he, was the big
gest man in town, and If he had any
influence with the Southern Railroad
he had used il to obtain better rates
and facilities for the shippers or the
whole town. The Southern Railroad,
said he had enabled the nanufactur-
ers 10 compete with their products at
distant points where they could not
have hoped to compete had il not
been for the rates which the railroad
had afforded. According to Mr.. Tom
Iison, Mr.. Cox was a public benefactor
greatly maligned.
On the other hand in exactly the
same business was Mr.. :. L. Davis,
who held views of exactly the oppo-
site import TO those of Mr.. Tomlinson.
AS to competing. with Massachusetts,,
for instance, said he. the rates in
force rendered il practically impossi-
Bile since the goods. .'in the white
that Is the unfinished product had
rate of 50 cents per hundred, while
the finished product was put down az
81 cents. Naturally. this rate was al
most prohibitiye on the High @osnt
manufacturer. He cited, also, other
cases of Determinations in favor Of the
nearer distributing points such as
Lynchburg Roanoke. Atlanta. etc.
and in favor also of the larger manu-
featuring towns Of the country.
Now. what would be good for the
Tomlinson factory ought to please
the Davis people. And. since both are
successful firms. il is in a way difficult
to grasp the motive underlying the
differences Of their opinions.
Then there was Mr.. Kirkman and
he spoke out fiercely. Mr.. Kirkman
runs the High Point Bed Spring Com
pany. Freight determinations, said
he. were eating up the town and rend-
ering il more and more difficult to do
business at a profit. Bed springs
said he. could be shipped more
cheaply to High Point from Atlanta
than they could be sent from High
Point To Troy. forty miles away. There
We're Determinations b. the score in
favor of different towns competing
with High Point. The manufacturing
business was greatly hampered. And
Mr. Kfrkman was not slow TO ex-
press himself as to Mr.. Cox. The lat
ter. said he, was known as the rail-
ways representative What he could
do in the way OF freights he did not
know, but he had no fear that Mr..
Cox was not satisfied
The Shuttle Block Monopoly.
Aside from the question Of rebates,
I have before referred TO the bob
bin" trust or shuttle block monopoly
owned b. Mr.. Coz
a High Point manufacturer was IL
Eliminating on this point. 30 one else
could hone 20 make them at a profit
and for a simple reason-that there
was an entente cordial between Mr..
Cox and the Mill Machinery Trust.
Flow this came about is. according TO
the story. q brimming tale Of outrage
ously good fortune for Mr.. Cox. It
CONTINUED on Page Seven.)