The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-05
Calvin Graves Vote Broke
the Tie.
THE BILL OF w. S. ASHE
History Of the Genesis Of the Line That
Unit led the E ,st and the West and
Has Been OF lncaIcuIabIe Be.
nefit to the Whole
~
State.
Rr CAPT. s. A. ASHE.


at the session of 1S4S, and the road
later. The construction of this WORT,
has been of incalculabIc benefit to the
State and poop e. 1t has largely OBJ
liberated the intense sectionalism that
previously divided the East and the
West. Ii has afforded to the centre
and West commercial facilities that
were absolutely necessary tor mate
rial and social development. During
the war il was of the greatest adj
vantage. 1t was buiit without cost
ing the people of the State anything
IN the way of taxes: and for forty
years il has yielded the STATE some
revenue without any expenditure by
the people. The State owes about 81
100000 of bonds for its stock; and
its stock can be sold at present quo
tations for $3.50, 10000.
But ~ the time the measure was
proposed people stood somewhat
aghast at its magnitude. Its origin
is Of historical interest.
The popular notion OF its origin is
somewhat like the following. which
we find in recent State publication
made for the information Of the Cen
eral Assembly: THE building OF the
North Carolina Railroad was due to
the patriotism, foresight and untiring
efforts of Hon. John NJ. Morehead.
Joseph Caldwell, William Castor, Wal
liam \. Graham, Paul c. Cameron,
Calvin Graves and others, some of
whom made great personal sacrifices
TO secure the passage of the Act char
tcring 1t.
Joseph CALDWELL died in 1885. II
years before the .sct was passed
Judge CASTOR died four years before
the Act was passed. Governor More
head opposed its passa ge. Governor
hon Il n 4
message, but did recommend q road
from Raleigh to Salisbury. Calvin
Graves never spoke word in favor
OF il. and never exerted any influence
for Il until 1T the last moment the
vote in the Senate being tie, he was
called on to express his views and
gave the casting vote 20 break the
tie Otherwise Calvin Graves views
might never have been expressed in
the Legislature at ALL
20 n,ucn for the influence these
y. 'criar gentlemen exertcd in
originating and in securing the pass
age OF the Act.
Under the circumstances I have
thought it might be of public interest
to reprint some extracts from an adj
dress delivered Il few years ago. hy
General Barringer who was a men,
Der of that Assembly, and whose sub
ject was: "A History of the Act IN
tOTDOTdtiIlS lie 1NCitfl NaitpAiiItt
road Company:
Extracts From Address by Gcn. IL.
Barringer.
The building of an ordinary rail-
road is now no longer a matter of
special interest to the public. OF late
years, the achievements in that way
have been on such a gigantic scale
as almost to cease to attract atten-
ton. But the grant OF the charter of
Il
40 with two million of dollars of
State aid. IVES new departure
amongst us. ana was. in fact, the basis
and The beginning OF our entire pres
ent system of internal Improvement,
now reaching and ntersecting every
part of the State.
\ Historical Retrospect.
To get at the poverty of the State
i'm 1S4S, and to show the difficulties
to be encountered and overcome by
the friends Of Internal Improvement
and general reform, it is necessary 20
recur TO the strange anomalies of the
organic law under which we had
lived in North Carolina for three
fourths of a century, and the endless
sectional strife thus engcndercd. 1t
will also then appear how these diff
ficulties vanished. the moment q true
American leader struck the cord If
popular sentiment; and ;tn honest con-
viction touched the North Carolina
heart.
IN 1890, North Carolina was the
third State in the Union IN popuia-
ton and wealth. BY the census OF
1910, she had declined to the relative
place of the eleventh. Why was
this?
The Drought of 1915 and a Charlotte
Railroad.
After detailing many causes that led
10 the decline of the State. General
Barringer proceeds
As if all this was not enough to
depopulate and exhaust the distracted
and divided old State. in 1S45 occur
red the most fearful drought ever ex-
perienced through the Piedmont re-
gion. 1t was so marked in its effects
as somewhat to prepare the publ c
all over the State for a fair discus
sion of our sectional differences, and
also the absolute necessity of some
system of railroad connection between
the East and the West In the VIM
ter of IS45-'46 corn rose iii many
parts of West North Carolina from
fifty cents TO one dollar and a half g
bushel. Much stock persisted for
want of food, and hardly could bread
or meat be had at any price. At the
same time, all through the East, corn
was rotting iii the field, and Hsh We're
used to manure land.
About this time during these scarce
wears of 1845-'46, the leading men OF
Charlotte began to agltate connec-
ton with the railroad system of South
Carolina, then approaching this sec
ton through both Camden ana Col
,mbia. steps were taken for con-
vention to organize a company Tor
that purpose, and this was done IN
the summer OF 1917. ultimately select
ing Columbia as the point.
Also Richmond, Va. was extending
her railroad system so as to reaci; our
border counties on the North.
The Rip Van Wrinkle OF The South.
But in all this, there was no nope
o.. tho rademptfon of North Carolina
herself. There was no railroad west
of Raleigh. All the roads east OF