The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-07-15
CONFISCATTON OF THE PROP
ERTY OF THE PEOPLE.

III years ago the LEGISLATURE u
North Carolina passed a law fixing
the rate Of passenger fare on the rail
ROADS of the State at two cents a mile.
When this was done there was a
mighty roar from the railroads Of the
State and the Legislators who were re-
sponsible for this reduction were de-
nounced from one end Of the State TO
the other as anarchists and men who
we~ bent on robbing the railroads Of
their just ncome.
The railroads appealed to the Fed
eral court-the city Of refuge of
the railroads for many years-and the
State was enjoined from enforcing the
law enacted by its legislative BODY.
Inc grounds upon which the injunc-
ton was issued was that the rate was
"confiscatory."
Inc press bureau Of the railroads
went to work in dead earnest. Every
man who stood up for the people was
MADE to feel the force Of the i'll will
or the railroads. SO great was the
commotion raised against a two-cent
"o .lde many people were
deceived into believing that the Leg
lslature had done injustice to the rail
roads.
Inc matter was settled by cOmprO-
mise. A special session Of the Legis-
laiure was called and the compro-
mise accepted by the peoples repre-
sentatlveS and the rate fixed at two
and a half cents per mile, the rail
roads agreeing to put on Interchange
able mileage at two cents per mile.
We were told that we would then have
peace.
AS soon as the Legislature ad-
Journed, the railroads put on the two
cent mileage, but stopped pulling the
lineage on the trains, thereby impos-
ing on the travelling public unneces-
Sary inconvenience and ANNOYANCE
AT the next session of the Iep;s1a-
tnre an efor was made to secure the
enactment OF a law requiring the rail
ROADS TO pull the mileage on the
tralns-in other words, to hold tho
railroads in good faith to the terms
OF the compromise.
When this proposition came nm ,be
shrewd attorneys Of the r. i1road
On nan with q counter proposition as
sfhootn as silk and equally as thin
Inc Legislature listened to these oi1,,
representatives Of the railroads ora
an act was passed to require the rail
ROADS to have a window at no so
'iohs OF the larger towns for pulling
lineage. A provision was in the act.
however giving the Corporation Com
MISSION power to excuse the railroads
from maintaining these Windovc az
sucn places as the commissioners sau,
III. AS soon as the Legislature ad-
Journed, application was made to
euse the railroads from keeping two
WINDOWS at different stations. The
commission relieved them from th;c
al a number of stations. ColdSboro
being one.
n railroads had won again
Inc Legislature has passed laws
'hat permit the railroads to charge
excess when a passenger gets on >
tram without a ticket, and to hermit
'heH TO charge "demurrage, when a
person TO whom freight is sent nee-
lec's 70 take the freight from the
office promptly.
n railroads and their defenders
SAID that the Legislature was show
ing breadth and sense in enactine
'hese laws. n the members were
commended.
Laws prescribing penalties to be
paio oS the railroad for it's failure to
promptly ship or deliver freight and
tor its refusal to pay claims that were
Just without unnecessary DELAY were
made.
Ihese penalty laws were denounced
py railroad "cuckooS' from one end
OF the State to the other.
A red rag in the face of an angry
Dull does not raise any more commo-