The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-12
A Deceived Sight Distorts
All He Sees.
JUSTICE is HIDEoUs
And Those Who consecrate Their
Lives o the Service Of the People
Are in His Eyes Foes
to Be Over
thrown.

To the Editor: You say in a recen
issue that ! can always obtain a hear
in~. In North Carolina. To test the
statement I ask you to publish this
letter. There exists a difference OF
opinion between us on two points
first. as to whether the subscription
price of The News and Observer ant
the passenger rate of the railroads are
practically similar. and, second, as to
your qualifications for giving advice
to the General Assembly on railroad
matters. 1t hardly seems fair that
but one side of the questions III dis
pute should be given publicity day af-
ter day and the other side iP.sored. II
you are right and / am wrong, you
surely need not fear to publish my
folly: your victory will come the
sooner and be more complete. If.
peradventure, 1T should turn out that
you are wrong, then you could the
earlier turn from the error of your
way and embrace the truth before 1t
shall be everlastingly too late. OF
course it is understood that you need
but to know Truth to embrace it. and
so whatever the result may be. YOU
certainly have nothing to lose by Civ
ing me a hearing. l shall not deal
In offensive personalities, of course.
TO tell the truth, like you personally.
and since / am not Just now paying
compliments / shall not discuss You
personally at all. do not like some
of your policies. and / want to talk
about the things / do not like. A
common enough failing. isn't 1t? Yes.
but you know we most nightly pro-
mote Truth when we most mercilessly
expose Error, and SO that common
failing of talking about things is not
altogether bad.
Your several explanations that rail-
roads do not stand on precisely the
same footing as other enterprises
were not needed, because everybody
knows that 1t is a fact that they re-
ceive from the State the right of EN-.
inent domain, and occasionally, not
frequently by any means. 1t is invoked
But even in the commission of this
crime there are extenuating circum-
stances, in that the railroad condemn.
ing land which may be absolutely es.
sential to the pro. or performance OF
its duties to the public. usually has
to pay two or three times its normal
value for it. In perfect line with your
policy of portraying every question II
which railroads enter unfairly to the
roads, you have always magiified the
taking" involved in the exercise o.
the right OF Cnineut domain. and sc
entirely have YOU ignored the pay
ing" privilege that one would never
have susi ected that there was any
paying ii it. / have no doubt that
there are readers of your paper whose
understanding Of the essential urinci-
Piles of this right were formed from
what you have written and all you
have written 2,bout it who do not kno"
that land thus taken is paid for at all
Of 1a n n a.
7 have been trying for years to make
YOU see, namely, that you arc always
unfair to railroads and do not seem
to be able to help it. You get ugly
every time YOU think about them
Your attitude towards railroads re-
minds me of an incident that occur
red i'm Wake county some thirty years
ago. when Cary township WAS created
/ was chain bearer in the surveying
party that located the boundaries OF
the new township. We reached q
large cornfield somewhere down OH
Swift creek one October afternoon
the line striking the field just about
tllc middle. The fiagman planted his
pole near tho farther side of the field
and the chain-men were making bee
line for it, the rear man caitina
stick as he reached the stake. and
the front man answering stuck as
he put down the new one at the end
Of the chain. The engineer with his
octopus-like transit. the assistant with
the tripod and half Il dozen axc-mcvl
carrying brier hooks and axes over
their shoulders and wearing flannel
shirts, completed procession that
was not without its terrifying aspect
to simple minds. In the field pulling
corn. we found u girl perhaps Ia years
old. boy of II. or thereabout. and a
much smaller child. 1t was clear that
they regarded us as treSSpaSSerS, and
that they We're awaiting developments
with fear and trembling. AS the line
approached them the girl suddenly
seized the younger child and with ono
movement completely hid him in the
folds Of her skirt. at the same time
CRYING to the boy run, .Jol,~nie, run
rum to tho house and tell Pap to come
here quick. Tell him there's a whole
lot of mon down here. some saying
stick some saying Stuck and some
SAYING sit all the corn You c3n.' As
I see 1t. you have been crying to tho
people of North Caroliua that there
were a whole lot of railroads eating
The state up. with just as much rea-
son and no more. 1t really seems &c
me that the railroads get stuck much
oftaner than thcy stick. and I do no,
believe. all things considered. thai
they are getting their fair share oi
corn.
You challenge the aptness OF my
comparison between the passenger
rate and the price OF subscription tc
Tue News and Observer, and cite the
fact that the roads have the specia
privilege of exercising the right oi
eminent domain. Very true. and here
Ia our special privilege. / am told