Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-12-05

@AAs AsoNo1uy 0OuusOu uduc
bis argument in the Injunction case
to-day, and of course there was very
general desire to hear a gentleman SO
distinguished as he is. If he we're
only on the other side of the question,
the demonstrations of respect and re-
gard on the part of the good people of
Raleigh would doubtless be very
marked but coming, as he does, in
the interests of enemies of the State,
and to fasten upon our people the re-
sponsibility for the iniquities of
Swepson, Littlefeld. Holden and the
Radical party generally, his presence
causes TT of moral shock to people
who know what the result will be if
his mission shall prove successful.
People do not understand how a man
ike Reverdy Johnson, lawyer and
statesman and u gentleman of the old
school, whose name, during a long
life, was never furnished by any asso-
Citation, either with rascals or rascality,
could consent to come here as the
paid attorney of men who are seeking
to force upon the people of North
Carolina the crushing weight of the
frauds and corruptions of the Radical
Legislature of 1868 '69.
The questions before the Legislature
promise to be of special interest, too.
One Of these, to wit the effect of the
declaration Of the ratification of the
constitutional amendment abolish
ing annual sessions, upon the
present session of the Legislature was
referred to a joint select committee of
the two Houses. The committee after
due consideration reported that the
amendment has no effect whatever up
on the present session, but that it is
operative only on future sessions of
the Legislature. The Attorney-Gen-
eral, Colonel Hargrove, who was pres
ent by invitation of the committee, at
their meeting expressed himself as very
decidedly and confidently of the opin-
ion that there is nothing in the sugges-
ton made by Governor Caldwell that
the effect of the amendment would be
to put an end to the present session.
It is said too, that Mr.. Reverdy john
son has expressed the opinion that its
operation will be only prospective. So
it seems that Governor Caldwell stands
'alone in his glory" but this is not
surprising, for as prominent Radical,
himself lawyer and laughing at the
suggestion, said if it be possible for a
wrong notion to exist upon question
of law, Governor Caldwell will be sure
to find it.
But If the Governor is not Il lawyer,
he is at least honest they say. Ger
tsinly he is very anxious TO have the
State debt settled, aud to make Dem
ocratic Legislature levy tax upon our
people to pay the interest on the "set-
Element, but he forgets that it is only
Radical Legislatures like that Of
1868 80, when ho was President
of the Senate, that are 50 profuse in
levying taxes Oh the people. He forgets
that now tho Legislature represent the
taxpayers; that then it represented
only the non-tax-payers. Now they
are careful of money, then they squan-
dered it.
And this brings me to another ques-
ton that was referred to the Joint
Committee of both Houses, to-wit:
the settlement of the public debt. If
I am correctly informed the determi-
nation of that Committee is to recon-
mend no action until the decision in
the injunction cases now pending shall
have been rendered. The resolutions Of
Mr. MCNEIL, of Robson, upon the
| s,,h;A~+ of the Srecia1 Tax Bonds, it is
understood, meet the views of the
Committee, and the result of their de-
alterations and the substance of the
action of the Legislature will probably
be to declare in some shape or other
that North Carolina does not regard
the Special Tax Bonds as any part of
her debt, and her fixed determination
not to pay them. The old debt will
probably be permitted to remain in its
present condition. The pressure of
the panic is too great 10 talk about inn
posing any taxes on the people that can
possibly be avoided. Nor is it expedi-
ont to make any disposition of the old
debt until it is definitely ascertained
what action the Federal Courts will
take in reference to the new debt, So
called.
But the great question of the
week promises to be the Rail
road consolidation bill. In the Senate
the bill was set down for discussion at
half past twelve o'clock on Tuesday.
This bill, or rather the object it pro-
poses to accomplish, is truly an i'm
portant one It will doubtless be ad-
mitted on all sides that the great OBJ
ject of all schemes for works of intern
nj improvement in North Carolina
should be to effect passage through
the mountains in the West. m part of
the State, thereby giving the seaports
of North Carolina an opportunity to
compete with those of other States on
the Atlantic coast for the freights of
the great valley of the Mississippi and
the Pacific slope. The present scheme
proposes to accomplish this purpose
by consolidating the Atlantic, the
North Carolina, and the Western roads
and then by sale Of mortgage bonds to
raise the money necessary to effect the
passage through the mountains. The
Western Extension is insolvent, the
Atlantic Road also is insolvent. The
capital of the new concern is then to
he furnished by the North Carolina
Road. The State owns two-thirds of
the stock in that road. If the general
opinion as to the effect of connecting
our North Carolina roads with those
Of the Great West by passage through