| From the Raleigh Standard |
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| July 10, 1863 |
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| Raleigh & Gaston Road |
| The recent meeting of the stockholders of
this Road afforded fresh proof of the bitter spirit by which the
Destructives are controlled. Gov. Vance, whose devotion to the
interests of the State and of the Road no truthful person will
question, appointed three Conservatives as Directors on the part of
the State in place of three Destructives whom he found in office. He
could have done nothing else under the circumstances. He found his own
friends proscribed, and he simply did them justice. But the leading
and managing stockholders, having procured all the proxies they could,
went to work to render the corporation a party machine. They turned
out John G. King, Esq., one of the best friends the Road has ever had,
and who has been connected with it from its reconstruction many years
ago. The friends of Capt. Jo Davis, now absent in the service of the
country, knowing that he would not be able to perform his duties on
the finance committee, declined to place him in nomination for the
position; and the committee was then made up of T. Brown Venable,
former member, William H. Winder, of Richmond, and John G.
King, Esq., who we trust will not take the place after having been
defeated for Director. Mr. Venable, we believe, is connected with the
army as quartermaster or commissary, and Mr. Winder, we believe, is
employed in the War department at Richmond. Following the example
generally set in making appointments in this State, the partizan
stockholders went to Richmond for a member of the finance committee,
and appointed a person who has no particular interest in the Road, and
but little if any knowledge of, or sympathy with our people. |
| In this way, by electing all the Directors
from the Destructive party, and by appointing two of the finance
committee from the same party, the Destructive stockholders assumed
complete control of the corporation. And we learn that one of these
stockholders was disposed to complain of the resolution adopted by the
Board of Internal Improvements on the subject of freights, and to
characterize it as dictation on the part of the Board, when no
such idea was entertained, the Board having the right to express its
views on the subject; but Dr. Crudup, the State proxy, promptly met
this partizan stockholder, who after the reply of the State proxy, was
disposed to modify what he had said. Just as the meeting was about to
adjourn, Dr. Crudup moved that the names of the stockholders be
published with the proceedings for general information; and even this
reasonable and proper motion was opposed, no doubt because these
partizans preferred that the names should not be published, because
their suppression would enable them the better, at future meetings, to
get the advantage in proxy votes. But the names were directed to be
published, and hereafter the Conservatives will have an equal
advantage with their opponents in knowing who the stockholders are,
and where they reside, and thus make arrangements to have a full and
fair representation of the stock. |
| The charge by the Register that
Col. George Little, one of the State Directors, was anxious to be made
President of the Road, is gratuitous and unfounded. It is well known
to every one informed on the subject, that Col. Little did not desire
the place. No disposition was shown by the Conservatives to retaliate
on the Destructives by opposing the re-election of Dr. Hawkins, but he
was unanimously requested to continue in the discharge of his duties.
But the Register seems to entertain special malice
towards Col. Little, and that paper is not disposed to regard truth or
fair dealing in gratifying its malice. |
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