North Carolina Newspapers

V - Mi THE KEWS AOT OBSEBVEB. SATirRUAT. OCTOBEIl 5. The News and Observer. .': , " DT T ' . Thi Kim and Crjienrtr Pet). Co. joshphus daniels, - President, t Office: News and Observer Builrtinx, V Martin Street. THK OJttT tAPER PUBLISHED AT Tins STATE CAPITA! trS5p Full Associated Press" Report. COUNCILS SUBSCRIPTION PIUCEr TMr -.00 Rlx Month ZM9 Entered at the postoftlce at Raleigh, N. c. a leicond-class mall mat tar. SATURDAY, .October 5, 190T Monxixo TOXIC. (President Hopkins.) Good-natured acquiescence Jn evil Is the bane and shame of our cltlzxen shlp. This is the plague of our time. Accident and crimes, infernal and never-ending, and no one. 1 yreatly disturbed. In New York, for instance, what is the life? The vast majority of its business men are all day long entirely absorbed in business fend in the evening in pleasure seeking. 'No civic pride, no public spirit, ncf moral courage In the most of them, no standing fast and standing tbgether against wrong. The strong and earn est, growing tired of an impossible task, give up the fight, and rood citi zens look on hopelessly helpless, and by and by the day of Judgment. WITH EXCELLENT TAST12. The- most significant fact In con- section with the exposure and; confes sion that Senator John C. Drewry had accepted money to subsidize tjhe Ral eigh Evening Tlnvea waa the jreslgna tlon of the editor of the paper. Dur ing the day after the publication un til Mr. Drewrys card was published Mr. Rotter maintained silencei After .Mr. Drewrys . statement disclosed the fact that, without knowing. It.; he had been editing a subsidized paer. Mr. Rotter promptly resigned "to take ef fect at once." On every hand there have been commendations of this hon orable course. It waa bad enough f deceive the public by reiterating that the paper ."could, get only transporta tion for advertising, though It would prefer cash.- but to permit the editor "of the pajer to suppose It Was free While Its head had accepted money to let it be a subsidized papervfor the Southern Railway, waa a wrong for which there can be no explanation or forgiveness. It caused Mr. Rotter to denounce as false what Mr. 'Drewry afterwards admitted to be true, and he was naturally outraged thatj: he had been placed in this false attitude. The Norfolk Landmark commenting on the, entirely honorable course . pur sue by Mr. Rotter, says editorially : "Mr. Sanford I Rotter assumed the duu. oa euitbr of tne Ralelrn Even ing Times early in the present year, upon the resignation of the 'former -r yr. Simnson, who had; a diffi culty with the management over a re port Oi tegiMatite proceedings ;ln con nection with the railroad rate pill. Mr. Hotter was assured that there would be no attempt to dictate his editorial views, and he took the position with that understanding. The . other day. when the revelation was made, of the abnormally heavy payments of? money from the Southern Railway tto State Senator Drewrv. President of the com pany which i publishes the Evening Times, Mr. Rotter s?ld that, he would .. resign as editor unless Mr. prewry satisfactorily explained the transac tion. Simultaneously with thre'pub- , ' lication of Mr. Drewry' s explanation, which was in effect a confession of Im proper relations between the railway and the newspaper, the Times pub lished the signed announcement of Editor Rotter's resignation. ; With . excellent taste. Mr. Rotter made this announcement as brief as possible. He simply did the proper " tiding In the proper way, and left the public to infer the obvious without ay .re marks from him which would have added to the paper's embarrassment. No editor who is worthy of the name can afford to stand for the policy of a . newspaper financed as the Raleigh Evening Times, Yellow newspaper '' methods and violent radicalism are great afflictions to a community but tner-oniy conservatism that is or any value In combating them Is the con servatism which is Independent. The means adopted by Colonel. Andrews and his railway in Raleirh rmist in evitably harm their own caused THE SPIRIT SHOWN. ? It was remarked yesterday by one of the ablest men In the State that the saddest thing In connection with the recent scandalous exposure of subsi dizlng newspapers by railroads was the spirit now shown by the" givers and takers of the tainted money. "When their wrong is exposed," he said. "Instead of showing by their words and actions that they Intend to mend their ways, they turn about and , try to show that somebody else is as base as they are. Their first Attempt rebounded and added to the contempt In which they are held. But If it could succeed. It would not affect their own shameful conduct." s; That statement shows there Is no contrition for the wrong; only re gret at being caught in the act and venom toward all who uncovered their sin In Its nakedness. Look out for those papers that have sever turned a hand to compel rail roads to quit taking hundreds of thou sands of dollars out of North Carolina by. discriminating and exorbitant freight rates, to get very uneasy be cause It is costing the state mpney to fight for the enforcement of Its laws. Fortunately the State has the I money and the people are ready to - spend what Is necessary to uphold the majesty of the State. Mr. Henry Clews is inveighing gainst the heavy fine placed on the standard Oil Company, and says the . man guilty ought to be criminally prosecuted, but the company, ought not tofbe fined! That would fbe pie for l the company, but would tfall to : meet the ends of justice. The man guilty of the crime should be im prisoned and -the corporation