The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-05-09
Our Raleigh Letter.
GORMAN NEWS BUREAU .
Raleigh, May Chit, 1907.

The statement is made today that the
railroad officials OF the three big systems
in North Carolina affected hy the new
passenger rate law enacted at the recent
session Of the North Carolina Legislature,
the Southern. the Seaboard and the At
Iantic Coast Line, have definitely de
trrmined to resist the reduction in fares
aud to contest the new law i'll the courts.
This decision is said to have been made
last Saturday after Il conference OF lead
ing counsel and officials OF the companies
involved.
There are two criticisms from different
standpoints to be made OF this action on
the mart OF the railroad men and their at
torneya. From the viewpoint OF the
railroad people it is argued that there
are grave doubts Of the legality OF the
new act (which was not read three
times in the Senate and was 'railroaded'
through that branch Of the Legislature
by the lieutenant governor and the con
ference committee over the protests Oh
several Of the best lawyers and ablest
men in the Senate) and that ii the rail
roads calmly accepted such legislation.
affecting their operation without a con
test there would develop adispositiOn to
90 to greater lengths by subsequent
legislatures in this and other States.
ON the otL.sr hand the argument il
made that by resisting the wishes of tn"
minority of the people as expressed
through their legislative representatives.,
and by contrasting i'll the courts the act
Of the general assembly OF the State, the
railroads will supply ammunition for the
creation of greater feeling against them;
that il the present law is knocked out In
the courts the next Legislature will be
thereby spurred on to not only enact
another law that will stand the test of
the courts, but will be inclined to put
the coulter of reduction in deeper next
time and bring the rate down to two
cents. as the House wanted to do three
months ago Whereas, if the present act
was left undsturbed and obeyed by the
railway people, there would probably
not be any further reduction made in the
passenger rates by the next Legislature
and the two and a quarter cents rate
might stand foryears. In addition to all
of this. there w ould be no further growing
of the sentiment and feeling against the
railroads which now exists to IL cOnsid-
cradle extent because, largely, of the feel
ing that some of them have essayed to
give the people to understand that they
were beyond the reach OF the law and
were not prone to obey its mandates,
except as matter OF choice,
CANDIDATE FOR STATE OFFICERS An
NOUNCING THEMSELVES.
Although more than Il year will elapse
before the next Democratic State CON
yentiOn is to meet to nominate the men
who will fill the State offices for the
ensuing four years, from governor
down. q number OF aspirants for the
more important positions are beginning
to announce their candidacy, personally,
through friends, and some of them have
already begun to send out letters in the
interest of their ambitions.
There is n constitutional inhibition
against the governor of North Carolina,
after having been elected by the people
and serving full term of four years,
from succeeding himself and therefore
the present governor will not be a can
didate next year. But this barrier does
not operate in the case of any other
State official, executive, judicial or legis-
latiye, and it has been the custom of
late years to give them at least two
terms each. On this account all the
present officials, with the exception of
governor, were renominated three years
ago and practically without opposition
in most cases.
They have all served two or more
terms now. however and several of them
more than two, and several are likely to
be retired at the next election, il there is
not Il clean sweep made by the next
State convention. However, it is very
probable that several of the present of
ticials will stand for the nomination for
another term and the candidates who
defeat them in the convention have got
to do lot of hustling.
There are several candidates in the
field so far for the nomination for gov
ernor. OF the ayowed candidates the
most prominent are COnressman W W.
kitchin OF Person county. and Lawyer
Locke Craig. who was an unsuccessful
candidate for United States Senator four
years ago. and whose home is at Ashe-
vile. Former Acknowledgements Ru-
fus \. Doughton of Allegheny county, is
being urged by many friends and several
newspapers, and former Congressman
John ID. Bellamy OF Wilmington is in the
race also for the gubernatorial nomina-
ton. 1t is entirely probable that there
will be several other aspirats for the
chief executive office of the State when
the convention meets and it can
not be accurately forecasted at this time
which of these is most likely to receive
the nomination
Over the second most important e1-
ecutlve State Office, that of State treas
urer, there will be a warm fight between
the present incumbent, if he decides to be
candidate for third term as he probably
Will. and State senator benjamin F. Ay-
cock. Treasurer Benjamin r. Lacyis by
trade praeticallocomotive engineer and