The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-07-23
THOSE INJUNCTION SUITS.

state or federal. should declare un-
constitutional the act of the lesisia-
ture recurring the railroads in this
state to charge no more than two and
a quarter cents a mile for passenger
fares. what redress will those roads
went into effect until the final decis-
ion have been selling tickets at TIE
reduced rates? Will the state pay them
for the loss they have incurred through
a blunder made by the Legislature?
The roads can't get the money back
from the people to whom they had
sold tickets. The state, Of curse will
not admit any liability on it's part.
Consequently the railroad companies
will suffer a lead loss.
On the other hand should the uues
ton in dispute be finally determined
in favor of The validity of the act Of
the legislature every person who Eur-
chased a ticket on and after JuIy list,
paying more than two and a quarter
cents per mile for the same, can have
the excess refunded by presenting to
the railroad which issued the
ticket the coupon furnished at the
| time the fare was paid. This provision
is made in the restraining orders of
Judge Pritchard and was embodied i'll
his decree, with the consent, if not
at the suggestion of the parties apply
ing for the injunctions. ~
Does not this show a greater els
position on the part of the rail- Dads
to act fairly and squarely with their
patrons than on the part of the men
who are representing the states inter-
est to similarly treat the railroads?
If the case goes one way the rail-
roads selling the cheap rate tickets
! suffer a dead loss. If it goes the other
| all who paid the higher rate can have
the difference refunded. Some adi-
tors in the state have tried to blind the
people to the fairness in this matter
displayed by the Southern and the At
lantic Coast Line Companies, by rails
ing the false and denlagogical cry that
those coupons were worthless because
the people would not take the trouble
to keep them for presentation for re-
demption if the railroads lost the
cases. That is a beggarly argument.
If those editors are right in their Ger
tainty that the statute is constitu-
tional, those coupons will with a GER
tainly be worth their face value, and
the la who is o shiftless to pre-
serve a paper which may be worth so
many dollars and cents to him de-
serves to lose the money Furthermore
such statements show to what extent
some men will stoop to incite public
animosity and prejudice against those
they have personal spite against.
In this rate fight We think the two
railroads have done some things It
would have been better if they had not
done but we cannot See that in seek
ing relief in the federal courts they
have defied or attempted to defy the
sovereignty of the state. The laws OF
the land give them the privilege.
Whether Or not it was polite for then,
to adopt the course they nave chosen
is ar entirely different matter and no
soever much n may differ with them
on that point it was a matter for them
and for them alone to decide. We
cannot see that it affords any ground
for demagogicaI effort to stir I'D public
animosity against the railroads or for
making the false charge that such ac-
ton amount to deliberate effort to de-
fly the states laws and to treat her