The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-10-23
RAILROAD OWNERSHIP
NOT A PRESENT ISSUE.


... Editor, Raleigh News ana :
rather peculiar, yet amusing !
...I e bit serious, to read the
.cugrIs that some Of the lead
.....prr!ts are making tG convince
..tuI,. that the Democratic party
.sI believe in government owner
oar railroads..
... .pf these efforts and waste #
aul Drains, is made by men
..luh they hear The distant hum
-... presidential bee in their hats.
.uuld sound strange ii leading
.,f- Of the Republican party
much fuss about Mr.. Roose-
-.I. that ii the railroad did not
ft "a square deal with the peo-I
.- next step would be government
.... .iu, as u few leading Demo
.rt. making about Bryan. mere
...luS what every honest Republic
Democrat. not only feels. but
....-. that If th" railroads cannot
SIZE. lo deal square with the pco-
t..u he only course is govern
.. uaucrship in the interest Of the
....n has not said nor advocated
:.orc. nor any less, nor has Mr..
#..t.t advocated any more nor any
ann surprised tnat the honor
... john Sharp Williams, ii what the
.#- reports Is lfue, has cOlu" all the
.. 10 North Carolina TO discuss
...".E il question IL ever acted on by
... American people, it will be after
Williams is in the Happy Hunt
Ground.
Iut few men in the Democratic par
3. urr better qualified and more able
&c. uolp The party in North Carolina
...u Mr.. Williams-by devoting the
..tr4E and the same thought wasted
.l g~avrrn:nen ownership of the rail-
s.:i- TO exposing the rotten condition
l# the itHp1Dllcal party TODAY and
f..p his state send Il solid Demo-
o.."n representation to Congress, in
stead of fighting an imaginary enemy,
That can never possibly materialize UNI
I.nu decade, If II Yer materialiZeS at
'
hay" observed along Iife's journey
t.aI SOME of the most profound, pow
.tt'I ANA logical speeches | have lis
..'"J ir have been made against the
-taH. man or an imaginary evil, when
they had no one to reply for them,
tus:IlS- there was no base on which
f.. luHEp 4 reply.
To battle with a real enemy armed
and equipped for the fray calls for
"'utt 9" ana action. To battle with
aa irulginary enemy. the speaker
F@""e he is safe, and it gives him
fEn' 20 soar To flights of philosophy
.n1 clouuenCe that almost make TIL
.e''ntr feel the hair stand on his
u"'a. in viewing the possible enemy.
'iIl NOT gong 10 take Gp the Sitc
uG government ownership that time is
too far off for discussion. shall
:tlnd rs the bone ana SineW OF the
country does and that is on the solid
rock that admits of no discussion. that
iHr American people will own the rail
ln"dS before they Will allow the rail-
roads to own and control the nation.
'uG ttnHt is all there is of it; no mat
W. what party is in power when he
..in" comes to settle it, for at that
dI'" it vii! be q non-political issue if
IT eyer should arise.
The people Of this nation will have
hat they want. regardless of party
Ines for the next forty years, or |
l"il to read the slsls of the times.
North Carolina is q choice soil or at
Toast it has been. on which to make Il
record by opposition to State or ma
'i"nIl government ownership of rail-
roads.
North Carolina has suffered not
5r"m state ownership Of railroads but
for lack of men to enforce h law
lEHt would yield to the State proper
returns for the road she owns.
8ut n q argument is dead. the peO-
pie of the State rose IL their mighty
strength. wiped out radicalism, ana
elected that fearless advocate of The
people. Charles b. Aycock Governor.
and he took hold with his adminlS-
tration of the States r. r. interest
"nd put it in shape to yield an income
And one of the prideS of the state
today is that her r. f. stock that was
heretofore worthless. will pay every
dollar she owes and leave her q sur
plus i'm the treasury. because Il fear
less ana rue friend of the people took
1nId of the helm of the State govern
mrnt and put it into a business shape.
According to the Associated press
dispatches that went out after Mi.
I~INan'sc great reception in New York.
| fear there was just a little bit Of
81 fling at Bryan in that part OF Will
Han1s' great speech devoted to the dis
cuSSiOn of government ownership OF
the railroads.. for by it he furnished
ammunition for Republican thunder.
There are some thing that Alr. Will
slams does not know | challenge him
Id go to Atlanta with all the facili-
ties il affords at his hand, and find
viii part with the Georgia State road
III double the cost of its construction
amt equipment. | will move above thf
Jason and Dixon Line and cha!-
""l2e him to go to the city Of ClnCln-
m"ti. Ohio, and find a thousand hon
n~t men in that city that will agree
l"r that city to part with the road L
owns from hat city to Chattanooga
'"nn.. for double what it cost.
ana I can name others here ir
tm,rica. and need only name Swift
1"rIand abroad Who oWnes all he
roads and her government is more
like American Democracy than any
other foreign government.
So it is a waste of time and ener-
4r to discuss the question. 1t IS 0nt
"l The growing sentiments of the age
Yet it is not an issue in either Of TIL
"rvut American parties today, nor ike
Is To- be in ten years to come. 20
.-ning railroad men of America ar
mad" up from some of the best brain.
D.. America. and as a rule are ia
SEEING, in their judgment. and oEeN
H"N that Government ownership q
"t-t under Democratic admin1StT1
"D. if these roads have to be u
"lasc3 for the protection of the PEG
viii never mean to purchase then
Do" one dollar per mile more than tn
government can build and equip par
#.|'I lines beside every One now run
n.nG..
So let Democrats lose no sleep OF
'l1l line. There are plenty Of living
1c@ for Democracy. the tariff. tn
t"HtHra canal and the cnacting o
positive and definite laws u~ndoubtfu
"t construction, for the regulation o