The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-03-30

ture. va made xhasrmaa a. -
progressive Demoerstsr raueas.
The Plight for > Railroad osnsnis~ssa.
One OF the leading ressvna meas
ures which the peopls Of tie STATE
had long demanded. and which for
many Legislatures had been defeated
By the attorneys of trusts and corpo-
rations 80 msmberx Of the Lexlsla-
ture. vas the Railroad Commission.
vas made chairman O. the sosns
COMMITTEES Of both Houses Of that
Legislature to draw and present such
bill. From the day this acilon was
taken By .he majority OF the mem
beers OF that Legislature. every Dem
ocratse machine politician in North
Carolina and every Democratic news
paper that waa an organ OF the ma
chine began TO abuse me more vii
Iainousiy than they bad ever before
abused any Republican or 4ny one
else in the State.
TIE files OF their papers will show
that they never abused LittIefieid and
Swepson and their Democratic asso-
ciates In reconstruction and carpet
bag days as they then abused me.
They denounced me as al anarchist
AS an irresponsible hare-brained
agitator-as an enemy Of property.
and as an enemy OF the State.
was unmoved BY their lying and
-
now. cloud applause.)
I'VE put through that Legislature
a great railroad commission law. That
law was one OF the best @ailroad COM
mission laws that was ever passed By
any State in the Union.
"While every great railway corpo-
ration appeared before my committee
and protested against the passage OF
: the law, and fought desperately tc
get 1t amended SO as to take the life
: out of 1t, yet challenge, to-day, any
railroad president or officer or attor
ney who appeared before my commit
tee In that Legislature to say that
1 or the committee failed to recognize
4 or respond to any sound argument
which they made why any clause o.
d the bill should not be changed in the
interest of justice between the PEG
3 pie and the corporations. Gap
e plause.)
Other Reforms Opposed by the Dem
9 ocratic Machine.
i cit was not only this measure, blu
n othar Tnaa SnraS which th,
t Democratic machine had either no
e advocated or had opposed, tina
}. aroused their fears. I advocated II
a that Legislature the establishment o
d per cent interest law, an increased
r appropriation for public schools, thu
g establishment of the Greensboro In
e dustrial and Normal School TO
n the Democratic machine in four o
g five preceding Legislatures. In tn
y face of terrific opposition l advocate,
e an appropriation for the State Uni
g versity. I also opposed and defeat
l. ed the renewal of the charter of on
) link of the Atlantic Coast Line Rail
y way system, until that eompan
l. should pay into the State Treasur
l. over a million dollars of back take
due the State. I defeated the renew
al of that charter because they woul
not pay the State this enormous SUI
of money which was justly due. TIL
IF next Democratic Legislature was cor
|! trolled by the monopoly owned Den
t ocrats. What did it doo 1t mad
s0 oc{o III ho oh pr fnr fb
a. Atlantic Coast Line, without maxim
rs that company pay the back taxes du
a. the State.
d These great, popular and ju:
IN measures which l advocated in thu
IN Legislature aroused the Democrat
tie ring and their organs to frenzy {
ut fear and to frenzy of abuse equal
e. the abuse which they are heapir
ne upon my head to-day. The wol
at went out from their secret conclav.
In and conspiracies thta this man Blu
ey Ter was dangerous and must
On crushed. Cloud applause.)
e. Remember, now, fellow-citizen
A that this occurred while I was ST
ed in the Democratic party, and was
~ q measure CuS I0duSI VI d OCiloSl az
n Legislature. Then what was the i
spiration behind the conspiracy
n, attack and defame me, while repr
at senting as 1 did, in my official capa
It ity, the majority of the Democrat
by party in that Legislature? 1t W
nd all of the machine elements that o
er posed the rule of the people; it W
as the machine that was in League Wi
se- the corporations and trusts; it W
is the small selfish politicians WI
| would cruelty the welfare of the pc
M pie for office and power, who wou
set pretend to represent the people viii
ar they were mortgaged to the trus
as and enemies to good government.
WAS those Infamous machine inf