jheavily . fined. Any other method would do enly half Justice. - : GOOD WILL OF THE PEOPLE A valuable: asset. CoL A. S. Buford, at one time pres ident of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, is quoted as having said that no man could successfully run a railroad through a couutry where the people were hostile to It- Acting upon that theory the best railroad men have sought to develop the country through which the ' road runs, give the people fair treatment, and show them that the railroad was being run to Serve its patrons and not to exploit them. No railroad can gain or keep the good will of the people if, when its short comings are exposed, it at tempts to subsidize their newspapers, corrupt nominating conventions, con trol legislators, and dictate politics as it has been shown the Southern Rail way has been guilty of doing. It is equally true that no railroad can gain the ' good will of any people when it discriminates against them in fa vor, of competing cities in other States, as the merchants and manu facturers of North Carolina show is being done every year. The Southern charges two prices for freight to North Carolina people and then buys newspapers and hires lobbyists to convince the people that all state ments of the truth are the pro duct of demagogues and office-seekers. Does it expect to have the good will of the people by any such treat ment? o The Boston Globe quotes President Mellen, of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad as saying only this week, referring to the suggestion that It take over the Boston and acquired with the good will of the people it now serve!, and he adds that If it cannot be secured with such Maine Railroad, "provide!" it can be good .will "it may be well to proceed no ..farther." Mr. Mellen shows wis dom. He understands that the best asset of any railroad is the good will of .the people along Its line, and that In contemplating buying a new line a material consideration Is whether "it can be acquired with the good will of the people it now serves." What marked contrast is that with the statement of Vanderbllt, who, when told that the people would not ap prove a certain policy the road con templated, swept away the objection by saying, "the people be d d." We have had- we now have some railroad magnates in North Carolina who act upon the theory "the people be d-i d," and when the people grow : restive under any policy think they can crush them by subsidising newspapers. hiring lobbyists, and spending money to influence public opinion, control legislation, And de fy the law when they cannot write it. The time has passed in North Caro lina when such methods can succeed. If the Southern Railway and the other railroads that are fighting the rate law were managed by men who held the view of Col. Buford and Mr. Mellen, the present friction and liti gation would be ended in a week. They1 -would order their roads to obey the law, issue orders ending the gross discriminations against North Caro lina cities, and go to work to devote ail their energies to running their railroad and developing the country, and cease subsidizing newspapers and hiring politicians to lobby, and seek ing . to control political action.' But that will not be done as long as the railroad leadership seeks to destrov a Governor, a Judge, an attorney, an; books should be open to their lnspec editor anybody who fight3 for the ; tton. and makes the comment that the Just rights of the people. It will ; they are "conclusive." It adds that be done the first day the railroad ' "Judge Montgomery r-ud made a still leaders In the State understand that further mistake in ruling against the the good will of the people Is a valu- appeal of the State s attorneys for able asset. And nothing Is easier to ' the right to examine the Southern obtain than the good will of the peo ple 'for a railroad. It needs only that it shall serve them efficiently, give them fair treatment, and let pol itics alone. Isn't it worth while for the law-defying railroads to change their course and show that they desire the good will of the people of the State by quitting all discrilmnatlons. obeying the State laws, and appealing only to the justice and fairness of the peo ple who will be glad to have an end of litigation and friction upon the basis or fair treatment and observ ance of laws? It rests with the railroads alone. SHOULD NOT PERMIT IT. The attention of the Corporation Commission Is hereby called to the bad condition of the track on certain railroads In North Carolina. Upon some of them, the -Commission or dered better road beds last year and the roads are not yet in safe condi tion. This Is particularly true of the Carolina Central, the road from Sail bury to Norwood and the Murphy branch of the Southern, and portions of the North Carolina railroad. The Commission ought not to permit Its order to be trifled with and delayed in ' execution when people's lives are In danger. The Enfield Ledger of this week gives another Incident calling for at tention. It says: "The Atlantic Coast Line has cut the wages of track hands to one dollor per day Instead of one and a quarter, and It la said has reduced the number of hands to six to a section. It does seem that this force is Inadequate to keep a section in good and safe con dition. It may be this line is also playing the baby act. trying to make It appear that it is so crippled by State legislation that It cannot keep Its road in order." There Is no excuse for this. Within the past year the Atlantic Coast L4n has . paid an additional dividend of twenty-flve per cent, in addition to regular dividends