Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-02-06
Ea,rosrAL CORRESPONDENTS.
RALEIGH, N. c., Feb. 3, 1874

AAN@NA
with Your readers, that I scarcely know
where or how to begin. Ii any
apology be necessary for my silence, it
VIII be found in the long and severe
illness from which I am inst recover
ing.
or course the Legislature is the all
absorbing topic. The talk now is that
the adjournment siiac die will take
place in about two weeks, always pro-
vided, however, that His Honor Sam
my Watts is not impeached. II he
should be impeached and tried, the
session will necessarily be prolonged
at least six weeks-not that it will take
all that time to try him, but because
he will be entitled to q reasonable time
to get ready for Ills trial. It will be re-
nleml,ered that Mr.. Turner, editor of
the Sentinel, presented a memorial to
the House OF Repre- sentatlves, making
certain charges against Judge Watts,
involving drunkenness, corruption and
official misconduct. Thus formally
presented to the House by y citizen of
the State, there was nothing to do but
TO refer the matter to the Judiciary
Committee to ascertain and report up
on the facts. This was promptly done,
and the Committee is at work.
It is Impossible as yet It. tell what
the result will be, further than to say,
if the proof presented to tie judiciary
Committee shall make out any
of tie Offences declared by the statute
to oe an improbable offence, that ar
tic!es Of Impeachment VIII at once be
preferred Indeed, no other course
will be left to the House Of Hepresen
tatives. The honor Of the Judiciary Of
North Carolina viii demand it. even if
it be 1t the expense OF prolonga alton
of the session Of the Legislature. Nor
can the Legislature be justly blamed
for tie additional cost, for the matter
having been thus formally and OH
cially brought before them, they could
TO more s!lirk their duty than could a
grand jury refuse to investigate &
crime referred to it.
The State Debt has occasioned much
discussion in the Senate. The settle
ment Of The Public Debt Of North Car
| olina is long and dearly cherished
project OF the worthy Senator from
Randolph, DR.. Worth. bat th' s f"i he
has been able to accomplish nothing
in this direction. That nothing has
been done il, however, certainly not
due TO any want OF effort on his part
so much IS to we'll settled conviction
that it is inexpedient now TO do any
thing Ill the matter. II any man
| conid gyrsuade the Senate olt Of its
convictions, DR.. Worth would 10 it
An earnest lap, an honest man and a
man Of sonnd sense, one who has, be-
yond all question, the best interest of
the State at heart and a good fnancier
witLal, when he gets up and advocates
his bill for the settlement Of the State
Debt. he produces q strong i'm
preston and if anything could
be done just now he would Oh
it. But nothing can be done. Our
creditors will accept no compromise
tbs. does not involve taxation to meet
the interest Or, il.a amount to which
this debt is reduced ny tie COM
promise, and we cannot afford to in
crease taxation while the effects OF the
great panic, il lot the panic itself,
are still upon us.
There is another reason thu rem
ders it useless just now to talk about
compromising the old debt. It will
be remembered that Judges Bond and
Brooks at the last term of the Federal
Court had in this place decided that
the Special Tax Bonds Of North
Caroii.as so-called, were constitu-
tional. II this be so and the Supreme
Court at Washington City sustain the
decision it will make 81, 900, 600
more of bonds to be provided for, and
with the decision Of the highest court
in favor of their validity, and the tax
siready levied, the Special Tax Bond
holders viii act be very anxious tocom-
promise. The question t,,lsio comes up
at once, how do we know what we are
able to do with the old debt until we
know what the courts will force us to
do With the new debt? If we are COM
PEELED to pay the special tax bonds our
ability to meet the old debt is indeed
slender. If We do not have to pay the
new debt we will be able to make fair
and honorable arrangement ABOUT the
old one. But who can tell what we can
do until the court decides, and what is
the use of making q compromise until
we know whether we can carry it ont d?
If ever inaction was judicious it is so
to-day. 1t will be many long year
before North Carolina will cease to feel
the effects of Radical rule.
CONSOLIDATION" is still the talk, and
the new bill just passed by the Senate
leaving out some of the features OBJ
jected to by the directors of the North
Carolina Road aaa including others
that will doubtless be equally 5nac-
ceptable, is now before the House of
Representatives. The bill as it now
stands provides that no person shall
be director of the Consolidated Line
who may haSs refused to answer be-
fore any Legislative committee con-
corning any matter connected with his
conduct as President or director of a
railroad company on the ground that
to answer would criminate himself.