The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-07-23

= Green. o. Raleigh agent OF
~ southern railway. IN wake county
...1 <nr a failure So give a hHndfsa
Ao,,.~ honA vas an example o: fatih-
tyi,rx. 20 his employment thai a. I"
marx 81 character Ia worthy ~ eNeF
,rmendats Agent Green II }A+'
re .arrihce to the determination
81 he railroad - defy the law Ana
bring ln,o contempt, the F7VeTe'she
or North Carolina was ar eShiob u
the g-owlnS indictment of reese
-ea4 INA, an awakened public ~
bringing asains, his principal and It's
associates Mr.. Greens course. ~ peF
hitting himself u he sent IL ja' toE
the Lack - a bond that nc could nav"
given an hundred times over upon
the security OF the people who nav
known him al his life. nScs him as
more guixotic than logical II MAS
"a very fine thing. perhaps. in MI
Green personally 70 80 - jail Il MAS
a very contemplate thing N the great
corporation that ala not hesitate ~
serve - own ends at the cos; - the
inevitable nuinl4idA.tA NA "a 1880 49,"
faithful erNant.
In A broader way tho incident .llus-
tratcs and Is typical Or corporate and
railroad policy. In very truth does Il
seem TO be the fact that the 'souless-
ness in theory which dennes = cor
porat!on has been made the principle
in practice. Confronted with a law
passed by the regularly constituted
authority. the southern railway did not
hesitate FIRST % impede. hold up =
attempt to nullify It's provisions on the
strength OF its own mere allegation OF
its unconstltutionalityi nor, secondly,
10 seek 70 invade the very Jurisdiction
OF the criminal courts OF the state
and usurp their constitutional preroSa-
tives through the interpretation Of "A
statutory Judge.
Having taken this attitude that IN
a time OF less Capitalization and more
individual exercise of liberty would
have been plain challenge TO revolu-
ton, it is not surprising that when
the liberty or one OF the men who
serve il was placed in the balance
against q tactical move. it was the
agent and not the corporation that
was made to suffer. 1T would have
been interesting to note the attitude
which would have been taken had
one of the higher up responsible
officials been within reach OF the pun
ishment OF the court. Would his faith
fulness have permitted him 10 spend a
hot night in jail, or YOU he have
given bond? Would the cheerful sac
rifce of the agent have found its coun-
terpart in the equal loyalty of the
official?
We would not be understood as CEN
surfing Mr.. Green. or attacking his mo-
tives. Loyalty is a fine thing. 1t is
particularly so when IL is disinterested.
For Mr.. Green knows-and all other
employees of this railroad know-that
a master that has no respect for the
law. whose policy Is to override and
brow beat and crush where 1t can
not otherwise control, Will treat It's
employees in the same way. The non
chalance with which It lets its agents
go to Jail is but typical of the equal
nonchalance with which, after it has
squeezed them dry Of service, It dis
cards the men in whose faith 1t has
trusted.
1t is the attitude Of halting at Moth
ing, Of hesitating at no sacrifice which
does not involve its own pecuniary
loss, of using character and life as IT
uses fuel to get power from It's con-
sumption that best emphasizes the
N pn9ra that in This hour of CriStS.
the southern railway has become to
the State. Capable of being a great
industrial blessing the time has come
when in it's policy and motives it is a
moral threat.