THE PILOT Friday, June 29. 1903 Page Four THE PILOT Published every Friday by the PILOT PRINTING COMPANY Vass, North Carolina STACY BREWER, Owner Subscription Rates: One Year ^ $1.50 Six Months 75 Four Months 50 Address all communications to The Pilot Printing Co., Vass, N. C. Advertising Rates on Application Entered at the Postoffice at Vass, N. C., as second-class mail matter. THE NEW ROAD LAW In a few days comes in a new road law. Everybody is to stop at every railroad crossing and see that no trains are ap proaching before attempting to proceed over the track. It is a good law in its intent, being for the good of the driver on the road, and also for the good of the railroad. It is stated that the railroads are making every e- fort to have signs up notifying people on the roads that they must stop and make sure. But it is dollars to doughnuts that a large percentage of the people are not aware of the law. The law is to be enforced it is said. In some cases it will be. In some it will not. Some people will stop and look for approaching trains. Some will not. North Carolina has not enough officers to police all railroad crossings in the state, and for that reason some violators of the law may be apprehended and made to serve as examples, while others will not be caught if they undertake to ignore the law. For safety of the driver it is advisable to stop. Deference to the law says to stop. But as the enforcement of the law is largely in the hands of the people a sense of proper regard for the law should prompt obedience. Other road laws are disregarded in this state as in all other states where sufficient police force is not kept. to compel law obser vance. Human kind believes quite ganerally in enforcing the law against other folks, but not very profoundly in enforcing it against themselves.. We ha^’e too manj^ laws in this country, too many federal laws and too many state laws, for we have not the machinery for enforcing one in ten of the laws that have been adopted. If congress and the state legisla tures v/ould put in the next two or three years in throwing out surplus law^s instead of making | more new ones we would be bet ter off. But until we get our criminal code down to where a man can keep within the require ments it is useless to expect that people will enforce the laws themselves on themselves. The multiplicity of laws creates a disregard for laws. It cannot be otherwise. Spasmodically the road laws are enforced in vari ous sections, iDut the enforce ment is unfair. Fifty offenders go loose, and then a wave of en forcement picks up violators greedily for a little while after neglect to enforce the laws has encouraged everybody to violate the laws, and then resentment is felt. Everybody should obey the laws.. But some will have to be stimulated by the help of an officer. A BIT OF POLITICS The Pilot was asked recently ‘‘Who is your candidate for gov ernor?” The answer is easy at the present time, for so far but two men have appeared in the field, J. W. Bailey, of Raleigh, and A. W. McLean of Lumber- ton. These two men may be the only candidates when the day of the primary election comes, and they may not. They are fairly representative men, and possibly one of them will be the next gov ernor. But the truth is that neither of them is sufficiently known to the mass of the people to warrant judging them now. Mr. Bailey is a bright fellow, with much ability, yet with con siderable radicalism, which in things is a mighty good attri bute, and in some others is not. Mr. McLean is more conserva tive than Mr. Bailey, a business man of broad experience, a man right familiar with many intri cacies of government, not much of a ballyhoo, a believer in Davy Crockett's doctrine of being right before you put on too much steam. Now it might be said that The Pilot should have a choice and be positive about it. But that would imply that one man is in a marked way superior to the other, or that one is perfec tion, a case that does not exist. In picking a governor or a pair of shoes or an automobile or anything else always some things must be weighed against others. Later both these men will come more under public in spection, and as the choice must be made by the mass voters the candidates would do well to be broadening their personal ac quaintance as fast as possible. After that has been done more extensively it will be easier to pass in judgment on them. Meantime it is well enough for the citizen to ask himself what we want in a governor, and what we expect of one. Governor Mor rison is highly commended by some of the people, and sharply criticised by others. Not be cause he does any differently at one time or another, but be cause different folks want him to act differently or approve of what he is doing. Any gover nor who has any initiative will meet with the same reception of approval or criticism. And that is right, for a governor can never be in touch with all the people, nor can he be wise anough to be alw^ays right him self. And if he could be in touch with all the people he could not follow^ the wishes of all, for they do not agree. To tell who will be best man for governor is to tell who would best conform to the v/ishes of the most people, and to be sure at the same time that the majority 0 fthe people are right, which sometimes they are and sometim.es the yare ntt. Under such circumstances The Pilot has no candidate until the two in the field make themselves a little better known and with themselves make their views and principles better known. Unfor tunately this is an expensive job, and one that cannot in justice be asked of the candidates, for it does not pay them even if they win, and besides, the laws do not allow the expenditure of much money in the campaign. Which, being summed up tells you that The Pilot does not know a great deal so far about who should be the next governor, and probably no one else does. for it, gives it the help needed to make it, and when fall comes he has something to show for the time and money spent. He has a good crop this year as he al ways has and he expects to make