Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1897-03-04
"a DAMNABLE DISGRACE"
BY THEIR FRUITS We SHALL
KNOW THEM.
A liz Populist State Oncial's Estimate
of the Fusion Legislature: 1t is None
Other Than Hon. Hal w. Aver, State
Auditor, and Editor of Senator But
ler's Caucasian.

Other Than Hon. Hal w. Aver, State
ler's Caucasian.
All along, and persistently,
through the past several years of
Populist and Republican fusion,
The ARGUS has been telling the
people of the utter lack of princi-
pie and the fearful danger to the
State and society there was in
such fusion. The task of teach
ing the lesson has been long, and
the duty devoid of pleasant full
flment; but it was a duty, never
theless, and we stuck everlastingly
at it, with an abiding faith-as we
have always professed-in the peo-
pie, that they would eventually
.(those who had strayed off return
from conviction or necessity, or
both, to their old and safe moor~
ings within the pale of Democracy.
It is true that when we would
advance conclusive arguments,
based on unutterable principles of
political ethics, showing the glar-
ing ~depravity and .menacing dan
ger to the people in the "unholy
combine the newspaper organs
of the combine-notably Buffers
"Caucasian" and the "Progres-
sive Farmer''-would cry "Dem-
ocratic lie," and tell their -duped
followers to pay no heed to 'sDem-
ocratic lies'' but stand by the
combine and vote the 'sfusion
ticket"
How is it now?
Fusion triumphed in North Car
DINA. The shameless barter of
principles in the greed for Office
prevailed, and one of the fruits
thereof, and with a lease of four
years in office, is one Hal W. Aver,
as State Auditor; the same IS none
other than editor of the "Cauca-
sian," who in the late campaign
called every argument advanced
for the enlightenment and safety
of the people "a Democratic lie."
But 'FTruth, crushed to earth,
will rise again" 1t was eve 50.
The unholy fusion prevailed in
North Carolina in the last cleo
ton, and the truths of Democracy
were indeed 'Ecrushed to earth";
but now one of the leading wor-
shippers and most richly rewarded
beneficiaries of fusion ONE out
and calls it a sdisreputable com
bine," and says the fusion legisla-
ture is ga damnable disgrace to
the State"
These are no democratic
lies" 1t is Democratic truth as
sorting itself. 1t is the Caucasian
itself thati is speaking, and Hal w.
Aver is its editor, and Senator Ma
rion Butler is its boss, and here is
what it says in an article in its
issue of this week, and there are
several other articles of like tenor
III the same Issue
'sAbout ten days moreremain of
the legislative session. Jnless
there shall be, within this time.
an almost miraculous change, the
record Of the Legislature will be
nothing-absolutely nothing. All
it will haye done, when it resigns,
will be the spending Of sixty or
seventy thousand dollars Of the
public funds, for which nothing
will be returned.
''Of course there are some
good men here who cannot, in
justice, be held responsible for
the record, but we are speaks
ing now of the record Of the
Legislature as a whole; and un-
less that record shall be phenom-
enally changed within the next
week, it will be the imperative
duty, and we think it will be the
pleasure, of the people to see
that such a crowd is never sent
up to make laws again.
1.-The various committees to
whom bills are referred seem to
be composed of men who are
either generally Indifferent or
pitiably ignorant. It is almost
impossible to get their attention
to any bill that does not carry
some job with it. Of course they
will read a bill, and then make a
motion to either report favora-
bly, or unfavorably, and thus get
rid of it without knowing or car
ing what the bill is or what it
contemplates.
1.-Two measures of considerable
importance have had this kind of
treatment at the hands of the
committees. One measure was
to devise machinery for finding
out how much business is done
by people out of the State with
people in the State. This bill
had, perhaps, ten minutes con-
sideration, a part of the commits
tee being asleep at the time, and
was reported unfayorably. One
member of the committee knew
what the bill intended and voted
for it. The others would have
voted for it, unless they are fools,
if they had understood the bill.
Another bill was to create a
State Board of Equalization of
Taxation. 1t was proposed to
mt this work on the Railroad