Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-06-19
APPEAL TO THE CITIZENS OF
NORTH CAROLINA.

ISOLATION OF North Carolina three
weeks ago at Raleigh, when four
hundred of our States foremost
farmers and business men, repre-
senting as they did more than
forty counties, declared themselves
by unanimous action as opposed to
longer domination of the interests
Of our State by the railroads, and
who declared themselves, without
exception, as favoring a determ'n-
ed stand in a clean and well pre-
pared campaign for Immediate re-
lief, things have been coming to
pass all over the state.
County after county has pro-
eeeded to form is local branch of
the State association until, In this
short space of time, a splendid or
SANITATION has already been built
up.
The whole hearted cooperation
and deep interest manifested by
cur peopl in every section of the
State, means more at this time for
the speedy adjustment Of our
troubles than the more hopeful of
as thought possible a month ago.
This agitation has been the means
Of exposing to the gaze of the long
suffering and always patient and
temperate people, the unfair prac-
tees to which the railroads have
subjected our farmers, mechanics,
business men and manufacturers
all these years. The people now,
are not afraid to come out and
openly state their grievances for
the reason that no one section OF
the State has been more favored
than any other, but it develops
that all have suffered alike and a
commen bond of sympathy has
brought us together in a very close
and sympathetic union of our
ferceS.
The next ten days vii doubtless
e almost the entire State welded
together into a justice loving and
justice demanding army, and then
with our Governor standing ready
to issue the call, the people will
Use In their sovereign might and
instruct their legislators to do
their duty and end the conditions,
which so long have impeded the
development of our fair State.
Every effort has been made in
their usual adroit manner, by
those who prefer to stand against
our. people, to throw doubt into
the organization and among our
citizens generally by an attempt
to inject politics of about the
Reanest kind into the association
and It's ultimate ends. North Car
china has experienced in the past
just such tactics, but today our
people are too wise to be mislead
by our over anxious friends who
;Eould have the people believe that
III our endeaYor to display a rea-
sOnable amount of honor and man
hood, we would rush pell-mell into
a predicament which would bring
and ruin to our State.
The same alarm from the false
advisors Of a few years ago was
sounded when the passenger rate !
legislation was about to be enact
ed, but who will deny that the
railroads are giving better service
and earning more passenger reve-
nue. in the State today than ever in
adj their past years of prosperity.
VIII these persons who are en-
deavor1ng to create doubt in the
minds of our citizens, state openly
that the railroads are dealing fair
1y with us when these roads by
every possible means are actually
competing for every carload of
business from every section Of the
country moving into Virginia and
are handling this business at
about one-haf the rate charged on
this identical class of traffic into
North Carolina? Will the rail
roads attempt to show that they
are actually losing money on the
Virginia business and in conse-
quence of this they must needs
charge us double to recoup this
loss No. In all their adroit State
ments they will hot go quite so far
as this. The records are against
them and their own figures and
statements show that they are
handling the Virginia cities bus
mess on a proft-paSing basis.
The inexplainable unreasonable
ness of the discriminatory North
rates stand out as a warn
ing to outside capital to keep away
from our State and say to our peo-|