Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-12-01
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
WEDNESDAY, Nov. %, 1871.

"WEDNESDAY, Nov. %, 1871.
By Mr.. Strudwick A resolution in ref.
erence to the State debt, iDstructlng the
judiciary COMMITTEE to prepare and report
bill looking to the reputation II the
State debt; referred.
| The resolution read as follows
| Whereas, The State deb! is now greater
than the people of the State can Pc with
out ruin, and the circumstance attending
it's creation, the manner Of its application
clearly show that the pefsops composing a
mejority of the Legislature making the
debt were moi 10 sympathy with the peo-
pie of the State but were in fact strange S
elected under the bsyonst and
| Whereas, These so-caIled representa-
| tives voted between twenty and thirty mil
lions of money for the ostensible purpo5 &c
OF building certain railroads, but with The
real pur pose Of enriching themselves and
their friends and
! Whereas, OF the enormous sum 80 voted
| barely half million has been expended on
said railroads, the remainder bavlrg becn
embezzled; and
Whereas. It becomes our duty clearly 10
indie tie our purpose regarding this debt:
and
| Whereas, The Congress of the United
States compelled the reputation OF what
was commonly known as the 'War debt'
duo almost entirely TO our peol lie and con
tracted for the best AMI Aoiie@t purpose,
therefore
Resolved, Tbat the JudiciAIy Committee
! be instructed to prepare sud Introduce al
as early day as possible, bi Ito provide
for the reputation CT the entire debt ot
the State.
By Mr.. Justice A resolution to raise a
| ioint committee to investigate the charges
Of fraud against the public printer; placed
on calendar.
By Mr.. Houston A bill 10 reduce and
fix the per diem OF the members Of the
present General Ass emily; referred. The
bill gives the presiding officer $6 per day;
members 81; principal and assistant clerks
So; enrolling and engrossing clerks 81;
door-keeper and assistant door-keeper 81.
The mileage is fixed at 10 cen is.
Mr.. Jones, OF Caldwell, Introduced a
resolution instructing the fraud aud cor
ruption commission to Investigate the al
legged frauds in the public printing.
| On motion of Mr.. Jones, the rules were
suspended and the resolution vas taken up
and discussed.
After some discussion, Mr.. Justice
amendment was adopted and the reso!u-
ton passed its several readings.
By Mr.. Womack-A bill to amend the
act for the protection of mechanics and ia
borers' material Referred.
Mr.. Johnston, of Buncombo, offered
some thirteen bills amending variols sec
tons Of the Constitution; all CT which
were appropriately referred.
By Mr.. Womack-A bill to re- enact the
act entitled, an act to cure certain irregu-
lar proceedings in the jurisdiction of the
courts in special proceedlngs-ch chapter los.
laws of 1870-7l. Referred.
The Chair announced Mes'rs. Jones, Of
Caldwell, Justice and Martin, as the House
branch of the Joint Committee to investi-
gate the alleged frauds in the public print
ing.
THURSDAY, Nov. %.
Mr.. Graham, of Orange. presented the
memorial of II. p. Q. Wilson, Of Balti-
more, Md, holder of bonds Of the State
to the amount of LIE .rly twenty thousand
dollars, which he proposes to compromise
for less than twelve thousand, on the bA-
sis Of sixty cents on the dollar for bonds
purchased before the war, and forty cent.
for those purchased in 1866 '6S.
Mr.. Graham hoped tLis petition would
receive respectful consideration, it being
tho first cffer on the part of creditors 20
compromise with the State. He moved
the memorial be referred to the Com nit
tee on Finance with instructions to report
by bill or otherwise.
Mr.. Gilmer introduced bill to be en-
titled IAN at concerning the Chathi M
Railroad Com pEny, amending al act 20
incorporate the said company, passs d
Feb. 10Th, 1861" Is. 1.-The act proposes
to change the name of the company to
that of the Raleigh and Augus a Ar
Line Railroad Company" authoriz the
extension OF the line to such point on
the South Carolina line, in the direction
Of Augusta, Ga, AS may be deemed mes:
eligible, and to locate aud construct suoh
branch road CT roads, not exceeding in
each caso one hundred miles liz length
from the line Of said roa'; authorizes tie
increase Of capital stock not exceeding
five millions of dollars; euthoriz the
Raleigh & iaston Company, or any other
railroad company connecting Herewith,
to subscribe to or purchase stock, and
such company SO purchasing shall be en-
powered to issue mortgage bonds for the
amount of such parcbaee, and may cur.
chase or endorse the mortgage bonds of
the Raleigh and Augusta r. r. Company;
the Airline road may at any time dis
charge the bonds of the Chatham r. r.
Co., deposited with the public treasurer,
by substituting ia lieu thereof any bonds
of the State heretofore issued to the
Chatham Company, &C.. sc Referred
to the Committee on Internal Improve
ments.
MIR. Gilmer introduced resolution call
ing upon the committee of finance for
detailed classified statement Of the public
debt. Mr.. Gilmer urged the passage of
the resolution. It was necessary to know
the exact character of the debt to enable
the General Assembly to come to some
smicable settlement of the debt. This he
regarded as the most important business OF
the session.
Mr. Graham favored the resolution. In
the course of his remarks he stated that he
would be willing for the bondholders to
take the States stock in the N. O. Railroad,
provided they took an equal number of
shares in the Atlantic Road and the West
ern n. @. Road. He threw this out as
matter for reflection and with a view to
invite creditors to a statement of any pro
position they may have to make.
MIR. Worth concurred with Mr.. Graham.
The debt Of the State could never be paid
otherwise than by means of the States