on hundreds of dollars- worth ofi water, and some way should be found to compel It to keep Its property "In good and safe! condition." If there Is no law, the Corporation Commission should ask the Legislature for authority, though we think they now have the power to remedy most of such wrongs to the travelling public, THE TWO CENT RATE PAYS. . In nearly every instance, where the two-cent passenger rate has been put in operation under favorable condi tions, the increase In passenger re ceipts' have increased and the reduc tion has actually put more money Into the treasuries of the rsi'roul com panies. In the few cases where there was no Increase, the book-keeping has been attacked and In some Instances It has been shown that receipt wr not correctly accounted for. When the two cent rate was put in effect on the New York. New Haven and Hartford railroad. President Mel len predicted 'a decrease in revenues. At the annual meeting of the stock holders for the year ending June 30th, President Mellen makes the state ment that the company has found It can operate with satisfactory profit under a two-cent (passenger rate. The reduction in the passenger rate to 2 cents a mile on the whole system, which was in full operation for seven months of the last fiscal year, shows that it resulted in a gain of passenger receipts, where a considerable loss was anticipated. The Globe, which prints the above statement adds: ."While some surprice was expressed at the announcement of President Mellen, that the 2-cent rate pays on the New York, New Haven and Hart ford, it is found nevertheless that the 2-cent fare after all is not a bad thing and really brings an Increase of revenue without any additional cost of equipment. "The New York Central has . had a 2-cent rate for quite a long time, and in this State interests competing with it have been obliged to follow suit or lose patronage. "The Erie Railroad, which on ac count of its large commuter business, is really charging about a cent and a quarter, finds the 2-cent rate profit able and admits that it is after all a good thing. "It is pointed out that there is a big increase in the number of passengers since the adoption of the two-cent rate, and the Erie people ask 'if we can fill a car built for sixty at 2 cents a mile, is it not more profitable than to' have only a dozen qr eighteen ?' "In localities where trolleys were in troduced in competition before the 2- cent fare became a matter of law in Ohio, it is said there is not likely to be much increase because for short journeys people will not bother about the steam lines. "The Erie increase of passengers during the year was 1,383.701, but whether this was due to reduced rates it is ald it is hard to decide, but it is believed that the lower fare3 were really the cause." There seems to be no doubt that travel has increased in North Caro lina on the roads that now charge only 2 1-4 cents. The only three towns that have furnished figures Selma, Morganton and Statesville show in crease. Sworn reports show that the reduction will leave earnings on the big roads of more than ten per cent, even If there should be no increase in travel. The Subsidized Southern Railway Evening Times must take the folks for a passel of fols Smarting under ; the exposure that it sold Itself to the rail-rode, it is a trying to fling some mud on the Old Reliable that expos ed its rottenness. The 1 mud won't stick. We folks see It Is a game of trying to escape its own wrong doing by abusing the solicitor who convict- j ed it. The folks have more sense than any rale rode orgin gives 'em credit ! with having. Rhamkatt Roaster. 1 The Fayetteville Observer quotes the reasons given by the State's at torneys why the Southern Railway's Railway's books back to 1S06." Wadesboro, through Mayor Brock, will appeal to the Corporation Com mission to hear the request of the peo ple of that town to require the Sea board and Atlantic Coast Line to build a union depot. One Is very much needed. Isn't It strange that these big railroads will not give the people prop er accommdations except under com pulsion? SPIRIT OF THE PRESS The Railroads and Tlu? Press. Richmond Times-Dispatch. In a recent issue of the Raleigh Evening Times It was promised that Senator Drewry, president of the com pany which publishes that newspaper, would make "a full and frank state ment" of his entire connection with matters pertaining to the Southern Railway vouchers. Senator Drewry has made a statement, but. according to the snyopsis which was published In The Times-Dispatch or yesteroay it was not "full." and. we fear, not altogether "frank." He says that he approached Col. A. B. Andrews, vice-president of the Southern. Railway Company, with reference to the publication of an ideal afternoon newspaper In Raleigh, and asked what he would contribute to such an enterprise; that Colonel Andrews replied that he would take no stock, but would give advertising In the Times to the extent of a few thousand dollars in publishing schedules, special notices, and such clippings from other papers as he might designate, the editorial columns to be left entirely with the editor. But why should the Southern Rail way Company be interested in see ing an "Meal" afternoon newspaper in Raleigh "with full Associated Press dispatches?" There can be no doubt in the mind of any Intelligent man that the Southern Railway Company helped the Raleigh Times under an agreement, expressed or implied, that the newspaper would help the rail road. Thc money which was paid was a subsidy, pure and simple, and fc:-Lh .J MM mm AAA Vi e""C,"V 'i':rn lJViaivl v v - wsa t ,r m V4 721T J?. .Sr..Whlch th4 Trd God did give him In desired a friendly newspaper at Ral elgh. for the morning paper was hostile, and was fighting the Southern at every turn. It had a rieht to make a deal with the Raleirh Times, and the Times had a right to make a deal with the railroad: but the bargain should not have been made In a corner. It should have been an nounced through the columns of the naper that the ideal was on. and then Vuch" 1nporlinc; to"lttecn to the 4 editorial opinions of tho Times.