The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-01-26


Mr. Sandifer, who spoke in favor OF the
| minority report. A long discussion OF
| the case followed, participated in by
| Messrs. Posey, Day, Cranor, Pettlgrew
and Others for the majority report and
! Messrs. Mercer. Jones, Little, Parrott,
| Patterson and Owen for the minority re-
| port.
| The debate lasted until nearly seven
! O'Clock and at its conclusion the vote
was taken on the minority report, re-
| sulting-ayes %, noes q. This minor
ity report was declared lost and the vote
was then taken on the ma Ority report
resulting-yeas 20, noes 81. The ma
! jority report, which was in favor of Mr..
| Leach, the contestant, was adopted and
| Mr. Leach was declared entitled to his
| seat. Mr.. Leach was then escorted to
! the bar of the Senate and duly sworn in
as Senator from the Eleventh district,
| after which the Senate adjourned.
Looking After Their interests.
Representative J. NJ. Watson. (col-
| ored Republican, of Vance, is looking
after the interests of his constituents
in the Legislature During the last
campaign he promised that if elected
he would have the '''possum law'
repealed if he could. And true to his
word he has introduced bill to that
effect. Perhaps it is we'll to state that
/ for some cause or other a bill was
passed by a former Legislature pro-
hibiting the catching Of o'possums at
certain seasons Of the year-during
the summer months. OF course no
sene should desire to hunt these gay
and festive animals when they are
Foor and unpalatable, but if a fellow
wants to feast upon such flesh at other
times than the fall and winter months
when they are fat and saucy and ones
anouth waters at the very thought of
"'possum sop and taters,' Represent
ative Watson thinks they should not
be barred by law from doing so. No
true representative of a people-a race
whose tastes are SO closely allied to
:, thing of this kind would remain
silent while their rights and privileges
are abridged and if the gentleman
from Vance, can help it such law
must not stand on the statute books.
If folks want to hunt 'possums during
the bright moonlight nights of July
and August-or any other time-Jim
Watson thinks they should be permitted
. to do 50, and he is exerting himself
in that direction. AS we have already
said he has introduced bill to amend
chapter l42, acts of 1891, relating to
the hunting of O'possums, the amend
ment being to strike out the county Of
Vance. This bill came up in the
House last Saturday on its second
reading, and the following account of
the discussion thereon is taken from
the State Chronicle. 1t says:
The introducer of the bill, Mr.. Watson,
of Vance, yielded the advocacy of the
bill to Mr.. Watson, of Forsyth, who said
he willingly champiOned the cause of his
friend from Vance. The amendment to
exempt Vance from the opera tons of the
act OF 1881 was just. That bill inter
feres with the ancient and common law
rights of the people of that county. He
did not know how that bill came to pass;
other subjects of less Importance had
received better consideration. That was
the first time the o'possum had been
legislated upon by this body. He had been
acquainted with 'pOSsum hunting since
his boyhood. He had followed it under
the leadership of the only man who knew
how to hunt 'pOssums. He described the
preparations for the hunt, the torches,
the noisy barking of the expectant dogs.
He could 81 We the whoop as they sailed
forth, but this is not the place to give it.
He does not know where the action of
this legislation originated; in the prolific
train, perhaps, from the section repre-
scented of distinguished biblical knowl-
edge from Buncombe. All traditions
would point to the great abundance of
'possums in old times. They had much
connection with the tower of Babel and
the origination of profanity in the build
ing OF that tower. Labor was wanted
and it could not be had because of the
abundance of 'pOssums. They hung by
their tails from every persimmOn tree
The sons of Ham brought them in, and
because there was no other way to get
fiddle strings they got them from the
pOssum and danced to the music of the
possum stringed fiddle, and wouldn't
work. Cush was a greater man than
Ham. He hunted pOssums in the alb
Sence OF the pOssum dog; but he was
smart enough to get labor, built town
and then passed laws against the hunt
ing of pOssums. The outraged people
broke for the country, and went every
where and carried the 'possum every
where. Some went to Australia, the
long legged kind, and became the Kan
CARGO, which moved so fast that it's tail
couldn't keep up with the body. Our
possum came from ireland, and there
= took on the prefix o. He had often won
s3ered what was the ambrosia Of the gods
he had learned that it was chowder made
from the ,possums caught by Diana in
the hills round about Heecon. We know
nothing about 'possums. We get a little
knowledge of them from the songs sung
to Us in babyhood:
Rocky a-bye baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bow bends the cradle will fall,
Down comes cradle, possum and all
He hoped the House will favor the gen.
tleman from Vance. That will carry
blessing to his home and his county.
The 'possum law, as the gentleman from
Vance knew, gave great trouble during
the last campaign.
Thebill as amended passed by unani-
NOUS vote, and was ordered to be en-
crossed.
At night, when you look over the
events of the day, ask your conscience,
'.How far have l endeavored to serve
God today?' And if you have for
gotten Him, if He has not been in all