The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-10-08
TO REv1vIFY AN OLD FALsEHooD.


and divert the peopis from the evil Of
corruption thai has been partially ex-
posed-for the Southern is fighting
against the fun look at the books that
will disclose greater rottenness-MF.
Page cones 70 The front and requests
the publication OF the following com
munication:
To the Editor: / fally agr1e with
you that all expenditures made oy
railroads should. IN the light OF an
awakened public conscience. be maze
for roper purposes and in proper
10 compensate for the ser
vices rendered. and no greater. I also
agree with you that the investigation
now being made should be thorough
and that 4 should go back TO include
the period from 1895 TO the present
time.
II the public is entitled TO know
how the Southern Railway has spent
its income, because that road IS con-
testing the . Ia cent rate, 1t is also
entitled to information about the sea
board Air Lines expenditures, for TINS
latter road also has a suit in court the
purpose Of which is TO anpul the 2 IL
cent rate law. There seems to be no
convenient way Of getting at the Sea
boards books just at this time, but
the payment of $4,000 or $4,000 by
the Southern Railway TO the Evening
Times for advertising suggests to my
mind the possibility that other roads
might have made similar payments
(similar in purpose if not in mount
TO other papers. Your very severe
condemnation Of the Times and Presi-
! dent Drewry for accepting his money
seems to indicate beyond question that
you think it was as bad to receive this
sort Of payment as ii was to make IL.
The Old Reliable" enjoys such a firm
hold on the confidence and esteem OF
the people that it would never be sus-
pected Of accepting money from a
railroad under any conceivable cir
cumstances. However, a little incident
came under my observation in 1904
when I was helping to investigate the
Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad
for Governor Aycock that l have
thought about often since, and it now
recurs to me and suggests q question
which l am sure you Will not object
to having me PROFOUND. But the in
cident first.
1. It appeared from the records in
the secretary's office that Mr.. Henry
Bagley. the Business Manager of The
News and Observer, was at that time a
director of the Atlantic and North
Carolina Railroad. by appointment of
the Governor. When we came to ex-
anime the stock record we found that
Mr.. Bagiey was not a s~toclIholder of
N1iS SoR'R AN LILY "AS ~
eligible TO hold the position or director.
it was explained by some n whose
name I will not now call, that Mr..
Bagley had promised at the time of his
appointment to qualify himself for the
position by obtaining stock. 1t was
further explained by another gentle
man whose name l will not now call,
chat he (the speaker) IA promised
Mr.. Bagley at the time of his appoint
ment that he would borrow two shar- 8
OF stock from a certain large stocs-
holder and have them transferred to
Mr.. Bagley on the books, and had for
gotten to attend to it, and Mr.. Bag!ey
mad occupied the position Of director
Tor about a year Without holding
stock. 1t TRANSFERRED that the whole
difficulty vas settled then and there in
the presence Of the Investigating COM
~Inittee, by the transfer Of two shares
Of stock from the name of the afore-
mentioned large s~tockholder to Mr..
Bagiey's name, neither of the gentle
men being present nor having been
communicated with. I learned further
that at that time Mr.. Bagley held
passes over the Southern Railway and
the Seaboard Air Line by virtue of
mis- position as director Of the Atlantic
and North Carolina. SO much for the
incident. 1t appears from your treat
ment OF directors passes when
MeSsrs. Cone and Cox were involved,
hat you do not think a great deal of
free riding should be shoyeled cat to
persons holding this position, even by
the road which they help to direct.
Now for the question: what service, if
any was rendered by The New and
Observer to the Southern Railway INC
TO the Seaboard Air Line in return Tor
the passes issued to Observation-Disclosures
Manager Bagley?
2. And this suggests another ques-
ton: The News and Observer has Decn
o. irvine tho schedules and HriJ1tfnQ /
notices for the Seaboard Air Line for
many years. In view of your recent
editorial u~tteranceS on the subject of
railroad advertisements and payment
therefor, it must be assumed that you
did not receive and would not have &C
cepted larger sums in payment than
were reasonable and just" However,
Il may be in this matter as in the mat
ter of rallr Dad rebates, that your
ideas of wat is reasonable and just
do not exactly agree with some otter
peoples opinion on the subject. The
Old Reliable must be above suspicion,
and [ have no sort of doubt that you
can make a showing that Will class
you with Caesars wife, but merely to
give you an opportunity to show to
the people that your railroad adyertis-
ing rates are really just and reason
able, would you mind printing a state
ment of the account between The Old
Reliable and the Seaboard Air Line
covering the years lldl MI. st. JOnE
was operating that roa Say 1897
to 1908 inclusive. If not too much
trouble to get up I am sure that quite
a number or your readers would like
to have a look at the books" z
have been told, too, that anything that
worth doing at all was worth DO
ing well, and. if you do not mind, 1t
would be we'll to let the statement be
complete, showing dates, noun and
voucher numbers serially, together
with a copy of the oils against the
road paid by each. Another thing
happen to think Of: If I read your
editorial columns will discrimination
you hold to the opinion that a railroad
pass has a certain pecuniary value to
the holder. This being true, please
include IN this exhibit a list of all
passes issued on account of The News
Observer by the Seaboard Air
Line, and also all mileage books is
sued on the same account for the full
period covered by the statement.
s. There is another matter I would
like to ask about, just for information.
[ understand that one of the most
serious problems publishers have to
with is the accumulation Of
over printed copies. l have been told
nv NY q or \ G a f-io- a. -