- if a publisher wishes to conduct a rail road organ for a price. It la his privi lege to; do so; but there should be no sailing 'under false colors, lie should not pretend to ne publishing an inde pendent newspaper, wtien be is pub- usaine; subsidized organ. But bur advice to the railroads is that they had better keep out of i all such deals. The influence of a news paper which can be purchased is ttot worth the price. The public cannot be fooled for long, and sooner or later the secret will out. There la a better way. The newspapers of the South, as a whole, are honest And fair. Their influence cannot be purchased with money lor favors, but their good will can always be had from men and corporations that deserve It. The rail roads may gain the influence, good will and friendly co-operation of the preas by giving the public a square deaL . Might Have Said It Next Day. I Charlotte Chronicle. Senator Drewry says he delayed making the statement In order to have the details verified, but we can see nothing in it that could not have been as well said on the day the matter was made public. The dates as to when the two checks were de poslted in the bank, or when the third was returned to the railroad company are immaterial. The cir cumstances of receiving the money and the service expected of the Times for it was what the public was inter ested in. Just how it may be regard ed as; affecting the paper may be judged from the resignation of its editor. But almost any circumstance, no matter how unfortunate, may aft ford some cause for congratulation if the cause be sought for. We take consolation that it is the only blot on the pages of the history of the news papers; of the State. It -is the only newspaper scandal in North Carolina within! our recollection and may it be the? last. Yes, "Turn on the Light." Wilmington Dispatch. The 1 Greensboro Industrial Newt has started an advocacy that has met with the hearty approval of the Dem ocratic press of North Carolina so faf as cornment has gone up to' the presi ent time. The News wants to "turn on the light" on all the Southern's books, claiming that at different times contributions were made to the Demo cratic campaign fund, though remain? ing very quiet about other thins-! Still the keynote is a srood one and ! should, be struck bv all the Demo j cratic press. There has been rumors 'about Various contributions., and con- j tributiens made on both side bf the fence, though these rumors may not I be, so. i However, arood wav t de I terming them, especially in view of ! me urewry exposure, is to "turn on the light." Let the investigation be a thorough and rigid one wherever the chips fall. Go back ten years, twenty; years if necessary, and ascer tain if any tricks have been played by the; Southern in conjunction with wily or corrupt politicians, with the aid of ; sly or nefarious newspaper men. Special Master Montgomery should fallow if possible such ah in vestigauon, but if it is not In his province why the United States Court I titled to close their books to the au itself should permit it. Probe simply I thorltles or representatives of States for corruption, but not to divulge any! ,n which they do business Until this legitimate business secrets, Our Duty In Maintaining Southern j ; IdcalH. ! Upocii such dealings as this (the i giving pf $6,000 to Senator John G Drewry president of the Times from the Southern Railway) our people can not afford to look with the: least gree of allowance. We of the South have long boasted of the purity of our politics boasted that neither out Eublic men nor our newspapers have een ovcioome of the lust for gold, and thai our cities have been free of that tJnt of graft which has made a stanch of the names of manv a i Northern metropolis. Now If we are to maintain our traditions, if the hono of the fathers Is to be kept in erate thTpVoJ press nbi countenance even the ap4 pearance of evil ocx the part of the man chdsen. as the unbiased and un TMirchasable defender of the rights of an the people. And If a man be per fonally jpopular and wear the? out ward appearance of virtue, all the more reason for condemnation If he betray His trust. In thUjf transition period of Southern life, In this time when prosperity would seek' to make us money-mad. we mustj preach even more strenuous ly than ever before the stern and un relenting ideals of honor which have; been our chiefest heritage. We regret this occurrence for many; reasons. For o- thing, we; are not sure but that the anti-railroad agi tation 1st in more danger of becom ing frenfcied and unreasoning: and if It appea- that railroads are" seeking to corrupt public . office of public press, the anger of the people can but wax hotrr. From the clearer air of an adjoining State, the Richmond Times-Dlpatch concludes . its Obser vations on this case with these true words, which we are glad to adopt as our own "That I a railroad employe should masquerade In the Legislature as a representative of the public! interest and a newspaper suhsHlzd bv rail road moriey as a champion of popular rights is! a travesty which the virtue attorneys found