The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-02-12

continental Railway raises a most inn
portaut question OF state policy. Plans
have been made FOR the building Of a
InaerI1ccnr railroad from Knoxville.
Tenn. and the coal fields 10 WIyE..-
vile. y. G.. ANA hence - G~reenriile.
=. G.. ana also from WayaesNlle T.
RuthcIfordton via Asheyillc. and Il
delegation Of philosophical citizens
from Western North Carolina y ia
Raleigh to urge the granting of q char
ter to build that road and To guaran-
tee its successful completion by the
state Of North Carolina becoming re-
sponsibIe fo- tho payment Of four per-
cent interest on bonds OF eleven mil
lion dollars-that is to say the state IS
asked to pay $440,000 q year for thirty
years if the proposed railroad fails 70
earn enough to pay the interest on us
bonded debt. Western North Carolina
is in the clutches Of a transportation
trust that efforts excessive rates and
renders poor service. The advocates
Of the proposition say that there is no
! hope Of relief from this tust except
for the state TO guarantee the bonds
50 Iildt a new ana ilIIIlOi Ill ] O'i 'tAiA
be quilt. They say that the division
Of territory between the big systems in
the South is such that private capital
will not go into the field because he
great systems, acting in concert, are
able 10 brighten away capital, ana
there is much in what they say. For
years the big systems have regarded
North Carolina as a big Gaul divided
in three parts" and each system has
been afraid to invade another'S terri
tory for fear Of reprisaIs. Mr.. Barr,
former president of the Ar
Line, frankly wrote to the
of that his road could not
consider building into Greensboro for
fear of inviting reDTiSaiS INTO our ter
ritory.' Therefore Western North car
DINA is bottled up for the present ana
the Southern Railway owns it just as
2 third part of Gaul was owned by
one of the tribes. Its prosperity is re-
tarded because of this monopoly and
it's people naturally desire another
system hat will be free to serve the
people. Recently hen the Seaboard
backed the building Of the South and
Western Railway throueh Mitchell and
Yancey and Mcdowell counties, which
will greatly shorten the route to the
coal fields there was 4 clash
these big systems seeking to prevent
he south and Western getting Il right
of way through the narrow mountain
passes. But, suddenly after a hot
fight. the Southern withdrew its OPP
tr-.-. .l:, 1850, ,nl D.
thias act meant is left to conjecture
but it probably mean that there is
to be a community of interest that
is not to the interest of the people.
The projected road would develop
IL splendid section of the State and its
construction would be hailed with
pleasure and great faction. But
ought the State OF North Carolina to
under-write the bOnds-ought ii to
agree to pay $40, 600 every year for
thirty years if the road cannot pay the
interest on the bonds? That is the con-
crete question that is presented to this
General Assembly. In times past the
State has lent its aid to building rail-
Dads. In fact it built the railroad all
the way from Morehcad to Murphy.
The Richmond and Danville did COM
plete it from Asheville to Murphy but
The State furnished much convict labor
and gave away the o from Sails
bury West in order to secure its con-
struction. But twenty years ago the
State decided TO quit building railroads
and has leased or sold every mile of
railroad property it owns. Whether
wise or unwise, that is the policy that
has prevailed in this decade. Shall it
be ~changcd2 Shall the State return to
the policy of building railroads to help
a large section that is at the mercy of
a transportation monopoly? If 50, it
should build the road contemplated
and should also undertake to build
other railroads in other sections that
greatly need transportation facilities.
The first question to be decided is,
not whether the State will guarantee
the bonds OF the projected line, but
whether it Will establish the policy of
building new lines of railroad. If it
is decided that the state should
change the policy, then it VIII be in
order TO decide whether il shall
guarantee the bonds of the Transcon-
tinental railroad under the terms pro-
posed in the pending bin or whether
it shall itself construct such railroads
as may be needed. The bill under
consideration has many safeguards to
protect the State, but if 1t should be
built or a costly basis or not success
fully managed the State will nave to
pay $4,000 Il year for thirty years,
which aggregates $4,000, 600 for
which the State assumes Responsible
ty. Those who have studied the
whole situation do not believe the
State would ever have to pay a cent,
and under ordinary conditions would
not have to pay much money. if any,
out Legislators must of course con
slider that they are making the
State liable for 100000 4 year for
thirty years if the enterprise should
not prove successful.
While greatly desiring to see the
construction of the proposed railroad,
and believing its construction would
develop a magnificent n we do
not believe in this decade that it is