Year: 1875




passed an act providing for the pur-
chase, by the State of the Western
North Carolina Railroad, for sum
not exceeding eight hundred aud fifty
thousand dollars, and We learn that
the purchase has been made. What
the Legislature intended should be
done with the road after it's purchase,
will appear from the following sections
of the Act:


SEC. 3. That if the Governor, and
said Armtield and Robinson snail pur-
chase SAID road, it shall be the duty OF
the. Governor, 10y and with the advic4
and consent OF the Senate, to appoint
three Commissioners who shall mun-
age said road and its atftlrs during
the pleasure of the General Assembly,
and to build and complete the same
to its termlni ut Paint Rock and the
Georgia or tennessee line, near Duck
town, according to the charter OF EaId
Western North Carolina railroad Go
ard the acts amendatory thereof. They
shall have power to appoint the nee
essary officers to operate and manage
said road, and keep the sameIn repair.
They shall require true and accurate
accounts to be kept of all the earnings,
Incomes and expenses of said road,
and make seml-annual reports to tire
Governor of such accounts, and OF
their actings and dolngs. And they
shall semi-annually pay into the Treas
ury, except as may be hereafter pro-
vided, all the net earnings and income
of said road, and the Treasurer shall
keep an accurate account OF all sums
of money SO paid III, and write his
name on his reports to be submitted
to the General Assembly. The SAID
Commiss oners, before entering upon
their duties herein provided for, shall
execute bond payable to the State OF
North Carolina (which shall be APPROX
ed by the GpvernOrl in such sum as may
be necessary to secure the State, but
III no ease shall said bond be less than
double the amount of the net earnings
of the preceding Year: PrOrided,
That no person shall be appointed
Commissioner who has been connected
with any fraudulent transaction III
connection with any of the railroads
or other public works of this State.


Sec. 3. That upon a reOrganiZ atl Oh
Of the company under this Act the
State of North Carolina shall be as
signed three-fourths of the stock and
the private stockholders one
Iourth of the stock under such
regulations for apportionment OF
the private stock as the commissioners
may prescribe. That after such or
ganiZation the commissioners shall be
increased to four, one of whom shall be
elected by the private stockholders IN
such manner as the commissioners
heretofore provided for shall prescribe; !;
prOUi0ed that the State of North
Carolina shall, in all meetings of the
stockholders, have a voice equal t."
the amount of the stock assigned to
the State by the provisions Of this
Act


Now the interest, direct and imme-
| dlate, of the people of Wilmington and
| those along the line of the Carolina
Central Railway, in the speedy com
| pletlon of the Western North Carolina
Railroad, is not whit less than that
telt by the people in the mountains
AS we have often remarked before, the
future OF Wilmington will be precisely
what the Carolina Central Railway
shall make it. But when We say this,
We do not mean the Carolina Central
as 1t is within its present termini, but
as it will be, when it shall have estab-
Lsh It's connections with the great net
work of roads covering the Mississippi


valley, ard extending even to the Pa
ctic Ocean. The completion of the


Western North Carolina Road offers
to the Carolina Central its earliest op-
portunity to make one of these


connections. How necessary then
in view of the vast interest we


have at stake in this matte,


that the Western North Caroline


road should not pass into hostile


hands? That there are people in NORTH


Carolina and interests in North Caro-


lima hostile to the people and hostile


to the interests of the Cape Fear anG


OF the Carolina Central, we think there


can be no doubt. What sure guar


antee can we have that our interest


will not be sacrificed, unless we hay,


some voice in the Commission provid


ed for by the act of the Assembly:


We know of no other guarantee, ana


we, therefore, urge upon Governor
Brogden to appoint upon that Com
mission at least one man, whom our
people know will have their interests
specially at heart. This, and this
alone, will satisfy the demands of the
people in this large section of the
State. And in this connection We beg
leave to suggest to the Governor the
name of Colonel s. L. Fremont, as tha
of man in every way competent to
fill the place, and one who will give
satisfaction to our people.


The voice of the people of the Cape
Fear and along the line of the Carolina
Central must be heard in this matter.
They cannot afford to disregard their
interests, and the Governor cannot
afford to disregard them, nor do we
believe he would desire to do so. The
opportunity is a grand one, let us,
then, take advantage of it at once.


The Charlotte Democrat says:


We hope the Trustees of tbs North
Carolina University will elect Hon.
Jefferson Davis President of that In
stitution. and offer him a salary of ten
thousand dollars. While we have
differed to a considerable extent with
Mr.. Davis in some of his ideas on
public matters, we believe he will