record of three 12. and intelligence of the American pea- 000 vouchers paid to, Drewry and the Pie Will jnever tolerate. The sooner Times dnrlno- a nirln,1 nf ten trinnths railroad corporations and all other corporations learn this for themselves the better it will be for their Inter est." ; The Fourth Estate. GoldsboM Angus. Anent the recent newspaper revela tions in Raleigh, the Argus has bided a hearing from Mr. .Tnr r nrewrv before glvinsr expression to criticism. In the hpel that there was some mis take about It all; In. the hope that the journalistic profession of North Car olina and the good old State, herself would be spared the pain and hu miliation I of realizing- that there ex isted within her borders a subsidized ewspapef posing to the public to be otherwise. But now that this hope deferred has not been fulfilled; now that the bald fat stalks forth ' In hideous reality, through the signed statement of Mr. Drewry. published in his own paper the Raleigh Evening Times on Saturday, and to be found -elsewhere In this issue, the Argus, in; whose heart the milk of human kindness never curdles and the well of charity ever free, stands mute for words' tempered to suit its dispo sition yetJ capable of Just crltclsm. Mr. Drewry's card carries Its own sickening comment, and an Intelligent public. the decrees of whose supreme tribunal, whom all the facts are dis passionately before it. are rarely ever ther thah Just, will pass Judgment thereon, and execution dll follow I P!te that , these lines may be writ of ,ri "He live- and yet Is dead: for lo! hi. t V si VSI the land Are desolate." This Incident, however, slckenlnr as t Is. subserves the encouragement of he brethern whose feet tread the hlarh plalrt of professional ethics, in hat virtue of the Fourth Estate, to the confidiTOce In which It is! held by the general public, than tho universal eppallment with which this r revela tion of the Drewry -Times-Southern Railway . financial ' incidents i is - re ceived. ' i And right here, and in conclusion. we take this occasion to say, that the Argus is a friend to railroads, be cause It Is of the peoples and for the, people, and railroads are the great est developres of opportunities for the enlightment, enrichment, conven ience ana happiness of the people. To this end we believe In? giving rail roads ample latitude, within ; legal and Just restrictions. This position the Argus has maintained at all times and still asseverates; but the Southern Railway, that has done so much for the develpoment and prosperity of western and central North Carolina, has now lost the confidence of the public throughout the entire ramifi cations of its manifold: lines, and should bo re-organized and remaned before it can ever hope for re-instal-ment in the good graces of un out raged people. t As to Mr.. Drewry's Statement. Wilson Times. We sincerely regret the unfortunate position that the Raleigh Times has gotten Into. The Charlotte Observer terms it a tragedy, and we quite agree with its designation. It ls: such a pity, and we believe there are' a number of editors who will feel sorry for the plight which the Times- bas - gotten Into. The Times needed: money, and there was a party who was anxious to see the Times live, and the con tributed money, but it came as the funds from a great corporation, that Just now stands in bad odor with the people Of the State. It looked like a subsidy. There are a number of edi tors in North Carolina that; would no sooner take such money than they would touch the fangs S of a pois onous reptile, and then there are oth ers who would have taken It gladly. And we are of the opinion that there are others who have taken it and the only reason they are spared the shame and humility that has over taken the Times is because they were not found out. I ! . For Mr, George B. Crater, the pub lisher of the Times, we feel the ut most sympathy. He did hjs first news paper work In the office of the author of this article. He afterwards worked on the Charlotte Observer. Mr. Drewry's statement which we publish elsewhere must have been to him a humiliating confession, while the conditions surrounding th trans action that Mr. Drewry confesses to may seem under certain! conditions plausible, it was evidently wrong. It has been 'done before by great cor porations, and will be done again, but when ever such a matter Is uncovered and the public looks at it straicht it will always condemn it 5 Feci Like Thoy Got a Gold Brick. Charity and Children The Southern Rallwav investigation has disclosed the startling fact that the Raleigh Evening Times has receiv ed 16,000 from that great-corporation for advertising. In view! of this in formation we wonder how those vot ers in Wake county who voted against Mr. Percy Olive, for Senator feel. . The Courts and the Railways. Fayettev'Jle Observer. We ao'.-end an article from the Ral eigh News and Observer, Jn which the Question Is asked if railwavs are en- question was asKea it neyer occurred to us that there could .bf other than the answer that they could not do so. The matter Is of the highest im portance. If there be any doubt about the law. .the next Legislature . shoulu remove It Indeed, so -far ' as our opinion goes, the present Legislature should be re-convenod for the pur pose. The expense would be a trifle compared with the resultiS If a State law would -not reach the difficulty, then let the leading plank of the Democratic platform. State and national, be Decentralization, i It will be recalled that the preamble of tha North Carolina ": Democratic platform jof 1898 declared that the issue of centralization was the issue of issue between the two parties, from Jefferson's timo to the present; and they jwho look them up will find that tho i national platform of that year adopted this exordium of the North Carolina clatfdrm.. i It is the courts and te railways now, but ! every political evil df today Is, and every one of tomorrow wi.H be. referable to centralization: of the powers cjf government. 