The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-04
Messenger Bureau. Park Hotel.


Messenger Bureau. Park Hotel.
Raleigh, N. c.. February 25.
The anti-dispensary people are de-
lighted at the black eye" the commit
tee gave the Buncombe county dispen-
sary bill. which is favored by both the
representatives from that county. The
bill will be heartily sustained. howev-
er, when it comes up. The committee
expressed a willingness to let Asheville
vote on a dispensary. but said 1t op-
posed letting the whole county vote.
The fact is that outside of Asheville
the county is prohibition. A reason
urged for not having a d~ispensary in
Goldsboro is that no whiskey will be
sold at night and that who
haul tobacco there will not be able to
get a drink at night n hence will
take their tobacco to Wilson, a rival
market. This was argued before the
committee yesterday.
The debate in the senate tomorrow
on the bill to annul the lease of the
North Carolina railway will attract
general attention. AS was stated sew
eral days ago., there will be offered
amendments and Senator Ashburn will
offer a substitute for the bill. 1t is
today learned that this substitute is
put in Ashburn's hands by Governor
Russell. 1t is also learned that his
substitute merely provides for legiSla-
tive authority to bring suit to test the
legality Of the lease. This is quite a
retrograde movement on the governors
part. 1t would appear to a layman
that he has now the power to instruct
the attorney general to bring suit to
test the leases legality. To use the
phrase of a legislator, the governor
takes water"
Senator Grant today introduced a bill
as a substitute for the anti-lease bill.
1t gives the legislative approval of the
lease, makes the term thirty years
from 1901, the rate I per cent; in fact
merely reduces the term from ninety
nine years, with all the conditions of
the present lease as to all betterments
becoming the property of the state, the
Southern railway to pay all taxes, as
at present, and the Southern to become
a state corporation. In other words, 1T
is a compromise bill throughout. 1t is
therefore of the highest Importance.
Jour correspondent was early this
morning shown the bill by Senator
Grant. THE text of this bill Will be
found in another cOlumn.]
Judge Ewar spoke with great salts
faction today of the defeat of the bill
to amend the charter Of Wilmington.
He is a typical western republican"
He said: I'VE beat the Wilmington
bill. We will beat the Newbern bill
too in the senate. Lots of republicans
in the house would have voted against
| this latter bill had they not known it
WOulQ De OoIodtoO III the SeHdlc. WEST
ern republicans will simply not let
these bills pass"
The negro members Of the republic
| can caucus, or rather some of them,
are giving their party no end of trOu-
BILE. Senator Person is the most viO-
lent Of them all. The negro members
are rather a thorn in the side OF the
republicans. This is shown in a num-
Der of ways.
The populists are hopelessly vid
Some Of them now vote regularly with
the democrats on any question which
comes up.
The fight against III bill to charter
the W~inston-Salem Southbound rail-
| way. which began in the house last
night and which was made by a repub-
lican, was quite a surprise to Lieuten-
ant Governor Reynolds, whose special
bill this is. The road proposed is real
ly an extension of the ROanOk South
ern. The assertion vas made that 1T
| paralleled the North Carolina railway
and hence would injure the states in
terest.
Miss Margaret Iredell Cowper. daugh-
ter of Mr.. Pulaski COwper, of this city.
was married yesterday to Mr.. Robert
B. Hall, of Atlanta, Bishop Cheshire
officiating.
In the federal court here, Judge ST.
monitor presiding, judgment is entered
agaisnt w. e. Black, ex-postmaster at
Carthage. and his sureties, for 1887,
for default in money order account
All prisoners sentenced to the PEN
itentiary by the federal court from this
| district will go to Columbus, Ohio.
There are ten divorce cases set for
hearing at the superior court term of
this county now in progress.