The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-09-03
TRYING TO MAKE SENTIMENT
FOR TIE RAILROADS


take to hold ID the railroads side Of
all contentious regardless OF facts
Take -. instance the Industrial News.
the Republican party organ. Of which
ex-ChairTnen-RolIius IS president This
President. while still on OF his
close relations 10 x-Chaarman now
Judge P-itchard. who has
" the ear OF the administration in
all patronage matters. is recognized
as actually Chairman de-ture. NO"
this President happens also. IN adoi-
ton to his soE~-in-law-ship 10 be AS
sistant Division Counsel OF the SOUTH
ern Railway. Of which his brother
in-law happens 70 be local surgeon
by recent appointment at AshevfUe-
This Industrial News in It's issue OF
August p. Eas an unsophisuca'eo
reporters account OF that r~ailroads
experience in larger receipts from re-
duecd passenger fare by reason OF
increased travel at no additional ex-
pense TO the road. and another article
written by one OF the past masters
Of his kind in pleasing the manage
ment by supposititious interviews.
with Of course naneless prominent
capitalists, statesman. etc 1t sounds
SO much like the inspired rot from
New York Of several weeks ago. a
reputable North Carolina paper should
be ashamed to father 1t as something
new or true. Read II, gentle reader:
Another accident on the Southern!
Yes. so l hear
Caused by defective roadbed, l
presume"
Il haven't yet learned the cause
We'll, I'll bet when you do hear
you will find it is something or TINS
sort, ard yet a lot of politicians. lot
s~elf-glory, favor making exactions OF
railroads 50 severe that they cannot
possibly keep roadbed and equipment
in first-class order and keep UP cur
rent
Why don't the railroads borrow
money to make necessary repairs!
They would If they could. but II
is simply an im~possibility with the
anti-railroad sentiment and, worse
than that, the railroad legislation
in force in his State. 1t would re
quire an immense sum 70 put the
railroads in thorough order and equip
them to meet the demands of pas
senger and freight traffic. They Y
MT the money to do it."
II thought there was plenty of cap
ital in the country seeking profitable
investment"
80 there is. or was before the re-
cent financial furry. You know
none is the most cOwardly thing IN
the world, when it sees danger 1t Wall
outrun a jack rabbit seeking a place
of safety. But, aside from this re-
cent furry. many outside f1nanciers
are declaring hat they will not only
not len money to railroads
doing business in North Caro-
lima, but they do not want
other securities from the State.
They are constituting the a~nti-railroad
legislation into opposition TO leg1ti-
mate profit to capital generally. This
is going to retard the progress of the
State If it is not counteracted in some
way. The truth is a lot of politicians
are about to put the State in a hole
and it is up to the people to step to
the front and put a stop to 1T and this
I believe they are going to do. Some
body is going to hear something
'drap' before the next election. Mark
the prediction
The local reporter in another
column tells the true story in a brief
local item to his effect:
The reduced passenger rates or
something else has put a moving
about spirit in the people Yesterday,
at the time for the arrival of the mid
day train. in and about the depot pre-
sented a scene like unto the presence
of a great excursion to the city. But
it was nothing of the sort. 1t was
simnly an aggregation Of folks coming
and going. Trains arrived loaded.
Large numbers d~isembarked here.
Fully as many took their places. This
was not confined to any one train.
but to all trains coming from and go
ing in every direction Again in the
late afternoon there was a similar
scene at the depot, but the crowd was
not ouite so large as earlier in the
day
There is no use denying the fact
that by every mea possible the ef-
fort is being mad to insidiously mis-
lead the peopie on this matter of
heaDe fares amounting to "confs-
cation of railroads rights. 1t crops
out in all sorts of forms in all sorts OF
papers. and the Subsidized News is
simply a me too example.
Turn from that picture, and then
read the Greensboro news letter in
todavs News and Observer, and there
YOU will see a pen picture of actual
things. told by actual people, who
have no axe to grind. and are only
sDecimens of the great throng of every
day travelling men and business men
of the state. Any nan though blind
can see from reading this article,
that railroads are not losing by let
ting the public ride longer and Of
tener-
No,+b Carolina has set the thought