3 Surpr'sin That tho Grand Jury of Wake County Adjourned Without Finding Some Bribery . Indict ment. 1 Moore Coun .y News. During the summer of 1906 John C. Drewry. President of the Raleigh Evening Times, was a candidate for nomination r.s one of the Senators for Wake county. The News and Obser ver bitterly opposed ' him, charging that he was too much under the In fluence of the Southern railroad and other corporations to jrnaketa safe rep resentative of the people. In the I primaries Drewrf wfas suc cessful, and we applauded, because we thought the News and Observer waa persecuting him. but time :ha: proven that the News and Observer was right in its suspicion that Drewry was a creature of the Southern , railroad. In the railroad rate investigation before Special Master Montgomery in j nald ostensibly for advertising che- dules and special notices.' The first $2,000 of this money was . paid while Drewry was making the race ifor the nomination for senator a. so-t of a j campaign fund, and the balance later ! on. .3 . When the vouchers were first un-1 earthed and the matter made public, j the Times pretended" total ignorance of the payments, and , the business manager," Crater, told two or three reputable gentlemen that 'the Times never got a cent of the JB.000. The next day he tried to get out of his ver bal statements and said the Times did get the money. Later prewry published a card claiming i that the Southern railroad gave him! this money to help the Times along. : His card of explanation Is entirely too lame,' and confirms the Impression that Drfwry Is a creature of the Southern railroad, and that this money was simply paid to take care of and hold their own. In thisi connection, it is surprising to us that the Wake county grand Jury adjourned last Saturday without finding some bribery indictments. 1 i 1 ;. i Mr. Drewry Acknowledges tlie Coin. Ashevillei Gazette-News. f Saturday afternoon the Times pub lished a statement from. State Senator Drewry. the president of the. Times company.l The statement was publish ed In black faced type, in the Interest of emphasis, we assume, and evidently after some hesitancy ; on the part of the publishers of the paper. Only a single late edition Was m published. There was little in the statement to warrant the use of the ad, type, save that paragraph In which ilr. Drewry "acknowledges the corn." w We have been Interested ' to observe the comments of thd press of the State upon theie developments, particularly the views of that part of the press which has been classified in the public prints, and in the public mind, as conservative... The Wilmington Mes senger a iday or so ; r" i the opinion that some e , C . .. -'. the -ibllc. and It . - p think that it looked coneemea. ine . vjx .u' withheld tits opinio iruu when It recited the facts, and passed Judgment, briefly, upon them. - It says tnat, except that by Mr. urewrjr showing no part of the money receiv ed was used to aid him in his candi dacy for the State Senate, or influenc ed his conduct as a legislator, f "it does not as it appeals to us, help the case at all." Perhaps the Observer would not. even in this regard. have tempered its adverse criticism, had it known. as it has now been made to appear, that Senator Drewry voted Vir tne rate reduction bills only af i ter he had exhausted all the obstruc tive tactics known to parliamentary law, and after it appeared that his individual vote was of little j conse nuence. one way or another. Stick to Facts. Charlotte News. In the course of a self-laudatory ed itorial tho Raleigh Evening Times says: "And what is equally true and im- nortant the largest constituency of any afternoon paper in North Caro lina will continue to read and appre ciate tha Times as a paper that print both sidet to controversies, etc." In another place the Times says: "The advertising patronage of the Times ha been larger for the past two yean than that of any other pa per issued In this section or tne coun try." . The above is all risrht in every re nrt. if tt la true. In tne first place. If "constituency" refers to paid sub scribers and paid advertising The News claims more of both than the Times or any other afternoon paper in the two Carollnas. as an examuia Hon nf the hnobi we believe Will shOW. though The News may. not brag of Riirh a.dvertlsin rates as S4.000 for 175 inches. In the second place, if "this section of the country" reaches as far as Charlotte our contemporary Is wron again. Nothing like sticking to the facts, contemporary. It won t hurt in the long run. Makes a Difference. Webster's Weekly. Far from Mr. Bryan standing In the way of any Southern man of Pres idential proportions, the record is that he was urging the Southern Democrats six years ago to assert their right and put forward one of their number. This met with objection from the Charlotte Observer, which said in its Issue of Monday. July 22, ltOl: "The Republican papers generally are endorsing Mr. Bryan's suggestl presidential candidate in the South: They say that it Is a capital idea, and so It Is. from a Republican standpoint. Will they never be satisfied with the size of the majority against the Demo cj' i" nominee?" At the national convention of 1904 Mr. Bryan placei