The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-01-31
Messenger Bureau.

Raleigh, N. c., January %, 1908.
One of the senator's remarked today
that one of his constituents told him
when the special session began to wire
him whenever anything of stirring
character was about to break loose.
The senator said that this morning he
had wired his friend to come down and
hear the discussion on the railway rate
bill, basing the telegram upon occur
ences in the senate last night when the
bill came up. There Is general COM
nent on the wisdom Of the temperance
! people In getting their bill through be-
fore the great matter for which the
legislature was called together. They
had the pleasure of seeing thier own
matter completely overshadow that
which the legislature was called spec
tally to consider; namely, the rate mat
ter, and there is said to be not a few
people In the state who are very glad
this is the case, as it was not desir
ed to have the rate matter cut so large
a figure as it did some months, in fact
weeks ago. This has been a rather
legislature, and no little politics is
injecting into ALMOST everything The
date of the election on the prohibition
question Is fixed at the end of April
in order to get that matter out of
the way of candidates high and low
in the coming campaign which prom
ises to be quite full or interest.
The attitude Of the republicans in
this state has some interesting features
too. A republican said today that his
party was now made up of office hold
ers and 1t was close corporation,
those inside thinking the smaller num-
Der the greater the profits, and hence
here Is no desire to enlarge the
strength Of the forces. The negro vot-
er now cuts no figure with the North
Carolina republicans, Or with the ma
tional republicans, either, for that
matter. 1t is said that with the COM
ing election fewer negroes will vote
than ever before and yet at the last
election barely 1000 Of them cast bal
lots. Some of the white republicans
are frank enough to admit that they
do not want to see the negro voter a
factor in any way and although the
negroes as a rule are very reticent,
some Of them admit that they care
much less for white republicans than
they do even for democrats.
The small railroads are very much
interested in getting relief for their
lines from the Legislature in the mat
ter of freight rates, etc. There are
about twenty such roads and last week
they got out a Ieaflet which has been
widely circulated among the members.
President John "A. Mills of the Raleigh
and Southport road seems to be TAX
ing the lead in this fight for the les
ser lines and has issued a new leaf
let to the members in which he says
that only five years ago the little
roads were not making any money,
though it cost 25 per cent. less to Op-
crate them than at present and freight
rates were higher in most respects
than they are today and with much
higher passenger rates. President
Mills says that it costs his read nearly
Grating expenses than it did five years
ago for the same service. The big
roads own the freight cars and he says
they have jumped the price on the lit
tie lines for the use of them, this not
being due to the Southern, SeabOaTd
Air Line and Atlantic Coast Line, but
to the big roads in the north and west
which own the majority of the cars
in use President Mills declared the
conditions now existing, will. if con-
tfnued, bankrupt every short line rail
road in North Carolina and that he
does not believe the people want such
a thing to happen, but that they de-
sire good freight service and safe
and comfortable passenger service at
8 living rate for the road. He says
the poor service will continue unless
the little roads are allowed TO charge
full cost for what they give to their
patrons and that railroad bmiding has
stopped forever unless The men who
are going to put theiG money ana e2-
ergy into it get reasonable recon
perse for their efforts Many rural
dis: ricts are suffering now for rail-
way facilities Mr. Mills built the road
from Raleigh to Fayetteville and the
,oeople enjoy it, but he has learned
anat road is not what the. .pe"H'e
thinks it is, for in the ten years since
he began work he has never fecelNed
a cent. of interest He calls OIL the
legislature to help, instead Of destroy
. the little roads. Il s
There is a bill before the Legislature
requiring railways to make application
TO the corporation commission, lin
cases where they desire to take off pas
r senger trains. and with a penalty for
such action unless by permission of
the commission. This quite largely