The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-03-28
Railroads and the Pub
lie They Serve.
President Finley of the Southern
Railway, Urges Spirit Of Coop
Grafton Between the Railroads
and the People Of the Territory
Traversed by Them.
Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Richmond Times Dispatch.
Ii all railroad men were like Pres
ident Finley, of the Southern, rail
roads would be more popular. Pres-
dent Finley has good eve. He can
see both sides of the railroad ques-
t:on-the peoples side as well as the
railroads side, and whenever he
speaks he parellels the public's inter
est and the railroad sinterest-like a
railroad track Here's one rail for
you says Mr.. Finley, land here's
another for us. the two forming
track for the train of progress
He made speech in Augusta the
other evening at a dinner given by
the Chamber OF Commerce and in the
course ofhis remarks referred to the
early vegetable trade of the South.
'All the North. said he. has acquired
taste for early Southern vegetab les and
fruits-for Georgia peaches and for the
Georgia watermelon, which Mark Twain
once declared to be king, by the grace of
God, over all the fruits of the earth He
said this before he had eaten a Georgia
peach and, it is related that when he
| had tasted that perfect product of the
| orchard he could find no words capable
of expressing its superiority over every
other earthly food. 1t is not to be won
dered at that the people of the North,
having eaten the perfect vegetables and
| fruits Of the South long before any pro-
| ducts of the field orfarm can be matured
in their own cold ATTITUDES, should call
for more and should stand ready to take
| all that the South can send to their mar
kets."
| He then reminded his hearers that
in order to put their vegetables and
fruits into the Northern markets in
prime condition it was necessary to
have a first-class railroad service
Such a railroad made money for the
| farmer, but also made money for it.
self by hauling the farmers product,
| and SO their interests were mutual
"a railway" said he, in clnching this
! point, "can only prosper when the COM
| munities along it's lines are prosperous
and able to supply it with large volume
| Ct traffic; community can enjoy perma-
nent prosperity only when it is served by
strong and prosperous transportation
| lines able to expand and improve their
facilities. An injury inflicted upon either
must inevitably react upon the other.
| With this true relation between the rail-
roads the public thoroughly understood
| by all sellers of transportation on the
| one side, and by all buyers of transpor-
| tation on the other, the railways and
| the people along their lines will unite in
| every movent for their mutual advantage
and will constantly cooperate for the ad
| vancement of that industrial and COM
mercial development SO necessary to the
further increase of the prosperity of this
| city and of this section
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES that relation
| ship, and if the railroads will only
| hold down one rail and keep it from
going crooked, the people will attend
| to the other
The trouble is that railroad "mag-
nates'' do not give the people credit
for as much sense as they possess
They know what's what and they
] know what's right Deal squarely
with them, and the railroads may be
sure of getting a square deal in re-
turn. But you can't run over them,
Mr.. Railroad Magnate-not even
with a locomotive.
| President Finley comprehends and
other railroad men would do we'll to
take their cue from him.