The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-05


in letters at the time.
Immediately everybody went to
work TO get UP bills for some new
measure; Short Line Railroads,
Canals, Turnpilies, water ways, Plank
Roads Law Reforms, Rights of Mar
ricd Women, and hundreds OF other
bills poured in. But no one dared TO
tackle Il regular railroad system, re-
curing millions of state money. AT
last the Hon. w. $. Ashe, the
Democratic Senator from New Han
over later member of Congress, and
i'm after wears President Of The VIII
mireton ana Weldon Railroad. was
urged TO formulate a plan.
Mr.. Ashc at that time was 3 years OF
age. At the preceding August election
he had been elected to the United
States Congress from the Cape Fear
District and also 10 the state Senate
from New Hanover. He was strong
Democrat but like Mr.. Dobbin, OF
Fayetteville, differed with his party,
in that he was for progress and for
building up the State. He advocated
State aid for internal improvements
better schools and progressive meas
ureS generally. He had studied law
but did not practice. He was rice
planter Not an orator, he was a
man of great capacity ana IN many
respects had no superior among the
pubic men of that generation.
Asked 10 formulate n railroad meas
ure. he swept aside The inadequate
measures that others were faVorng
ana presented a bill embodying the
back bone of u North Carolina sys-
tenn, so great and so thorough Lndt
for the moment it staggered the othcr
advocates of internal improvements.
AS a measure, under the dlincuil
circumstances OF that day, 1t was ad~
mirabie. it admitted OF an extension
TO New Bern, and an extension from
Salisbury TO Morganton and the West.
It was intended as far as pTacticable
to placate and harnoniEe every d.
vergent interest and to unite every
influence in Il great effort 20 over
come the opposition TO progress Bus
necessarily, Fayetteville had 10 be left
out; and Fayetteville vas proposing
a western road of her own. without
Fayetteville the measure could not
PASS. To conciliate that interest, the
Fayetteville and Salem plank road
was therefore agreed upon, and Mr..
Dobbin and his friends abandoned
the Fayetteville project and fell into
line with Mr.. Ashes line through the
centre of the State. 1t is remarkable
that Mr.. Ashes bill was never refer
red TO committee; ana except tEiS
special sections added as
stated by General Barringer, the Dill
was never amended. Not only was
the general plan admira Bile, but every
detail and provision was excellent.
Among it's other provisions was that
new thing under the sun. making the
State bonds n lien on the State stock,
and appropriatiaG the dividends
earned by the stock To pay the inter-
est. Thus secured, the State bonds
brought q premium in the market;
and the State has long had some
revenue from it's investment, and It's
stock IS now worth more than 5000,
600; aud IL the revenue derived from
the stock, after paying interest was
Kept as a. sinking fund in twenty
years the bonds could be paid and
the State would have that valuable
property without its ever costing the
people one cent?
MIR. Ashe came from a town that did
not have faith in Beaufort HarbOr.
Her keen witted w. Il. Mcares had
hit a commercial snas long before,
when he said: 1T storms at beaufort
800 DAYS in the year. Mr.. AShe IS
bill was a plain business scheme. IL
proposed the beginning of a sort of
North Carolina system. This called
for two millions of State money to
build a railroad from Charlotte TO
Goldsboro, two hundred and twenty
FIVE miles, provided one million OF
stock was otherwise taken. 1t LETT
out for the present the Raleigh ana
CASTOR re'ief idea and all Bur
combe" about both Beaufort Har-
Dor and the Duck Town copper mines
os Cherokee. This. Of course. tended
at first 10 weaken the bill; but the
Wisest men easily saw that the line
was u good one: that it would gain
strength on its own merit; and more.
10y not attempting too much.
Still no one attempted TO lead off
for the Ashe bill SO, at last, the
friends of the "DanviIle Connection
resolved to renew the fight for their
naked charter" But Mr.. Ellis, who
had charge of the ''DanVille Bill, had
been made Il judge. and things were
all at sea and our councils much d.
vided. ON the fifteenth of January
1S49. we got our Danville Bill up; and
Mr.. Stanly. as usual, was banning every
effort to get a vote. J. CHANGED to get
the floor. and resolved TO hold ii till "a
vote was reached in some form. Mr..
Stanly interfcrred with his regular
taunts about sci ing out TO Virginia
and South Carolina, and referred to
Richmond as only Great Slave
ing solely on past pretcntions. This
] resented and defied him to make
us an offer Of any bill providing for
a general North Carolina system.
likely to pass, and with sui1iclent
State aid to secure it's competitors,
and J., for one, would vote for 1t;
and that / believed a large majority
of my "Danville" comrades would do
the same. This was received With
some applause by the main body OF
my "Danvile" friends. But the
Mecklenburg and Rockingham mem
bers loudly protested. | now felt bold
to repeat the pledge of the DanvllIe
Charter people to any fair ana feasible
North Carolina system. This was an
sWered by applause from all parts OF
the house. Mr.. Stan'y then sDrang 10
his feet and, holding up the Ashe Dill
said he would pledge himself anu his
Eastern friends To that bill, II L would
do the same. l aSsented; ana MI.
Stanly was about to present the Ashe
bill to the house. when a question
arose as to it's probable place on the
calendar. The session was now near
" two months gone, and there was
danger in delay Therefore, Mr.. Will
liams, of New Hanover, suggested
that the "DanYile Biz be laid upon