The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-02-27

/ uuPStIuI ~ AAkt 1Out i LIS ID ucNANsNos
| There would be meeting of the directors
to be appointed by Governor Russell in
June and they could ask to have the lease
made invalid.
| He declared that North Carolina as
mere stakeholder was not sovereign in
| the sense that she was sovereign as
| State. There was no use of this bill;
any private stakeholder could bring suit
Stock could be gotten in his county.
The only advantage he saw, was that
| the State could bring the suit without
bond. The friends, no doubt, hoped that
the courts would declare the lease void
Suppose the court did? Then this great
company would say: Gentlemen, we will
return this property over to you in 1901;
we will put back iron rails, ETC., restore
it in its old shape. In the meantime they
would have made their connections and
would then say that they had no use for
| the road any more.
| But suppose the Southern would turn
| it over as it is? Then four months adj
| vertisements must be made in the daily
papers for bidders Then there would
be no competition among bidders when
/ the one who lost should be at the mercy
of the other at what it considers reason
able charges for trackage, etc.
| Then the possibility of having no bid
| ders was held up; the possibility, with
no consolation in it to him, of the road
| being thrown upon the State. 1T was
valuable property, but this wealthy cor
poration could parallel it by building
| link Of thirty miles. AS to the growth
of towns and commerce, competition
would keep up with it.
Then touching upon the theory that it
| was only fight between two corpora
| TONS he referred to the appearance of
The counsel of the two corporations before
| the committee.
Mr. Butler advocated his amendment to
require the Southern to pay ten per cent.
rental on the road. He showed that the
| Seaboard Air Line had offered 100000
rent. He was willing for the Southern
| to have the road if it would pay what
| others would pay. Senators Grant
| Whedbee, Smathers tried to show that
| there was no such proposition There
was quite a colloquy between Whedbee
| and Butler. Whedbee asked Butler il
| he was representing the Sea.board's bid.
Butler said: Il am representing 100000
| people in North Carolina-the folks You
| ought to represent"
| Mr.. Abel came to the rescue Of Gov
ernor Cars administration. declaring
| that that the contract for the lease was
| good one, except the 99-year clause.
| Mr.. Smathers said that the Seaboard
| Air Lines bid was not made in good faith
Mr.. Ashburn then made a legal argu-
ment against the position of those seek
| ing to annul the lease. After discussing
| the legal aspect Of the question, he adj
dressed himself to the injustice and the in
expediency Of the proposition. The audi
ence greatly enjoyed his remarks, and
l he was frequently greeted with hilarious
| laughter. / am opposed to the 99-year
| lease. but | am opposed to trying to null
| lily it.
The vote ON Mr. Buffers amendment
providing that the rental shall not be less
| than ten per cent. was as follows:
Ayes Messrs. Abel, Alexander, At
/ water Butler, Cannon, Clark, Geddie,
| Henderson, Hardison, Lyon, Maultsby,
| Maxwell, Mitchell, Moye, Merritt, Nc
| Caskey, Newsome, Parker of Randolph,
Patterson, Robertson, Sharpe OF Iredell,
| Shaw, Utley and Walker-24
Noes-Anderson Anthony, ,Ashburn,
Barringer, Barker, Dickson, Earnhart,
| Early, Grant, Hyatt, Justice. Mccarthy,
| Mcneil. Odum, Parker OF Alamance,
| Person, Ray, Ramsay, Rollins, Scales
Sharpe OF Wilson, Smathers, Shore,
| Wakefield. Whedbee and Yeager-26.
| On the Butler amendment that the rem
tai shall not exceed 8 per cent, the vote
was as follows:
Ayes -Messrs. Alexander, Atwater, But
/ Ter, Cannon. Clark, Geddie, Henderson.
| Harrison, Lyon Maultsby, Maxwell,
| Mitchell, Moye, Merritt, McCaskey, New
4 Of Jrxh
Robson, Sharpe Of Iredell, Shaw, Utley,
and Walker %.
/ Noes-Messrs. Abel, Anderson, An
| thony, Ashburn, Barringer, Barker,
| Dickson, Earnhart, Early, Grant, Hyatt,
Justice, Mccarthy, Mcneil, Odum, Par
ker of Alamance, Person, Ray, Ramsay,
Rollins, Scales, Sharpe of Wilson,
| Smathers, Shore, Wakefield, Whedbee
and Yeager. 81.
| Mr.. Buffers amendment providing that
| the rental shall not be less than per
/ cent the vote stood % to % as follows:
| Ayes-Messrs. Alexander, Atwater,
Butler, Cannon, Clark, Early, Geddie,
| Henderson, Hardison, Lyon, Maultsby,
| Maxwell, Mitchell, Moye, Merritt, Me-
| Caskey, Newsome, Parker Of Randolph,
Patterson, Robertson, Sharpe of Wilson,
| foHlIDt VI 1Iedtli5 SHAW, u Iley, ana W al
| ker-25.
| Noes Messrs. Abel, Anderson, An
thony, Atshburn, Barringer, Barker Dick
| son, Earnhart, Grant, Hyatt, Justice.
| Mccarthy, Mcneil, Odum, Parker of
| Alamance, Person, Ramsay, Rollins,
Scales, Smathers, Shore, Wakefield
Whedbee and Yeager.-25.
OF course the Lieutenant Governor
voted no, and the amendment was thus
| defeated by his vote.
On the Grant substitute the vote was
| 26 to a, as follows:
Ayes Messrs. Abel, Anderson, An
| thony, Ashburn, Barringer, Barker,
Dickson, Earnhart, Grant Hyatt, Jus
tice, Mccarthy, Mcneil, Odum, Parker
Of Alamance, Person, Ray, Ramsay,
Rollins, Scales, Sharp OF Wilson. Smatli-
ers, Shore, Wakefield, Whedbee and
Yearger-26.
Noes.--Messrs. Alexander, Atwater,
| Butler, Cannon, Clark, Early, Geddie,
1 III ardioau Henderson Iron Mnuitchv