The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-08
Operation of Trust Told
At First Hand
THE SANFORD STORY
Seems Now That Mr.. cox's Interests,
If Not He Himself, Were Before
Corporation Commission. Loss
OF Promising Commercial
Saintho0d.

SdItlkIIUUus
Among the incidental "vindications''
which haze recently come to The
News and Observer by reason of the
development of facts to sustain it's
theories and convictions which were
frankly expressed while others kept ST
lent or muddled the waters by attack
ing the paper that spoke out, is the
widespread realization of the fact
that Mr.. j. Elwood Cox is not saint.
Not that his Sainthood ever extend
ed further than that he was man Of
success who looked out after his own
"a degree of canoniZation which it
has become sadly popular to consid-
er the mantle covering all things. In
fact, the dollars of a trust, no matter
now expended or to what channel ,li-
rected have come almost to supplant
charity i'll the words of the famous
proverb: Money eXcuseth all things,
hastenetn all things, glorifies all things
even Mr.. Cox.
The News and Observer in the be-
ginning criticised Mr.. Cox not because
he opposed Interstate control of rail-
road rates, but because he took it up
on himself to speak for the mass of
that Mr. Cox should oppose that de-
parture on the part of the govern
ment. 1t was consistent with his ma
ture and with the attraction which he
feels towards railroad consolidation
that he should have done SO. Besides
he is we'll satisfied. 1t was a case of
let well enough alone. But to speak
for the manufacturers of the South
was a different matter. Therefore The
od int Mr.
Cox in all pleasantness and candor
and awoke a storm of "diSintereSted
protest" Mr.. Cox became a state
builder a captain of industry" the
father of his town. a patriot. q
philanthropist, LeonidaS standing
for his people against oppression. He
was shield and buclzler of industry,
Charlemagne of progress 1t was to
stand aghast The urn of Sinbad the
sailor or the lamp of Aladdin never
raised such genius.
The Failure to MAKE Good
But suddenly the home town gets
into trouble. 1t is not yet out of the
woods. Mr. Cox was powerless to
save. The boosted champion of q
town with one railroad, the plausible
philosopher who changed the rule 50
that it read that monopoly, instead
of competition, is that which cheap
ems never raised a hand. Some of the
very citizens of High Point who most
valiantly stood by him, were most
active in coming to the Corporation
Commission for relief. Mr.. Cox made
never sign. The road paid little
heed. The saint-hood of Mr.. Cox
vanished in a car panic.
Mr.. Cox and Captain Commission.
But one of the most interesting
NJ N.Nx- oct
ever be the matter of the shuttle block
trust In the first place, the discussion
started in a curious way. When Mr..
Cox opposed the governmental control
of rates, investigation showed on the
records that he had himself sought to
have the State commission enforce
against the Seaboard Air Line mot
the Southern) precisely what he stat
ed would be disastrous for the Gov
eminent TO demand in the matter of
freights goin- from one State to an
other 1t was pointed out that this
was the case of the Sanford factory,
owned by Mr. Cox, against the ). A. H.
In spite of the records of the Com
mission Mr.. Cox fatty denied ever haV-
ing made complaint and stated that
he did not and had never owned a
factory at Sanford. So notwithstand-
ing the fact that the case was record
ed on the docket with the date of
complaint and the date of relief, the
matter stopped there, Mr.. Cox being
a man of his word Everybody On
Guiding the Corporation CommisSIon)
was puzzled.
Now, at a late date comes the eX-
PLANTATION:
Mr.. Cox did not own the SANFORD
factory. He merely handled the out
put-doubtlesS at his usual 10 pei
cent commission for selling by rea-
son of his opportunities as the MY
man carrying a trust under his derby,
all to himself.
That was not frank denial, and
the explanation juStifies the clerical
work of the commission, which Mr..
Cox has been the first to attack for
accuracy.
The Fortune of the Shuttle Block.
This matter of the shuttle-b blocks
has been crudely explained before, it
seeming that Mr.. Cox is a trust of
fortune. created such by the force of
the circumstance of a trust in an
other line. The machinery trust
bought, it seems, all the rights to
the bobbin machine patents except
that of Mr.. Cox which was acquired
by him in a sort of general way, he
never having made bobbins to any ex-
tent. Anybody could make shuttle
blocks. Therefore, so the story goes
the trust (cutting out the diplomatic
language of modern finance, said 10
Mr.. Cox:
IF you won't make bobbins, we