The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-04-09


Fellow Citizens: l have grievance
and 1 want to tell you all about it and
ask You to exert your influence to help
correct it. 1t concerns every citizens.
The night 1 left Washington
bought two mileage books over the
Southern Railway for my wife and
self. I paid $50 apiece for them
two cents mile. They are inter-
changeable and can be exchanged for
tickets over fifty-fve railroads oper-
ating in the South. 1 exchanged this
mileage for tickets to Calhoun, South
Carolina, but l could not exchange il
for tickets from Anderson to Green
wood or from Greenwood to Colum-
bia. l note on the inside of the back
cover this conditions: Coupons from
this book will not be accented on
trains, nor on and after May 1, 1912,
in exchange for tickets for journey
wholly within the State of South
Carolina The Southern Railway
has my $40 for these two books, and
yet L cannot use them in the State of
South Carolina. l call this infamous
and downright robbery. Why? Be
cause north of the Potomac and Ohio
rivers and westward to the Great
Plains each system of roads like the
Southern sells mileage at 2 cents per
mile. No signature OF the purchaser
Is required. One may use such mile
age to carry his whole family as
we'll as his neighbors and friends. All
the railroads want or require Is a
coupon for every mile travelled by
every passenger. Why this dscrimi-
nation? Are the Northern people
any more civilized or better Christians
or citizens than the Southern people?
| do not think anybody claims it, but
all the same the people of South
Carolina are treated as though they
are criminals and convicts. Why?
Because they have not sense enough,
1t seems To elect men to the legisla-
ture who will compel the railroads to
treat them fairly and Justly like the
citizens of other States are treated.
Investigation will show that a large
number of the members of the lcgisa-
turc are lawyers in the employ Of the
railroads. Many of them are travelling
en- free passes in South Carolina be-
cause the railroad rate bill, which I
engineered through the United States
Senate, expressly provides in terms
that no free passes shall be granted
by the railroads except to their en-
ployces attorneys" ETC. 1t is
through this loOphole that the leg
islators who are venal can be debauch-
cd In every Court House town in
the State some lawyer represents the
railroads, sometimes more than one,
and these lawyers are often elected
to the Legislature. If a lawyer is
elected to the Legislature who is not
already a railroad attorney, he soon
becomes one, if the railroads want his
vote.
l want ii distinctly understood that
! am friend of the railroads and
recognize their great function in ad-
vancing the welfare of any commu-
nifty But South Carolina has been
very liberal in dealing with ahese
people and they have shown very lit
tie appreciation.
great hurrah was made when the
Legislature met and great indigna-
ton was expressed in speeches in the
House Of Representatives because |
had criticised members of the Genev-
al Assembly about their subserviency
TO the railroads. The House passed
the Rembert rcsolution demanding
an explanation. and ] waited patiently
for the Senate To pass it also in order
that | might tell the people Why |
made the charge. But no opportunity
came as the Senate pigeon holed it.
| would have been glad to have
shown the records from the House
and Senate journals of certain men in
South Carolina public life among
them Governor Bleasc. who cast the
deciding vote on one occasion which
defeated the mileage bill.
Now fellow citizens, this is not
only wrong but 1t is indecent. Such
corruption and Cowardice ought not
to be tolerated 10y the people. \ shak-
ing mp is needed and some men rctir-
ed to private life To Cogitate and pom
der over the fate of those who bctray
the trust the people have reposed i'm
them. This is day and time i'm
which the masses are more aroused
than they have ever been in my life