The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1914-03-19

The sweat OF the DIo" - |
,,nnities where it is earned, 10 De uio9
mated at distance in extravagan' lo
I;as Such a vision is not the Result
of nnre imagination-it has nao un-
Fort. natelv it's foundation OF ]ustlnca-
ron in a. few conspicuous instances
which leap to the lips Of everyone VINO
discnsses our present-day industriai
nrohlems: but every intelligent man
knows that it is no longer, II II e'el
was, the rule. ;,di-
Tn considering such lamentaDle HUI
yidral cases. the public, when 1ornins
i+e notent Judgment on the present si'-
,,.+;on of the railway industry, must !
recognize them as the unhappy e4cep
lions thew are. To him VINO msls1S
that the railroads should be Juogeo Wy
their black Sheep it is fair in answer
to invite attention to many eAenpiois
of high-mnded integrity III tlie e1u
nojaistration of railroad properly. we
in tho South can cite shining examples
If sucb rectitude / may be forgiven
a proud reference to my 1ate cnieA'
wjl1iam Wilson Finley, whose oppor-
+,,nities we're not less than those OF
anv of\ the fragrant individuals "
whom aImsion has been made, but VINO
otter wears of devotion to pubic duty
and the practice of a large private
charity, left an estate the amount ol
which, as announced In the pubic
nress. is at once a certificate OF can
did character and an illustration OF
i,,e+ administration. One who knew
them can add to the same roll OF honor
two more executives Of railroads III
the South who have recently gone 70
the grave-Thomas M. emerson anu
John w. Thomas, Jr.
! Despite the holding of railroad STOCK
outside of the territories the rallroaus
serve, and despite the alterations lrom
j integrity in the administration OF some
particular railroads, l believe that
an, not claiming too much when l as
sert that such has been the ueVeiop'
ment of the recognition in recent years
Of the public nature and responsibility
IF the administration of the railroads.
and such have been the practical con-
seouences of that recognition, that TO
dav in every essential a railroad oe'
longs to the communities it serves.
In this aspect and in very real
sense the Southern Railroad belongs
to the people of the South. 1t Is no.
onlv their highway to market, but It's
fiscal operations are part OF the HE o
the communities along it's lines.
At some risk of trespass upon you
attention. | venture to support TIL
! claim with a brief argument from sIa
tistics They record condltlon "hic'
! is astonishing and I confess astonlsh
ed me when 1 saw how far they g
along the lires of a tendency Whlcl
! T knew to obtain. OF the one hundfe
and three millions of annual revenu
collected last year by the railways II
Guided in the Southern Railway SJ'
tenn. there was Immediately paid on
again along it's lines at least seVent.
six millions, an amount not far shol
of the total collections from the PEE
.. pie of the South: for approximate
- twentv-two millions of the total rev
mes were collected froln people GU
side of the Southeastern States
- fact not often taken into CONSIDER
~ ton, the explanation OF which IS TN
~ an appreciate part of the passeng'
- traffic of the system consists or u
70 TRANSFORMATION of residents of 9TH
- localities travelling in. the South, an
~ furthermore, that to a large exte
=" freisht charges on Southern produc
~ shipDed to other localities are paid
- the cCnslgnees.
a. What then becomes of these gre
~ revenues collected in the South?
49, they hurried away to some cavern
' Wall street? No. The fact is tn
all the moneys collected in the Sou
VI are deposited in Southern banks viii
lo' are drawn upon from tine to til
~ only as funds are needed for prov
49,, fiscal purposes. The funds OF the S
A. TEN thus become an important fac
~ in strengthening the banks of the
90 ritory and so are at all times at
- service of the Southern people.
80, have said that these funds
49, withdrawn from Southern BANKS IF
no time to time only as needed for pro-
~ fiscal purposes, but even in that ope
49, ton, to a large extent, the moneys
iSCfe1 IOT tTduSpOl tdtloA ooA "ASO
our lines are not withdrawn at all n
~ the Southern communities in VIII
%. they are collected. This can be d.
w. onstrated by an analysis of South
80 Railway expenditures for the last
~, cal year. Such analysis shows Il
- :. of every dollar disbursed, 41.71 &C
- went to the payment of wages,
49,, stantially all Of which are paid al
the line of the road, and so rem
S' in Southern banks, a dlsbursen
- which, for the Southern Railway p
49, er, averages about two million
= "a lars a month. The purchase OF
W terials and supplies used 1880 &c
and, under our policy Of buying as
:, as practicable from Southern PEE
1912 cents of this was expende;
'oul the South and only Alb cents in O
w localities Miscellaneous operating
- penses required 500 cents, all S