Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-02-14
CORRESPONDENCE
Our AmiabIe Governor-TEa1peac
ment OF Solicitor EHenry-The CoEis
stitutiOnaI A ma c IN d III n ts-'Ehc
Western North CAROLYN. Railroad

lature the Report of the Board Of Pub
lie Charities and in doing SO he took
occasion to say he would be glad to
make some remarks in relation to the |
report but refrained from doing so
6 fearing it might be charged as 1t was
charged by members OF your honora-
BILE body ON former occasion, (ahout
the public debit that I manifested a
desire to usurp legislative functions.
It is a matter for public congratulation |
that His Excellency has, at last,
learned to fear the censure of the Leg |
islature. His official manners did in |
deed need mending, but now that he
has shown he has capacity to learn,
one may feel somewhat more hope that
before the next four years shall have
rolled around he will have learned to
appreciate the dignity Of the high po-
sition he holds. Especially may North
Carolinians be hopeful of their Cover
nor when they learn how determined
the Legislature is to teach him official
manners. The last lesson was the Sc
verest of all. The Senate, for instance,
after ordering the Report of the Board
of Charities to be printed, by a formal
vote postponed the consideration Of the
Governors Message accompanying it,
until the first day of June next. 4 few
more lessons of this sort viii doubtless
prove sufficient to teach His Excellency
| the way he should go. The fact that
he has learned to "fear" Legislative
| criticism on his communications, is
very favorable symptom and we trust
it may be the beginning of Gubernato-
| rial wisdom.
The further TACT that Senator Nor
| wood who has known the Governor for
long number of years, thinks him to
! be well meaning man, while it con-
firms the view we have hitherto taken,
that his Excellency erred more from
! ignorance than from wilfulness, to-
| gether with the evidence he has just
| given of his capacity to learn, makes
us quite hopeful.
| On Friday the House OF Fepresen-
tatives passed resolutions impeaching
Robert NJ. Henry, Solicitor Of the
Twelfth Judicial District OF - High
| Nisdemeanors, to wit: Drunkenness.
The Senate was quite indisposad to
consider the matter for the reason that
the trial of the Impeachment must
necessarily protract the session OF the
Legislature to a''great lergsh. It was,
however, imposed upon that body as :;
constitutional obligation to try In
peachments when articles are preferred
before them, and so, unless the House
shall recede from It's action, the huge
unwieldly maehiaery OF a Court, con-
sistfng Of fifty Judges and one hun
bred and twenty Grand Jurors will be
put in motion to try ga obscure and
drunken Solicitor. It would, indeed,
seem to be far better, cheaper, and
more becoming, If it pe possible, to
indict the man at common Law and try
him at home.
| Trials by impeachment ought, it
would seem, to be reserved for GRIM
mails of high degree. Cheaper and
more expeditions machinery ought &c
provided, if it does not already exist,
for disposing OF drunken Solicitors.
Those who know the Solicitor beg;
think there is no hope of his resigning.
The House was unanimous for the i'm
parchment, we believe
As our readers know, the ConstitJ-
tional Amendments were separated and
bill presented for each substantive al
teration. The bill passed by the last
Legislature contained seventeen dis
tinct material alterations. Four OF
these have already passed their second
reading by the required two-thirds
vote, to wit those in relation to the
Public Debt, to the Office OF Snpcrin-
tendent of Public Works, Code Com
missioners and Exemptions.
There is scarcely any doubt that al
the others, save those in relation 10
the township and county governments
and the Judiciary will be agreed TO.
Of course our friends must have Radl-
cal help to enable them TO accomplish
SO desirable a result The Radicals
are much divided among themselves
upon this and other questions, Mr..
Grandy leading one faction opposed to
any of the amendments, and Nessrs.
Badger and Respass leading the other
faction. That will be a happy day Tor
North Carolina when such great
changes shall have been accomplished.
The condition OF the Western Exten-
sion of the North Carolina Railroad
| occupies much OF the time and atten-
ton of the Western members. The
| Road authorities borrowed money, and
as security for its repayment hypothe-
Gated mortgage bonds Of the Road.
The money was not repaid when it fell
due, the bonds were sold and the
interest on them not having been paid,
| proceedings were instituted III the
| Federal Court to forec,ose. \ decree
fixing the day for sale We made by
Judge Dick, but upon application Of
| Governor Caldwell 10 Chief Justice
Chase, of the United States Supreme
Court. the sale was postponed for sixty
| days. That time has nearly expired
and the question now il what, if any
thing, can be done to prevent the Road
from being sold? The great desire
that the West has in relation to the
| matter is that the Road shall be COM
pleted at as early day as possible,
| and the people there would much
prefer the Road to be sold at once and
to pass into the hands OF capitalists,
but for the suspicion that the parties
into whose hands the Road viii proba-