The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-21

~ FE~AkEEFN q FFAaE v " Tx
years of sx-3 per cent per year. !. Mr.
Hillman had had these figures avail
able IL ~ safe TO say that ne would
have shown that the rate which Tho
Justice baiI would yield would have
been IN the like proportion-and q
bow shot beyond 8 per cent or 10 per
cent IL makes some difference wheth-
er railroad officials are talkfnsLtnser-
roads-up or talking -them-do~n- when
the state demands fair freight Yates
for her people the railroads are aw-
fully poar-eut when the railroads
wish To place Il block OF securities
on Wall street they are mighty rich
And one Of the jokes 81 the case ),
the suggestion that the Atlantic Coast
Line Is not able to stand any rsdue-
ton In its freight charges Why IL
stock. beginning With the cid Will
mington and Weldon. has ssos~omed
ike Aaron's Rod. one share Of that
stock has managed to pay lis usual
dividend Of 6 per cent annually an.,
has swollen and swotlen and changed
hands and been taken-over and alb
sorbed and held by holding
and the like until today that one little
share OF the par value Of 3ioo. 90. II
ii could be Identified, would bring ii
7e0. go.
Discrimination Against North "a olinA
1t is useless for me to add anytt *
here "a What our witnesses have $50
we'll said that If North Carolina can
get fair and just freight rates =.
State viii take or new life-North
Carolina has been but the step daush-
ter Of the railroads We grow In
spite of them. When DIR. Groves Of
this city ascertained how high were
the freight rates in North Carolina
he gave up all idea Of manufacturing
his great chill tonic in Asheviile and
put his vast factory in St Louis. We
have no great wholesale houses in
North Carolina. We have no larye
| cities. We can never have them until
we get equal freight rates. This means
that we will never have any giant
banks, no large aegresaticns of cap
ltaI, no trust companies Of any size.
III Charlotte, Durham. Wilmington.
Greensboro, Winston. Ashesille and
Raleigh had had the same freight
rate advantages thirty years ago that
Norfolk and Richmond and Lynch
burg and Roanoke have had our North
Carolina towns would be as much
larger than the Virginia cities as rural
North Carolina is ahead Of rural Vir-
glnia. Think of how Virginia has
taken away North CarOliEa's chosen
sons, her educators and merchants and
bankers and manufacturers-4nd
why? The railroads have built up
great cities in Virginia and have { :
! eliminated against North Carolina
towns and our most aggressive young
; men find greater advantage else
Where where there are larger returns.
But there is the dawn of a better day.
Ii there be any way under the law
to rlght the wrongs OF the past. the
Governor Of North Carolina, our Cor
pOratlOn Commission and tie LeSisla-
' ture will sleep not nor slumber until
: that way be found. Was it Caesar
I who who said "Inveniam Vi m aut
. faciam?' Why, the railroads actually
deny that if the reduced rates increase
J the volume of their business. it viii in
crease their profits and offer ssveral
witnesses to the effect that they now
, have more business than they IL
do. One enthusiastic railroad witness
declared that business was f~earfulty
cOngeSted, for the lack of double
{ tracking-and that there was grea,
u danger to the employees in the rush
and hurry -burly Of traffic; and YET
when the people Of North CaroliLa
come in and say to these busy rail.
roads. In the midst Of his untx-
ampled prosperity give us reasonable
: freight rates." they change their tune
o and say they are too poor.
Mr. JACK Mills Joke.
The testimony Of this freight agen'
that they were SO busy on his railroad
n that every man was full-up and could
not do a blessed other lick Of worl
IN tiEth Ie ~dS ~ liz ubUS
Y have help and yet that the freigh
r rates could not come down a singl.
# cent reminded me of a story of my oil,
friend Jack Mills: He was canvass
q ing for his orphanage and spent tn,
e night with a brother who had mad
e so much corn and wheat and cot
l. ton and peas that he did not hav'
J. houSe-room for it all. Mr.. Mil
- thought it a good time to ask for
: contribution for Ibis orphanage-sn'
st SO he id-bu the rich. stingy broth 7
in the midst of his bursting baTBs
J. said he was too poor and could Civ
nothing. Telling me the story shertl
II afterwards. Mr.. Mills said hat tina
ID brother reminded him of the old nur
J. sery rhyme OF his childhood:
ar "A buckwheat cake was in he
mouth,
A tear was in her eye
70 Says | to her-Susah hanna
r. me h IN don't HrN'-