the rame of a South of New York, holding with Senator Cockrell. of Missouri, who was a gal 'ant Confederate soldier. The South ern Democrat In nomination.. Senator f anii. of Vl-glnia, tnat defeat was becoming tiresome. At the election i v r ber te New York Jurist led us to the greatest de'eat we have had since Greeley. The South's day will come, but not in this generation. . Only Way to Remove Suspicion, Winston -Salem Sentinel. It Is to be hoped an examination of the Southern's books prior to ios will be allowed bv Judge Prltchard This is the only way to remove suspi cion, which will continue to exist until something; of this kind Is done. It will be better for the railroad to have everything made public now and ; be more careful In the future about Its practices along certain lines. - The in vestigation thus far has shown that the Southern would stand far better In the estimation of the public if more money had been spent for improve ments In its equipment and less for: some other things. . l ? A Subsidized Newspaper. Lexington Dispatsbh. One is loath to comment on the de plorable affair at Raleigh, and one is loath to hit a man when he Is down, but the mess, for there never was such a mess in North Carolina, deserves the severest condemnation. It Is a disgrace to newspaperdom. The brutal truth Is that the Raleigh Evening Times has been subsidized by the Southern railway, and while the Southern railwaytr any other railway has a perfect right to spend money on newspapers, and while pub lishers have a perfect right to accept money under such circumstances, no man has a right to publish a news paper or support a paper that mas querades under other than its true colors. Messrs. Drewry and Crater and the Southern appear In a light that pains their friends, and the mat ter nalns. the people who have been standing for conservatism in dealing with the corporations of the State. This sort of thing is -new in North Carolina. although witlings and knaves are very ready to denounce a paner as subsidized that dares open its mouth for a friendly word for Invested wealth. May it be the last Incident of its kind. Stand HIs-lier Than Ever Before With the Best People in tho State. Chatham Record. Every reputable editor and publish er of a newspaper must greatly regret and feel humiliated that the oft re peated .charge of a "subsidized press" has at last been proved to be true of a North Carolina newspaper. The re cent disclosure In the railroad rate in vestigation have developed a most la mentable fact that the Raleigh Ev ening Times was Improperly "sub sidized" (to put it mildly) by the Southern Railway The facts as admitted In Mr. Drew ry's long delayed explanation are bad enoueh. His admissions show that the Southern Railway in nine months (fTom April. 1906. to January. 1907) paid him $6,000 as president of the company publishing the Evening Times for "publishing the schedules, special notices, and such clippings from other papers" as might be des ignated by the Southern Railway. Of course every newspaper man, (and indeed everybody else) knows that such publications were not worth $6,000. and that this was not legiti mate Journalism. Such, indeed, must have been Mr. Drewry's - opinion, for after receiving the last $2,000 he says that he returned It because as a mem ber of the Senate, he might be critic cised for accepting a voucher from the Southern Railway Company, even though received In his capacity as pictJdent of a newspaper company. An amusing feature of this sen-national exposure is' that. after The News and Observer had published the facts (now admitted as true), the Cvening. Times in its next issue stated that it had telegraphed, to Its corres pondent at Washington for the facts and that its corresponded could not get them. Such an Inquiry eems verv strange when all the facts were well known to the president t.f the Times company and Its business manager, both of whom had handled tho vouch ers. ' The business manager of the Times (Mr. George B. Crater) rush sd. In to print with a most unfortunate--' Co him) card. In It ie made statement.', which no doubt' he will ever regret having made, and denounce I most n!t tetly Mr. Josephus Danll. the editor of The News and Observer, who stands higher today than ever before with the ttst people of this State. . ' - . " . i . .. ' . , Selling to An ' Outsider to. Affect the Policy of a Paper is the Sin - of ; Sine in Newspaper Ethics. Fayetteville Observer. . - The editor of the Observer' was en gaged wfth the Bryan reception de- ; I tails whesOMr. Drewry'a statement came to Iband. The telegraphed ryn-r opsls was publlsnel in the Obssrv.r before the Times itself w&3 received. The full statement does nxf. ,vary tho effect of the synopsis, except to deep en the-sorrow that such a state of affairs, could exist in North Carolina. The point of the matter lies in the purchase or the privilege or inserting in a newspaper such clippings (pre sumably not indicated as advertise ments) as the purchaser "may design ate. which breach of good newspa per morals Is greatly aggravated by the fact that the purchaser In thl3 case - was a public service corpora tion, "owing its existence to a charter by the" State carrying the right of eminent domain. It appears strange to the Observer that this crucial point in the matter has escaped the notice of the critics. The value of advertising In different mediums Is a debatable matter; but the selling- to an outsider of the risht to affect the' policy of a-paper Is the sin of sins in newspaper ethics. Sell Their Birth right for a Mess of Pottaso. Lou isb-urs , Progress. Drewry con