The news & observer., 1897-03-10

NoBODY SPEAKS Wtlt OFT
uNDsR RAl-Ro4D ooNiNArIoN
Constitue Is

Praise God from whom all blessings
I flow"
! All things, bad as well as good, must
end sometime.
The Legislature has adjourned at
| last.
1t is dead. Deader than the deadest
deader than any other kind of nail, and
why nails should be picked out of all
created things to express humiliation Is
| more than / can comprehend. But | do
know why the Legislature of 1897 should
smell louder in the nostrils of a civilized
people and be buried deeper by a proud,
| liberty-lovmg State than has any of its
predecessors.
A funeral is no time for merry making
but | am happy tonight. | can clap my
hands with joy. In common with a mill
lion true-hearted Tar Heels / am assist
ing at a blessed wake, my sole regret
being that it did not occur earlier in the
season, before life became burden to
those who had to watch over the fostering
corpse.
But at last the end has come; the
country breathes freely again; the air
around the capital city is becoming pure
once nore-as pure as the poisoned cere-
ments left behind by the dead body and
the microbes that will remain with us
for the next four years will admit of.
And for this we are grateful, and should
grid up our loins and prepare to turn
the bad into better. Things might have
been worse, though it is hard to believe it.
Instead of grippe we might have had
the cholera: instead of rioting and dis
graceful scenes of disorder we might have
had blows and bloodshed; instead of an
ardent gold-bug for Senator we might
have had q little railroad attorney-in-
stead of high-priced one-sin the
upper branch of Congress; in-
stead of leaving the lease ques-
ton for the people to settle we might
have had the secret sale of the States
property for a song confirmed, and instead
of adjourning yesterday the Legislature
might have remained in session until to-
day or tomorrow.
This is the bright side of the picture
and should be entered up TO the credit OF
the deceased.
Though it is in bad taste to speak I'LL of
the dead it would, perhaps, not be i'm
proper, just here TO point out few OF
the minor faults and shortcomings of the
late Legislature.
1t squandered the public money in un-
necessary appropria tions, and increased
the taxes. 1t created scores of new Of
fees and filed them with Incompetent
men. 1t raped the public institutions and
turned them over to hoodlums, heelers
and pie-hunters. 1t was more completely
under railroad domination than was even
its ilustrious predecessor OF 1868. 1T
gave to ignorant negroes and mean white
men absolute control Of many OF the best
towns and cities in the State. lit gave TO
the Governor more power and patronage
than has ever before been enjoyed by
chief executive of the State; to all in
tents and purposes Governor Russell is
now a despot with almost unlimited ap-
pointing power in his hands, and the
sooner the people of North Carolina real
ize this and restore the old order of
things the better it will be for them.
But we can take our chances with all
this, provided we have the assurance that
the end has come. Unless the Nemesis
that now seems to be sitting cross-legged,
waiting for cooperation, we will not haye
a repetition of this abomination and
desolation of spirit Of which Daniel, the
prophet, spoke.
A few of the legislators went home
Monday, more went yesterday and last
nights trains took away great gobs of
them. BY tomorrow the last remain
ing ones-with the exception of clerks
who stay to straighten up the journals
will have folded their tents and stolen
away.
The Legislature of 1897 is dead and
over its tomb may well be written 1T has
done those things which it should not
have done, and left undone those things
which it should have done" No man
will ever rise up and call it blessed.