The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-31

the Black Pupils - Discrimiu~ ~tiops nv
Ponitentiary Offcials-The PENNSYLVANIA
| Colony In Rowan
| Messenger Bureau
| Raleigh, N. c., December %
Among today's arrivals was John
Graham. of Ridgeway. president OF the
| State Farmers Alliance who, according
| to j. c. L. Harris, is to be made COM
| missioner of immigration at $4,000 a
| year, il the United States supreme
| court decides that tonnage tax on fer
tilizers is constitutional. Such a deci-
sion will assure the agricultural depart
ment an income OF certainly not less
| than $4,000. Now the commissioner of
agriculture is ex-offfcio commissioner
| of immigration, at the nominal salary
| of $3.50 year. The agricultural de-
| partment has for some years been
| afraid to strike out boldly and expend
| it's funds, for fear of the courts. How
ever it has loaned the agricultural and
mechanical college several thousand
dollars and has expended thousands In
| addition to the museum.
partment says that if the state Is as
successful next year as it has been this
year in collecting revenue it will be able
to pay all extra appropriations and
have 100000 with which to begin 1899
and pay the legislature. A legislative
session costs approximately S72, 900.
1t has never been believed here that
Charles A. Cook stood any chance of
getting the district attorneyship. OF
all the men named in connection with
that appointment Thomas M. Argo was
| far and away the ablest, but he is not
a bitter partisan like Bernard, than
whom none is more extreme. 1t is said
that Pritchard did not really want to
| see Cook get the place. Cook has an
tagoniZed Pritchard's friends during the
session of the legislature and was a
devoted friend of Governor Russell No
man can accomplish the task of being
| the friend of both Russell and Pritch-
ard.
Unknown persons, alleged to be
Christmas jokers, have nearly wrecked
with dynamite the court house Of
Wilkes county, the explosion injuring
the foundation and the building and
breaking all the windows.
! Christmas day the pupils Of the blind
institution here were given a special
invitation by Governor and Mrs. Rus
sell to visit the executive mansion and
We're given a special reception there.
| The governor made a talk to them. To-
| morrow Governor and Mrs. Russell and
Superintendent John E. Ray will go to
the institution for the colored deaf
mutes and blind and give each pupil a
remembrance of the season
Superintendent Ray says he hopes to
put up two buildings at the blind in
stitution and at the one for negro deaf
mutes and blind next year If the re-
sources of the state will justify there
will be So, 900 available for this pur-
pose. The state treasurer this year
refused to pay out a cent of special ap-
preparations, saying it was all he could
possibly do to meet the regular ones.
Several discharges have recently been
made of employees at the penitentiary,
| one of these dropped being the veteran
| Corporal Lowery. Those dropped put
| the blame on the warden who is the
governors brother. Some of them
| charge the warden with specially favor
| ing the negro convicts, and with
| specially Furnishing white prisoners. 1t
| appears that the warden and the retir-
| ing superintendent do not harmonize
| A story is told to the effect that the
| governor did not really want his broth
| er made warden, but that Superinten-
| dent Smith went ahead and made the
| appointment.
Otho Wilson says he is glad he was
not here when Pearson and Caldwell
| broke into the railway commission
office, as there would no doubt have
been trouble. Pearson tells me that
| the sheriff went to see the govrnoT
about putting Parson and Caldwell in
the office. The governor told him TO
| break into the office. The sheriff said
ne would get the key. The governor
| then said that if he could get in that
| way he ough- 1t to break in. The
| sheriff says the governor told him no;
| to break in and that he could not get
the key. Pearson says the sheriff's at
torney ordered him to break in. There
seems to be no love lost between tbs
| governor and the sheriff.
Mr.. Risley will buy 1000 acres more
| of land in Rowan county for his Penn
sylvania colony, having now 3.OO0. II,
will next month begin to build an cleo
| trio railway between Salisbury and
Spencer. the Southern railway shop.
; | At the latter place two miles OF new
| sidings for freight cars are being pu
1t is learned that the capacity OF the
, | cotton mills at Albemarle will b.
. | doubled next year and that a $500, ,00
| mill will also be built there.