Year: 1868




to give the State voice in the management
of the road, gentlemen objec.ed III they
voted against the amendment they were
really voting to give the State no voice in
the control of the road


Mr.. SWEET did not consider the argument
OF the Senator from Pitt tenable '"3


Mr.. ROBBINS said he should vote against
the bill. i


Mr. OSBORNE had never doubted that the
Chatham Railroad would pay, as 1t passed
through some of the richest counties In the
State, and thought the interest of the State
in this road would be secured; but by this
bill the State would become corporation.
If the road paid its interest on the bonds the
State could suffer no loss, but if the State
became a stakeholder in the road, tue peo-
pie would he taxed to pay its share of the
interest. He considered that the Chatham
Railroad had already received abundant aid
from the State and did not think the State
should become stockholder 9


Mr.. JONES said that il this bill passed
without the amendment he knew of parties
in the city OF Raleigh who were ready to
file an injunction on the State Treasurer for
bidding him to issue these bonds. In order
to save the credit of the State, and to put
this matter right. it was proposed to have
the State come in as stockholtler.


Mr.. Cook said the stock owned by the
State would be preferred stock-and in
paying road. He considered that the State
should be entitled to representation for eve
ry dollar of stock it owned. He hoped the
amendment would be adopted.


Mr.. LAssITER thought the debate had ia
ken rather wide range, and conc to hc re-
garded more as question OF internal i'm
provemcnt than anything else. Last session
he was n railroad man and had aided them
so far as he had considered compatible with
the public interests and had done s0 he
cause he believed that upon railroads rested
the future prosperity of North Carolina. This
opposition to this and other railroad bills
and internal improvement schemes was but
the re echo of the sentiments of the Dem
ocratic party spoken on the same subject in
this hall over thirty years. ago. He was OPP
posed to those sentiments then and he was
opposed to them now. He bid defiance to
all such denunciations and intended to act
according tn his honest convictions us to the
best policy for North Carolina Gentlemen
who tell us that we must do nothing at all
to build up the State are enfoldcd in the
wings of that very party which by its doc
trincs, and misuse of its power, caused the
revolution which Frustrated the interests of
North Carolina and buried them in dust and
ashes. 1t was said that these railroad ap-
preparations would ruin the educational sys-
tenn and not allow money enough to build up
schools, &c, &c. 1t was not sn By aiding
internal Improvements We would give power
and ability to develope the dormant re-
sources of the State which must be done be-
fore anything else could thrive We might
as well call upon the dead to rise, as to ex-
pect any system, educational or otherwise,
to flourish until u proper state of prosperity
was inanguratcd. He had voted for railroad
appropriations in good faith, although he
had not espoused tile cause of some of them
as warmly as many other Senators. He
should vote for this bill, and intended to put
himself fairly and squarely upon the record
as doing his best to put this appropriation
within the proper constitutional limits as
originally intended, and as in favor of giving
the Chatham road all the advantage which
was intended to be conferred upon it. BY a
good system of internal Improvement we
should elevate that class which is dependant
upon daily labor for support, and aid the
great cause of humanity. and in doing this
he pledged himself to do as much as any one
to preserve the credit of North Carolina.


Mr.. ROBBINS intended to kill these bonds,
and defed the friends of these bonds to ever
get them tabled. He spoke at considerable
length in the same strain characterizing the
issue of the bonds as an attempt to swindle.


Mr.. OSBORNE greatly regretted the time
this debate had taken but more regretted to
hear the attempt of the Senator from Rowan
to deprcciate these bonds before issued and
predict reputation. These bonds would he
provided tor by adequate taxation and
would be honestly met Improvement were
necessary, would do the State much good
and the price must he paid for them. He
had told this to the people of his section
and they had come fearlessly to the front
and had declared their willingness to meet
their share of the taxation. If the people
of other sections of the State felt like his
people the honor OF the, State would be re-
! deemed, and no such consequences as pre-.
dcted by the Senator from Rowan need be
| feared. When this tax came it would not
| do for gentlemen to say II voted against
| this appropriation" HIS tax would have
been ordered by legal authority, to pay these
bonds whose issue had been ordered by le-
| gal authority; and this tax would be paid
and the credit of North Carolina would be
sustained by these bonds being honored.
| The friends of the honor of North Carolina
were those who tried to meet their obliga-
| tions and not those who cndeavored to in
| jurc these bonds. There was not section of
the State that would not be benefited by
the railroads in whose aid these bonds had
| been issued, and any Senator who really re-
\ spected the honor of North Carolina was
bound to vote for just such tax-bill as the
| obligation of the State required whether he
voted for the bill or not. lie should vote
for the bill come what might.


Dir. ROBBINS had desired to prevent an
addition of over $12,000,0O0 of a new debt
that The tax bill might lie rendered so much
Fighter. He did not desire to break down
| the value of any bonds already issued, but
wished to save them and the honor of the
State by having them paid, and by paying
all we now owed. But it was in order that
we as,igllt do that, and our labor to that end
he seeicient that he fought against the issue
of ta@csc new bonds.


Mr. WELKER had voted against several
railroad appropriations, and expected to
vote against several more, but did not wish
to I've read out of the Republican party for
that reason. He would say in regard to the
bifl tilAt if it was moderated in one single
point that the State might be represented
according to Its stock he would vote for
| it. ais should go home to his people and
tell them that lie had thought some of these
bills iAjudicious and had voted against them.
hut still had done so as friend of internal
improSement; that he had voted to tax
them &, pay for all of these bills. If after