Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-03-05
RALEIGH, Feb. 26. 1890

RALEIGH. Feb. 26, 1869
Dear Journal Nothing has occurroa !.
: ripple the surface since my last commDn;
cation beyond the publication in the panor.
of this city of the decisions of the Spnrar,.
Court. to which have heretofore refar,o5
and which you have doubtless publisbo5
ere this. There are certain peculia,it;oa
about the respective opinions, entirely in.
dependent of the principles enunciated
(which are generally conceded, in tbo
main; to be correct and proper,) which
mark new era in juridical literature. For
instance, Judge Reade, with sort 81
Fourth of July inspiration, introduces q
little blank verse into his essay on the Stav
Lava feature entirely novel in such pro.
auctions, and one which may be set down
as one of the fruits of Radical progress
venture to assert that the Reports, from
Haywood down to Phillips, may be ran.
sacked in vain for similar judicial effIo.
rescence.
Then again, Judge Settles compact and
luminous opinion, in endorsement of Judge
Reade's dissent from the ruling of the
Court in the Chatham Railroad Injunction,
affords model for future jurists. It is
embraced within just six words" am of
the same opinion, and, in laconism and
logic, is only equalled by some of Cole.
mans official dicta, elected from time TO
time by the Governor, or manufactured to
order by the latter dignitary.
The intimation in the opinion on
the Stay Law that the Homestead is
retrospective in its operation, and ia
valid against old, as well as new, debts,
is generally regarded, by intelligent per
sons, simply as ga tub thrown to the
whale" A mere Obiter dictun, it, of course.
has no binding force and it may we'll be
questioned whether the Court, were the
issue directly presented, would decide ac-
cording to its implication. The impress
sion, say, seems to be, that the sugpes-
tlOn was put forward only to break the
force OF the popular irritation at the main
d. cision. 1t really Seems to have had that
etfecr.
The Revenue Bill, you have already
81 en-, has passed It's last reading, and after
8
Will probably undergo modification
IT, ough not, perhaps, - auy material extent.
Ii am L, mistaken tn,. tax on all real
and rers nal property III the State was
finally hXeI at s'vcn-tw Irths Oh one per
L, IL. Ii l. claimed that Tins will be ade-
q 'ate 10 tie EXPENSES o. the State govern
ment for inc Year. but the result will de-
monstrate widely the reverse, or all reason
able Estimates are greatly at fault. The
maj ,rity by which the Bill passed the
House was very meagre- many Radicals
voting against 1t on various grounds
Some think it too hIgh-others regard it
as too low-yet others oppose 1t because it
operates badly Oh their immeGiate con-
stituencIes-aud others still because of its
personal oppression. The "culluI folks"
representative from New Hanover. French,
squared his doughty self against it on the
ground that 1t gOuged IT, Q morcnantS-"One
of whom he is which too severely. So
that he has gwen, from whatever motive,
one god vote. Mark it down
The Governor sends a message to his
faithful in the Legislature recounting his
a slgnment Of rooms in the Capitol which,
l suppose, is satisfactory all around-ex-
cept that 6 his Excellency' would doubt
less have been delighted, had not Legis.
lative restriction been imposed to have
ousted that pest of a Supreme Court Tor
its ignominious treatment of the dear old
man Adams. AS il is, the Court " sticks "
while the big A and the little a, Ashley
and Adams, didn't-and the Auditors
traps have been picked up from the dust
and klckings of profane feet and duly de-
posted In their new receptacle There
may they remain, never more to be disturb
ed by judicial ire
The Governor, by the way, thinks that
the Capitol is not large enough to accommo-
date the numerous officials with whom Rad
ical reconstruction has blessed the State
and the Treasury! The estate House" has
long been considered very respectable
building in point of size. Its capacity, as
a dormitory, for instance, was fully tested,
am told, last Fall, on occasion of Radi-
Cal mass meeting in this place, when, by
permission of the Governor, it afforded
sleeping accommodations to perhaps
Thousand negroes, with dancing room to-
boot That 1t is not large enough now to
accommodate the officials who constitute
1 the powers that be }" is sad illustration
of the number of leeches who are gorging
from the body corporate, or clear evil
dence that these people have got, as the
saying goes, too big for their breeches. "
| The Governor, however, it is pleasing to
relate, has very satisfactorily defined the
Onerous duties OF the superintendent OF
Public Works. Having gotten through
with "taking care" of the University
buildings, it now behooves him to take
care" of the Gubernatorial Mansion, which
has lately been refitted at considerable ex-
pense to the State, and in which Holden
don't live, for reasons best known to him
self and, in order to "take care " sue
cessfully, the Superintendent aforesaid is
allowed to occupy the Mansion, rent-free.
If o man can't get fat on such pickings as
these, he must be of the Cassius breed
lean, at all hazards, and in spite of every
diet.
| The School Bill is being discussed, day
| by day, in the Senate, and 1t will be yet
several days before it is perfected-if such
a misnomer may be applied to such
monstrosity. 1 do not hesitate to make
the prophesy that it will be the most odious
law and system ever put upon any people
Already Mr.. Lindsay, an Independent Re
publican Senator, pronounces 1t, on the
floor of that body, the Abomin'tiOn Of
| Dissolution" Dor.
Marriage in High (RadicaI) Life.