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

Raleigh, n. c., January 29.-The
senate tonight by a vote OF 20 to Il
passed a blI making the railroad pas
sopgcr rate in this state IL cents,
to go into effect the first Of April with
q provision that after the tenth OF
January 1909 the corporation comm1s-
sion may increase or decrease the rate
as it may be found confscatory or ex-
cessive.
The bill contains no proviso for mile
age books at two cents and two ana
a quarter cents, intra-state and inter-
state as promised by the railroads If
q 2 IL cent fiat rate is adopted, or
any reference to the 800 which the
railroads agreed to pay in the way OF
court costs in the rate litigation, it
being left to the railroads to comply
with this agreement made with Cover
nor Glenn.
The house Of representatives is great
" divided Oh the matter and it IS evil
dent that it will not concur in the
senate bill but will adopt different
bill The expression tonight is that
the two houses Of the general assem-
bly may not agree upon a bill, and
that there will be adjournment with
Eo change in the IA cent rate as
passed al the regular session in 1907.
The entire railway rate situation is In
night.
Especial to The Messenger.)
Raleigh, n. c., January 20
The house devoted ell day to con-
sideratiop OF the two passenger rate
bills, Chairman Manning annOunc-
ing all would be considered tOgeth-
er, opened the discussion in support
of the bill, known as the minority
bill, but now really the majority bill,
saying he stood with those classed as
"Stand-patterS" who believe last
years rate law should be repealed
only if it is confscatory, while all
evidence last year before the legisla-
ture and in the litigation showed it
was not confscatory. He declared
the people stood solidly behind Gov
ernor Glenn when he stayed the reck-
less course of the railways in their
attempt to cOerce the state, defy the
laws and hold up" its sovereignty.
He declared he had far greater re-
spect for the opinion of the North
Carolina supreme court than for the
opinion of a federal circuit Judge,
and asked where came the fear that
the state would lose in this litigation,
He said all the railroads except one
declared they had not consented to
the ~ compromise. The Southern,
which insisted on one cardinal point,
Is being now left out entirely in bills
pending the senate and the house.
His bill does not increase regular pas
senger rate from 2 Il cents. In this
time of extraordinary business panic,
the legislature is asked to take
travel as a test of permanent Condi-
tiOns. His bill so amends the law
that it can reach higher officials as
well as ticket agents. 1t increases
the length of roads allowed to charge
5 cents per mile from sixty to eighty
miles, thus excluding the Atlantic
and North Carolina, the Norfolk and
Western and other roads not inde-
pendently owned. The last section
cuts the last straw upon which the
federal judiciary claimed to have
power to annul or prevent enforce
ment of North Carolina laws, by pro-
viding the corporation commission
shall have no power to enforce any
provisions of this law or that Of last
year.
Mr. Mangum spoke in support of
the bill termed the majority bill, de-
elaring nine tenths of the people de-
manded the compromise. His bill
exempts roads less than 100 miles
long, giving roads desiring oppor-
tunity to sell inter and intra state
tickets for 2 1s cents and give in
terchangeable mileage books for
cents 1t absolutely guards North
Carolina from any further possible
Interference by federal judges. Such
good lawyers as Governor Glenn, ex-
Governor Aycock and Messrs. Wood
ard and Shepherd told him the vol
untary feature of the bill as to mile
age was constitutional The best fea-
ture of the bill is the mileage book
provision, this being an insistent de-
mand made by Governor Glenn, upon
the railways. Should a stockholder
or. bondholder attempt to prevent
the issue of mileage books and sue