The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-07-30

5. "
partrnent IS able to construe the laws
without regard to the views Of an
other authority and To punish viola
tors. Its executive department r.
vigorous able to execute the laws
in the face of Federal injunctions.
threats Of Federal troops. and he
most powerful railroad influence.
That fact was settled at SIX O'Clock
yesterday afternoon in the Capitol Of
North Carolina. when the attorneys
Of the southern Railway ana the At
lantic Coast Line Railway. which have
defed the laws Of the state and boast
ed that an injunction ~ q Federal
Judge could stay the whole machinery
of state government in North Carolina
came into the office Of the Governor
and stated that they accepted his ulti-
matum and were ready TO obey the
laws of North Carolina as outlined III
his telegram to the Solicitor of the
Buncombe district. The Governor and
Council and special attorneys would
make no change in the ultimatum
wired on Thursday and the railroads
accepted it, asking that a few day be
given to prepare the tickets and nee
essary Instructions before putting the
rate in effect. They were granted
until August Sth to obey the Law
that is the Governor will institute
ing for violations of the law until
they put the law into effect on their
railroads on the eighth of August.
The people of North Carolina were
startled and indignant when the news
was flashed from AshevilIe a few
weeks ago that Judge Pritchard, of
the Federal Circuit Court. had issued
an injunction ~srspending the opera
ton of the State law reducing pas
senger fares to > Ia cents on the
Southern Railway and the Atlantic
Coast Line. The lawyers we're astound-
ed that he should have yielded to
the plea of the Southern Railway to
grant an injunction contrary to the
law and the decision of the Supreme
Court of the United States. The av-
rag citizens, not learned in the law,
were indignant because he had pre-
sumed to be bigger than the State
of North Carolina and reverse the
usual rule by s~uspendfng a State law
pending a judicial hearing. They
knew enough of the laws delay to
understand that the injunction was a
virtual repeal of the . Ia cent rate
on the two richest railroads in the
State, for in the usual way of appeal
to the Circuit Court and then to the
Supreme Court it was hardly probable
the final decision from the Supreme
Court would be handed down before
the assembling of the next Legisla-
ture. That, of course, was the reason
these rich railroads wished the in
junction and slow process of the Fed
era1 courts
A few days after the decision by
Judge Pritchard that was equivalent
to a decree that the State Govern
ment was poWerless to enforce its
laws, this paper under the picture of
q North Carolina State flag, declared
that if the people of North Carolina
quietly submitted to Judge Pritchard's
void order they would be unworthy of
the traditions of the State, and I'M
worthy sons of the men who founded
the State and refused to let it become
a part of the Republic until they re-
ceived constitutional guarantees that
! thA T-a1N-nJ Il ~, o~,IJ 49,
control in it's internal affairs. alter the
Bill of Rights, deny freedom of re-
ligion, the freedom of the press and
those amendments to the Constitution
that guarantee personal liberty and
the rights of the State not expressly
delegated to the Federal government.
The liberty loving people and press of
the State were quick to resent the as
sauit upon the right of the State to
make and execute laws and from one
end of the State to the other the men
of North Carolina made known their
determination not to tamely submit
to this new and unheard of suspension
of the functions of State
With no malice, no desire to deny to
railroads the legal right of appeal,
with no personal hostility toward the
Federal judge making the indefensi-
BILE decree, and with no more feeling
than patriotic men must have when
the sacred rights are invaded, the
patriotic men of this State
made known then their grim
determination to resist the
usurpation and to find or MAKE a
to enforce the State laws defied by
the two richest railroads in the South.
The days went by. the feeling OF op-
position to the violation of the law by
the railroads and of criticism of Judge
Pritchard deepening as the full sig
nificance of his decree slowly dawned
upon the people. The time for hold
ing the first session of the Superior
Court was near at hand. Would the
4 State enforce the law. or would it ac-
cept orders from a Federal judge
Some oficials-only a few-counselled