The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-06


wanted the lease question settled now
and squarely- He declared the commit
| tee had not done its duty railing to re-
port today. He said the question be
! fore the house was Mr.. Blackburn's :
| motion that the bill be taken from the
| committee.
Mr. Hartness said this fight was only
preliminary to the question Whether the
| Southern railway should have the
| North Carolina railway at less price
! than the people say should be paid :;
| that IL was said the supreme court
| would not file an opinion in twenty-four
| hours. yet is is desired to railroad the
bill through the house. He said they
| knew the wrath of the people would
| smite them if they did not get it out
| Of politics (applause). The substitute
| says We will not rob you for ninety
nine years but only for thirty-six He
| said people ought to destroy those who
| seek thus to work against their inter
| ests. There is a fatal addition: that
| the matter is to be taken out of politics,
| not as the people wanted 1t taken but
as the Southern railway wants to set
| tie it.
| Mr.. Dockery said the bill was GER
| tainly not on the calendar. He wanted
| to give the supreme court time to give
| an opinion, and that Mr.. Blackburn 8
| motion be deferred until IL o'clock to-
morrow, and that at noon sharp the
vote be taken: that the supreme courts
| opinion would, Of course, not be judi
cial, but would largely influence his
| vote. He then prepared the following
resolution which was read by him ss
| follws:
| Resolved, That the substitute lease
bill be made a special order for O'Clock
| tomorrow. That the special commit
| tee in charge of this substitute be re-
| quested and directed, and required to
| report the substitute bill at that hour.
| whether or not a decision Of the su-
| preme court shall have been rendered
| affecting it. That a vote be taken upon
! this substitute bill not later than 2
| O'Clock of the same day. That the su-
| preme court be requested to consider
| the legal effect of accepting the substi-
| tute bill and render decision as soon as
| possible for the benefit of the house" "
| 1t was o'clock when the vote was
| completed. The result was-yeas 81:
! nays 55. There was some applause at
| the announcement.
! The resolution often referred to op-
| posed by the committee, was then
taken up and read as follows:
| Resolved by the house of representa- A.
| tives, That the chief justice and asso-
| clate justices Of the supreme court be
| respectfully requested to examine the
bill now pending before the house enti-
| tied IAN act to prescribe terms upon
! which foreign railroad corporations
| may become corporate in this state and
for other purposes" and to commune
! cate through the speaker of the house
! an opinion of the question whether if
the bill shall be passed by both houses
| and ratified, it will become operative
| before its ratification by the stock
| holders of the North Carolina Railroad
| Company, and that the members of the
| court be further respectfully requested
| to communicate their opinion to the
! session of the house Of representatives
to be held on Saturday, the 9th inst,
| if they shall find it consistent with their
duty tc the public to do so.
Resolved further, That the speaker OF
| the house be requested to send a copy
Of the bill, with these resolutions. i'm
| mediately to the chief justice Of the
supreme court.
The resolutions were adopted and the
| house took a recess.
NIGHT SESSION.
The house met at O'Clock. Mr.. Cook
| asked leave to introduce a resolution
| In regard to the opinion of the supreme
| court in the North Carolina railway
lease matter, but unanimous consent
was not given, which under the rules,
| is necessary.
By leave Mr.. Bryan, of Chatham,
withdrew his bill, which passed it's sec
| Ond reading last night, providing for
the election of the clerk of the railway
| commission by the Legislature. He said
the matter had been amicably settled.
The programme was that G. c. Pagan,
| pOpuliSt bOlter. should be elected
| clerk. The compromise must mean that
the commission will elect Pagan or
: that he is to be "given something
equally as good" Mr.. Bryan said the
commission wanted to elect it's clerk.
Bills passed as follows:
| To charter the Bladen and Columbus
l Do
the Duplin and Wayne railroad and
| Lumber Company.
To give the state treasurer discre-
| tlOnary power as to paying out appro-
priations so he can pay them quarter
ly or semi annually, instead Of annu-
ally.
The bill to create the office of prose-
cutting attorney for the Eastern GRIM
| inal circuit court was discussed.
Mr.. Hancock, whose bill 1t was, said
| it did not take away a single fee OF a
superior court solicitor in the counties
composing the district.
Mr.. Dixon, Of Cleveland, said the bill
| interfered very seriously with solicit
ors, as it took all criminal cases out
Of their hands; that Solicitors Daniels,
! Sewell, Bernard and Richardson op-
posed it; that it was simply to create
| another office and make a place for
somebody.
1 hancock SAID IneIc was pOllClCS
in the bill. He said Bernard was not
| in the district, now that Vance was
taken out; that all save New Hanover
| and Craven were under democratic So
licitors. He said as to Solicitor Dan
iels that he was elected by fraud.
Mr.. Cunningham appealed to the
| house not to pass SO unjust and unfair
bill and strike at the solicitors duly
| elected; that it was a gerrymander.
T. r plyoo
| providing that the solicitors now elect
| ed shall have control Of criminal dock
! cts in their counties whenever they
| are present-adopted, Mr.. Hancock
alone voting no, who moved to table
| his own bill. This was done with a roar
| and the clincher was put on, while Mr.
| Hancock retired entirely knocked
| OUT
| Rill passed to incorporate the Tar
| River railway.
20 place all fire insurance companies
| under the jurisdiction of the secretary