The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1876-05-10
SPEECH OF HON. j. j. DAVIS.

Imtlse Debate In the House of Repre-
Sseni,stives on April seth onthe general
appropriation bill, Mr.. Davis. the member
for this district took part upon the ques-
ton Of adding ganappropriation OF $1,000 for
the establishment ON assay office at Char
lotte' We quote 50 mucrof the debate in
which Mr.. Davis engaged.
Mr.. Davis. Il move toamend BY adding,
aiter line 945, on page 80, the following:
4 Assay office at Charlotte North Carolina:
Forsssayer, 81, 500; f,,r nleltsr, 81 200; for
labor, fuel, lights, acids. chemicals, re-
pairs. andlother necessaries, $1,000; In all
$1,000.
NJ. Davis. Mr.. Chairman, my friend and
colleague, Mr.. Ashr,l who sspresents the
Charlotte district, ~ whicl, this assay
Office is established, Is necessarily absent,
hutfhe has furnished ME with some E.cts
lowbicli desire to call the attention of
tile House aud whiehI hope viii secure
the a,ioption oftbis amendment.
This assay Office is the successor to the
old mint established At Charlotte In 1885.
The mint went into operation in 1885 IL
was destroyed with oil It's machinery IN
1874; was coon rebuilt, and continued IN
successful operation TIL 1861, with very
great advantage 10 tile country round about
il. II was extensively patriniz-d and u
great benefit 10 tile public until tine war
put an eiId to its operation. During this
period, sir, there We're colned at this mint
between S5 .0O0, 900 and 50, ,oiO, 900 III gold,
the production Of North Carolina. There
was also during the same period coined at
the Mint in Phila,ieiphia about the sanle
a,nout Of gold from the same region.
Tile collaborating region Of North Caro-
lima is not appreciated by this country.
There are very few persons who under
stand lis extent on lis value. There II on
the southern border OF the State an area of
about fse hundred square miles which
al,uunds in guild. Charlotte Is the center
of this section. There are also In my own
district rich gold mines. There are the
Porils mines, the Ransonl's Bridge nines.
aud the Arlington mines In The counties
of Franklin and NASH, wliiehhave yielded
over d million dollars Of gold, and have
not been half worked Or half developed.
Ti,ese have been recently discovered in
the county OF Chatham IA couuty rich In
mineral wealth. In irun, In copper, and
la caal) gold mines tha. promise 10 rival
any In ths State. They are now Icing
worked.
IL Is q fact perhaps not generally known
that between the year 1904 and the year
lS,7 al tile gold derived from mining
throughout enc whole United States was
furnished by tie State of North Carolina;
and during the perisd from 1901 10 isSs
I she furnished At least one-half of the gold
supplied fron the miles on the Atlantic
slope. The Atlantic States. rs coltra-
distinguished from the Pacific States. de-
p~lted at .ihs minis from ls6s, in exact
figures, SIS. g.i5.,2o7.S. OF this amount
the state of North Carolina deposited
50. rs SIT So. passed into manufacture and
.co,nmerce about lIs same amount; making
tile yield of Tire Atlantic States NJ % the
year have named about siu.Oou.0O0, %
which North CoaroIina furnished shout
on.-half, OF say 81, 100000.
Now for various reasons which have
not time Ina hye-inInute speech 20 en-
umerate, The mines 20 North CaFUiina
have not been halfdeveloped. They have
not been thoroughly worked. But u not
this III interest of sufficient imporance ~
attract tile attention of coDgress? Even
with this exhibit, u there not enough 10
II 10 demand tie fostering care Of the
limited States government, ESPECIALLY ut q
tlms when wydeslEe loresumespeeis pay-
n,euts wiill an aniout " gold " The
Treasury entirely inadequate for ilia' pur-
pose? AG
A gentleman near me asks n ,l,is is the
centennial town u Charlotte. fes. sir; 10
Il n. old town ". Charlotte, 10 Nsrth
Carolina, where The standard Of lndepen-
tience was first raised on this continent.
and the tirst declaration 81 Independence
made. ~ We in North Carolina asssrt aud
are nrenared 70 maintain. even against my
friend iIIe cllairman ofthe colnnliltee,
who comes from within stones ihrOW q
the noble old Iudsprndenee Hall OF
plaiadeIphsa. Charlotte Is The county.seat
of Msckicnburgh.
[Hefe the hammer fell
Mr. Holman fpse. ,r~,s