The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-04

nrice OF Illuminating gas.

| price OF Illuminating gas
| BY Senator Maultsby, to incorporate
! the Lumber River Company and the
town of Haley. in Columbus county.
/ The hour for the special order having
arrived. Senator MCCaskey made a
| motion that the special committees ar-
pointed on the memorial Of the presi-
dent and directors Of the North Car
DINA railroad relative TO the lease make
a report.
Senator Grant. chairman Of the COM
mittee. sent forward the majority re-
port. il being hat after careful n
sheraton. they had arrived 1T the
conclusion. from examination Of va
rious witnesses. that there was no sus-
picion OF fraud or intimation OF cor
ruption on the part OF any n In the
matter OF the lease of the North Car
olina railroad to the Southern in 1895.
Then Senator~Grant sent W his
substitute bill. which was published
today.
The gist Of the minority report was
that they could not concur in the ma
jority report because the committee
would not summons and examine ex-
Governor Carr. A r. Andrews and r.
c. Hoffman: that the people wan the
truth and nothing but the truth. and
they could rot get IL unless the parties
above named We're examined: that
Director Maxwell had said that Hon-
man said he could not bid on the roa
six years before the first lease expired.
because the Southern woul run the
road down. Therefore the minority re
commend that the substitute do not.
but that the original bill do pass.
| Senator McCaskey said he was unal-
terably opposed to the substitute Of
| the majority; that when the lease Of
| the road was discussed in the news
papers in this state as to it's desirable
| ity. he was then opposed TO II, and Is
at present opposed to the lease. He did
not think lat the state a been bet
tered by it. He knew better terms
| could have been made. To lease II
for ninety-nine years was equal to a
sale.
Senator Grant favored the substitute.
He thought 1t a good bargain. The
state had made. he thought. In ten
years improvements and betterments
would aggregate an increase OF 10 per
cent; that he was afraid IL the lease
was annulled that before long a short
line would be built and the North Car
on the state, and II would never be
made a paying line again.
Senator Anderson said a petition has
been handed him from the citizens Of
his county. men of all classes and po-
litical parties, asking him to work, vote
and use his influence to defeat the bill
seeking to annul the lease. He thought
the state was in honor bound to carry
out it's contract with the Southern. 1t
is claimed the bill is not meant to an
null the lease, but to be able to take II
to the courts. If that is all. can they
take it TO the courts IL there are not
any merits? If no fraud or corruption
was practiced the lease should stand,
because when the state Of North Car
DINA has entered into a contract II
should be as good as gold. If any one
can prove to him that the state is not
legally and honorably bound and that
it can make a better contract, then he
would support the bill. If they pass
the bill they will stab the states heart
and try to undo the best possible con-
tract the state can ever make. He
proposed, for one, to uphold the honor
Of the state.
Senator Sharp, of Iredell, said if the
senate voted down the substitute and
passed the original bill it will never
drag down the honor of North Caro-
lima. He believed the lease to be a
fraud, and the people believe it to be
a fraud. He came here in favor OF the
lease, but after seeing the lobbying car
ried on in favor of the lease, and after
attending the meetings Of the special
committee, he arrived at the conclusion
that it was nothing more nor less thar
a conSummate fraud and hould be an
nulled as soon as possible. The South
ern railroad does not give the North
Carolina railroad a fair show. 1t
charges expenses of other lines to the
North Carolina railroad to keep down
the report of earnings. He warned the
senators if they did not pass this bill
ana let the matter be settled in the
courts the next legislature in 1899
would pass such a bill, because it would
know the people had no voice in leas-
ing the road.
The chair had the report OF the
minority read, recommending that the
substitute do not pass, but that the
original bill 10 pass. After the reading
the chair ruled the report as not a re-
port, and allowed Senator Scales to
! offer an amendment to the substitute.
Senator Scales said he did not pur-
pose to become eloquent, but to simply
express his opinion. He was glad to
| say he had been allowed to make up his
mind without the aid Of a lobbyist, and
he took occasion to thank them on both
| sides for letting him alone. He did not
| believe there had been any fraud or
| corruption practiced in the lease. but il
he had been one Of the directors he
would have never voted for the lease
for ninety-nine years. He was no
friend Of railroads.. but they have
rights as well as any one else. He was
unalterably opposed to a ninety-nine
year lease, also opposed to the original
bill, but favored the substitute with
his amendment attached thereto. His
endme provide, nrst, that the d.
rectors shall also assent to the modi-
fication Of the thirty-six years by next
June; also allows the state to bring
suit in the event Of failure OF the
Southern and directors to assent to
modification, without giving bono or
other undertaking.
Senator Butler opposed the amend
ments. because they had a tendency 70
defeat the bill, saying If the amend
ments were adopted the bill would have
to be sent again to the house for con-
currence, and it being SO late in the
session 1t was possible it could never
pass the house in time TO come back
to the senate for passage.