The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-12-23
IcosrIINUEp rnoM FIRST PAGE.

MIR. BURNS thought the falrest and Dest
way 10 settle this question, would he to have
a committee appointed to examine the whole
matter and report to the Senate
% Mr.. BARROW had but very little legisla-
tive experience, but that little had taught
him to never refer anything to special COM
mittee. What end could be attained by
this reference We hadappointed commit
tee. and they had done certain acts and we
had their report before us, and the astonisl'-
ing development was made that prominent
members of the committee did not know
what they had done themselves! The land
purchased was stated to be ten miles away
from the site of the penitentiary, and it now
turned out to be nearly twenty miles away;
coal and iron were reported to exist upon it
in vast quantities, yet no one member
of the committee could say that there was an
ounce of coal or iron upon the land; and
still more astonishing, don't even know from
whom they purchased the land! What had
We to gain by referring such Q ease to conf
mittee9 1t was always part OF the plan OF
dnopposition to refer bill it wished to kill
to special committee If thiswas referred to
one committee it would doubtless then he
proposed to refer their report to some
other committee, and he was opposed to any
such arrangement The Senate was as COM
petent TO decide now whether this was
proper purchase as it would be at any
future time. Here was the report of the
committee, and Senators could examine it
for themselves, and there was no necessity
toappoint a committee to do what they
could do themselves The Senator from
Mecklenburg said the bill conferred the pow
or to purchase large tracts of land any
where 1t. was with great Difference
that he ever differed with that Senator. but
he could not agree with him in this opinion.
The act conferred the power to locate the
site for the penitentiary, and to obtain a
grant of coal or iron property. but he could
see no power conferred by it TO go into
large land speculations. He held that there
was not one single syllable in the act which
authorized the committee to go ten or TWEEN
ty miles away from the site of the peniten-i
tiary and purchase land. The report stated
that there was an abundance of granite, coal
and iron upon the land, and a member of
the committee now said he knew nothing
about it; and called upon the Senator from
Chatham to inform the Senate The Senator
from Chatham knew there was iron some
where in the vicinity, but didn't know wheth
er there was any on this land or not. Under
these circumstances he could see nothing to
be gained by referring the case to a commit
tee, and thought it should be considered
now If the action of the committee was
legal, let the people know it. There was no
subject upon which such general interest was
felt as upon this The jails in the State, from
Currituck to Oh ,rokee, were full, and some
provision must be made The sooner stop
was put to this matter the better The peo-
pie of North Carolina wanted to know wheth-
er the General Assembly was equal to the
task of building the Penitentiary, and we
should confer no power upon any committee
to be used to the prejudice of the interests of
the people of the State. We had appointed
members of this body to do the work and
they had been deceived, and the General
Assembly should not be held responsible. He
did not censure the committee, but they had
fallen into a trap set for them by designing
men, and he did not intend that the same
trap should fall upon him or upon the peo-
pile of North Carolina if he could possibly
help it. He wanted the action set aside if
possible.
Mr.. RICH thought the legal part of the
argument of the Senator from Northampton
decidedly wrong. The 10th section of the
act for the erection of a Penitentiary said
funds should be provided for the payment
of the purchase of site and property, clear
ly showing that the Senate had intended
that the committee should have the power to
purchase other property besides the site nee
essary for the Penitentiary.
Mr.. OSBORNE said the Senator from North
mr. lfny, haA cof1 ~ fho g 4 h.
ponents of this resolution to defeat it by re-
ferring it to committee. He protested
against any such imputation. Far be it
from him to propose any such thing. But
if any argument ever made before a deliber-
atesbody had ever clearly shown the necessi-
ty M getting more information before acting,
and shown the necessity of reference to
committee, it was the argument just made
by the Senator from Northampton, who had
said himself that he did not know
nor could he find anybody that did know,
anything concerning the matter. He (Mr
OsDorne) had thought when he heard of the
purchase that the committee had stretched
their power, but this had been done, and the
question now was simply had they the pow
er to make this purchase. If they had the
power and had been defrauded, had the
Senate the power to say this contract was
null and void He wanted it understood
that he did not say that he approved of this
act, nor did he wish to defend these resolu-
lions, but he thought the construction placed
upon this act by the Senator from Pitt the
correct one. There was also consideration
OF private right here. The Senate, shocked
at purchase it had not contemplated, wish
ed to withdraw from the action of the COM
mittee. Ii he could do so conscientiously
he would like to withdraw too, but he could
not He wished above all things that
committee ofinvestigation might be appoint
ed that it might be seen how far the COM
mittee had been deceived. If the commit
tee had been deceived, and the property
mlsrepresented, then we had been defrauded,
and it was our duty to declare this purchase
null and void When the fact was ascer-
tanned he would be ready to vote for reso-
luton declaring the purchase null and void,
and fOrbidding the Treasurer to issue the
bonds for its payment. Until this was
found out he could not conscientiously do
so. a. rtt-is.-s5q ..-- .F t..- ~. =. ~ &
Mr.. LAssITER said the Senator from North
ampton had stated that the committee did
not know from whom they had purchased the
land. This was not so, as the fact was stated
in the report made by the committee. He
did not think single Senator upon the floor
fully understood the magnitude of the sub
ject. It would be entirely impossible to
build the Penitentiary in one wear. In .h.;-
Work the committee had acted to the best of
their judgment, and had done what they
thought was for the best interest of the State
Mr. Cook, when he spoke upon this SUBJ
jcct last night, had spoken upon the question
of the power of the committee to purchase
other property than the site necessary for the