f esse that the Evening Times -is subsidized by th Southern, Railway. "Whose bread I eat, his praise I' sing", is"-as trw to life now as when uttered in the long ago. Newspapers . have a great influence and so great as is their power even f lamentable . is the fact1 that some of them sel" their birthright for a mess of pottage. Many things: in print should bw taken with a grain of salt. Fb xindeed he is a shrewd man who can tell whether an editorial Is a dollar a word or the honest unboueht, untainted opinion of the paper. The words of Esaw often proceed out of the mouth of Jacob. It . Belnjr Unenviable position. Greenville Reflector. , Senator Drewry has made a state ment and confesses to getting the J6,- 000 from the Southern railway, but through a hurting of conscience he returned $2,000. The affair has placed Senator Drewry and Mr. Crater. business manasrer of the Raieltrh, Times, in very unenviable position. It seems that Mr. Rotter, editor of the Times, could not stand his surround ings and tendered his resignation on the paper. Right to Know tho Whole Truth, Loulsburr Progress. It is earnestly-desired by the people, of the State that the States attorneys be allowed to fully and freely Inspect the books of the Southern Railway Company, and we hape that Judge Prltchard will grant the appeal of the State from . the ruling of Standing Master Montgomery. If the State has the right to control corporations, it has the rijrht to know tho whole truht regarding them. McDow'ell Democrat. Mr. Drewry's statement sounds ra ther flimsy. The story of the of the affair is deplorable. Even if Mr. Drew ry's intentions . were good he should have known that he would be 'placed In an embasslng position when it be came known, or even suspicion was aroused. 4 Corporations do not con tribute tor such purposes unless they expect favor in return. Power Over Uire From tlie Yciliin. ' ' ':.; ContInued from Page One.) of orchards and nurseries, is succeed ed by Mr. S. C. Clapp, formerly con nected with the John A. Young nur series of this city- , . . . Rer. Dr. G. II. Detwfler, pastor of West Market Street Methodist church. who was seized with a sudden serious illness two weeks ago. continues to im prove, He has been confined to hi3 bed since he was stricken. Put sat up awhile today for the first time. Mr. George Fawcett. f Mt Airy, was in the city yesterday afternoon enroute home. He was accompanied by. his bride who was Miss Ellen Brower. daughter of ex-Congressman John M. Brower, . formerly of Mt. Airy,- but who has been a resident of Indian Territory for some time. Mr. Fawcett is a brother of Mrs. C. W. Banner, of this city. - Students at. Red Springs. ' Governor Glenn was unable to 11 his engagement to make an address on Woman's Education" ; before tha hoard of trustees of the Southern Presbyterian College of Red Springs In session here last night. The board was fully, represented. 22 of the 2 i members being present. , . The most interesting part of the meeting was the report of Dr. C. G. VardelL president of the colleee. He reported that the work of completing the Central building is progressing nicely, the Interior of the building now belnj? complete. The completion of this building he declared fills a ion;? felt want In the college, especially in the way of parlors and reception halls.- Dr. Vardell informed the boari that the present enrollment of students at the college is 250, 236 of whom are boarding pulpls, and from time to time the number will be increased. The financial report showed the col lege to be in a sound and thriving con dition financially, and but for a debt which! hangs over the college it would be in a position. to accomplish much more than t Is doing at present. Following the report of. the presi dent the board went into executive session and the usual amount of rou n business was transacted. the board adjourning at a late hour lut night. . - Made. Some Investments. Capt. James E. Clark and wife, of Washington. N. . C.V after spending some days here, returning home from Blowing Rock, left- for Washington this morning. - While here Capt. Clark made some Investments in real estate and will build a modern home for summer residence., Capt. Clark 13 wfcat might be termed the advance guard "of eastern capitalists, now that the railroad goes straight from Ral elgh to Washington, who will become permanent residefTta of this section. ; Another valuable acquisition is that of Mr. II. K. Walker, of Milton, who will, erect a residence on a lot pur chased on North Elm street and move his family here as soon as the build ing Is completed. Mt, J. M. Brown, of Albemarle, is at a; sanitarium here, and Is Improving rapidly. Two years ago this able law yer and useful legislator from Stanly was paralyzed on one side of his body and has been unable . to walk ever since. Not only as a member of the Legislature, but at other times as chief clerk of the House, Mr. Erown is well known and highly regarded in all sections of the State. --- Mr. S. C Whitaker, . a merchant of Gastonia,- Gaston county, was today by Judge Boyd adjudged to ba bank rupt upon his own petition. Liabili ties $1,000. . Beginning Sunday the street cars will run on a regular ten mim-'e schedule from the court housa to.ie Normal College. The recent troubla with the power plant seems to havo been at last remedied. . A woman can have more enjoyment worrjin because her husband's flan nels are either' too heavy or too li.a-ht PILES CTRF.D IX C TO It DAYS. PAZO OINTMENT Is sruarnrte d to cure anf c?.? of jtr' - v - ..-.a.i-ins rProtrudirs'- L- ' n c tc- 1 1 nays cj monev r r,'. '. J Ilea'?; i ! Li