The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1908-03-31
Especial to Messenger.)

today wrote President Finley, of the
Southern railway, saying ne mad re-
&eiyed a great many protests from
the North Carolina travelling public
against the order made by b var
ious railroads requiring mileage
books to be given to- ticket agents,
who are then to issue tickets to the
passengers 10 point Of destination,
this causing what, he declares, to be
unnecessary delay. He say he agreed
in good faith with the Southern ralr-
way and thought it, with the other
roads, when he recommended a fiat
inter and ~intrastate rate OF 2 IL
cents, the railroads agreed to the act
which covered mileage books at 2
cents. the railways asking that 1t be
left to their honor to comply with
their part of the agreement. The gov
ernor says the legislature showed It's
confidence hat the railroads would
do this and that Finley personally as
rured him his road would, and that
he felt sure other roads would do
likewise The governor says plainly
II he had known such an order as
this one was contemplated he would
not have submitted the proposition to
the legislature nor would the latter
have passed the bill, but would have
passed a different one. He says Fin
ley is not carrying out the spirit OF
his contract and he urges him, as ne
directly made this contract with the
governor to rescind this order and put
the mileage books on as heretofore.
He tells Finley plainly the action
taken only makes the travelling public
hostile to the roads for it will GER
tainly bring about further friction
between the legislature and the roads
and Will be of no benefit to the lat
ter. In conclusion the governor says:
Notwithstanding the decisions in
the North Carolina and Minnesota
CAGES, you know as well as | the
state Is. not without its remedy, which
can be effected by the legislature and
neither roads nor state. can gain
anything by having a spirit Of hos
tility existing between them. | be-
lieve after you think this matter over
and see the order is not in the spirit
OF the contract made with North
Carolina you will remedy this wrong
by changing the order"
Evidence given by Secretary Brown
of the corporation commission was as
to the financial condition Of the Nor
folk and Western railway, showing
1t to be bonded at a hundred and one
thousand dollars per mile, to have
paid last year 4 per cent. dividend on
common stock and 5 on preferred to
have paid all expenses and to have
"a surplus. He filed comparisons Of
freight rates to Virginia and North
Carolina points further west, for ex-
ample, grain from Louisville to Vir-
ginia points, say Lynchburg, eleven
cents and to North Carolina, say
Durham, %, the rate from the Vir-
ginia points being II cents lower.
This shuts up the North Carolina
towns ave for absolutely local trade,
as the Virginia points can use the To-
cal rate and hen undersell the North
Carolina points. The meat rate is II
cents from Chicago to the Virginia
points, say Lynchburg, and 40 to
Durham, the rate from Lynchburg to
Durham being % cents. Winston
merchants and jobbers gave evidence
that they could do only purely local
business by reason of these condi-
tions, J. J. Norman, E. D. Vaughan,
J. D.. Vaughan, F. S. Vernay, J. NJ.
Rogers, C. M. Thomas, and others so
testified. Durham business men, in
Guiding Julian s. Carr, Jr., A. L,
James, and A. E. Lloyd gave similar
~egtG1ance. Here tie state rested. The
Norfolk and Western will tomorrow
put on a lot of witnesses, including
Brand. of the Atlantic Coast Line;
Capps, of the Seaboard Air Line;
Green, of the Southern; Davant and
Ruffin, of the Norfolk and Western.
The hearing will be adjourned tomor-
row evening as Commissioner Gle
ments must be in New Orleans Mon
day. 1t will probably be resumed at
Washington, d. c., as all local evil
dence will be completed tomorrow.
Governor Glenn, speaking of the
rumor he will lot be a candidate for
the s~enatorship, said: Senator Over
man, asked me the direct question,
Are you going to run against me?'
/ told him / had not made up my
mind whether l would do so or not,
but he could rest assured if l did
decide to run he would be the very
first man told of it"
The governor remarked he was now
going into the temperance campaign
with all his might. 90"
y The governor orders q special term
Of Wilkes court for one week, begin
ming Nay 18th, Judge Ferguson pre-
siding. The governor appoints DIR. A.
A Kemp OF, Lenoir, delegate to the
American conference of the recipro-
eating examining and licensing med
al board to be held at Cleveland The
governor on March 10th, pardoned
Henry Bryant, serving on the roads
dn Wake for larceny, but the fellow
escaped March End. The governor
revoked the pardon and notifies the
sheriff to recapture Bryant and put
him back to serve his sentence.
Capt. Sydney C.. Chambers, Co. NJ.
third regiment, at Durham, tenders
his company for duty at Fort Cas-
well maneuvers as coast artillery.
Late this afternoon, in the superior
court here, the case of state against
Engineer w. w. Rippy and Conductor
j. M. Oakley. of the SoutheE n i -