The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-01-19
II is RuSSELLl.

He Was Inaugurated Tuesday-His In
augural Address Full Of Sound Sense
and Reform Doctrine.
Gentlemen of the Senate and House of
Representatives:
There is q retribution in history.
The restoration of the people of North
Carolina to their constitutional rights
of q free and honest ballot and Of pop
ular government should give courage
and hope to the Cisfranchised men of
the non suffrage States. So long as
civilization and Christianity endure
there is always reasonable hope for the
ultimate subjugation of error en-
throned; for the redemption of the
weak and the oppressed; for the owe
throw of apparently invincible wrong.
If they but wait the hour, there is no
human power which can evade the
patient watch, the vigil long of the
brave who seek to assail the entrenched
battlements of prevailing privilege and
lawless power. Through long and
weary years free born Americans have
suffered and endured for the sake of
their convictions civil and political
disabilities that were none the less re
morseless and cruel because they were
not pressed in written law. Men whose
careers and characters should elevate
their communities have been under
the ban of political persecution and
denied their constitutional rights while
dwelling by the fresides and the graves
of their fathers To day we give thanks
to the God Of nature and of nations
and to his Providence which shapes
our ends, for the glorious fact that
North Carolina has declared for free
dom of thought, of speech and of &C
ton, for liberation and respect for the
opinions of all and for liberty, regu
lated by just and equal laws.
INVESTIGATE CONDUCT OF DRUNKEN
JUDGES.
There are many matters of domestic
concern which demand your thought
full attention, such as the increase of
the tax rate for the common schools
and improvements in their manage
ment; the establishment of reforma-
tories for youthful criminals; the adop,
tion of asystem of Vagrant laws which,
without cruelty or injustice shall autho-
rize the arrest and commitment of the
homeless young and of the vagabonds
and Migrants of the streets and high
ways; the adoption of a system of ap-
premiership by which the neglected
young may be taken from degradation
and subjected to useful and q evating
control, the protection of lawful public
meetings against disturbances; the in
vestigation of the conduct of judges
charged with drunkenness on the
bench; the extension of the criminal
court districts go as to embrace more
counties and the establishment of an
additional criminal district and the
rotation of these judges; and the adop
ton Of measures calculated to attract
the immigration of desirable persons
into the State.
ELECTION Law COMMENDED.
By the election lay of 1895 we were
rescued from the disgrace, degradation
and shame of a debauched ballot and
from the methods that would have re
suited in the permanent failure of free
government and would have degraded
US to the level of the riot-ridden de
mocracies Of Central and South Amer
lea but for the fact that our people rose
in revolt against them and their au
thors, drove the Tsurpers from power
and declared that knavery should bt
supplanted by honesty Among the
best features of our present election
law is that which gives to the judges
of our higher courts a supervisory
power over election Ulcers and giveI
summary remedies to compel the exc
cution of the law. Our Supreme Cour
Judges have literally construed thi
law in favor of justice and have STRUCK
terror among m~alfactors who hoped tt
evade it. This jurisdiction ought t.
be extended SO that the judges shoulC
have unquestioned authority to super
wise all the election officers and issuO
proper and summary process to c)m
pei a compliance with the law. Mucl
fraud and. confusion would be avoideC
and greater certainty effected and ex
penses in election contests saved b!
providing that all ballots should b
numbered to correspond with the mum
Der of the polllist. This would promot
the secrecy Of the ballot because
would then be deposited without beini