The farmer and mechanic., 1915-04-13

IL
Is more prophetic of adjusted rail
road rates than almost anything else
that can be thought of.
Want Joint Through Rate.
Fayetteville folks are figuring now
to unite forces with the ocean navi-
cation companies to make joint
through rate from Atlantic ports to
Fayetteville, and to make that rate
effective by building a line of boats
that will run between Fayetteville
and Wilmington and exchange freight
at Wilmington docks The project is
only in the deliberative stages. but it
has been outlined in such a way as to
lead To considerable serious talk.
Water traffic is a big question Tt
involves nearly all the arguments that
are dug up at Washington and in all
the political campaigns from Maine
to lower California In this country
nearly twenty billion dollars is invest
ed in railroads. That twenty billion
dollars says that water traffic is not
profitable and practical, and twenty
billion dollars talks with a voice that
| can be heard. 1t is rather a hard
matter to determine as to whether the
rivers are used as much as they might
| be OF not. The railroads say the riv-
ers are too slow, and too inconven-
| lent, ana 700 uHIclldDIe, anu n lOl VI
| other things. and it may all be true.
The Mississippi could carry all the
freight that goes from Pittsburg and
| Cincinnati and Louisville and st.
Louis and Minneapolis and New Or
leans and a lot Of other cities on the
| stream to all the other towns, but 1t
does not. That it will carry more is
the opinion Of many intelligent men
| who are backing Congress in spend
| n n " a.
ment of the river and branches. II
it is to be a profitable and practical
carrier on a still bigger scale the
argument that applies to the Missis-
sippi will apply to the Cape Fear.
The Protection Argument.
Another big argument against the
river is the good old Republican doc
trine Of protection. ! don't dabble
overmuch in politics. but I occasion
ally mix it up a little as my olo
friend Bob Fitzsimmons used to say
with protection when IT comes my
way. One OF the first Of the old
Pittsburg families that l can recall is
the older generation of Painters. They
were fine folks, and they built hand
some house ON the north side In Pitts
burg soon after the war that was 6
, show place In it's day. Out on tht
south side was the Painters mills, ant
L
a neck tie used to go by that mil
} day after day and see the mill hands
: roll ties. OF late years l have beer
buying cotton ties, and l can no
cipher out why l should pay tariff
on cotton ties that the folks who ope
rate the Painter mill may have NOR
money than they would get if tie
were duty free. It seems to me the.
are better able financially to sell thei
ties for a closer margin and live NOR
: like I do than I am to be stood up b,
a tariff that ! may pay them NOR
that they may live on Ecsy Street am
live % Grub Street. However. thi
i is merely a personal affair, and
only to show that l am not wholly or
thodox on this grand old doctrine 0
n protection We would like to Sc
n ships come in great numbers to tn
e Cape Fear from all parts Of tn
z world, but they must be foreign ship
. q as much as possible. We do not llk
n 20 see ships built in America, for W
: do not allow Americans to build ship
except at cost greater than they ar
:. built elsewhere, and we don't like t
= see ships sailed by Americans excep
: at a cost greater than is the case wit
y ships sailed by people of other coun
:. tries OF course all this is irrelevan
- as the courts say when some teStl
= mony is offered that is not exactl
- necessary in the case, yet in a way
- has to do with the usefulness Of tn
= Cape Fear and the question Of trans
" portation by water to the interior {
= | North Carolina.
II What Fayette yili,. Wants.
o Fayetteville is am nitiOuS to see tn
Il long. reaching fcon, iho:t casWel