Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1897-02-25
THE LEGISLATURE.
The House Passes the Anti Rail
road Lease Bill.

TO annuI the lease OF the North
Carolina railroad, came up.
There was majority report
favoring the bill, signed by six
of the seven members Of the
special committee and a minority
report, signed by Aiken (repubs
lican) of the committee.
The committee presented the
substitute for the original bill as
its report. Both reports were
read, and the proceedings were
witnessed by very large and
deeply interested number of peo-
pie in the lobby and galleries.
The majority report was first
read, then the minority report.
The latter declared the bill to be
the deadliest blow ever struck al
the interests of western North
Carolina. It was arranged that
there should be three hours dis
cussion,
Mr.. Schulken was the first
speaker and favored the bill as a
member of the committee. He
said the people asked that the
99>year lease, equal to sale, be
annulled, and on the other side
is the Southern railroad which
has gobbled up for almost CEN
tury the finest property the state
owns; that the lease was secretly
made; that it may not have been
an intentional fraud, but the con>
duct Of the directors showed it
was fraudulent. and that persons
who wanted to bid were shut out.
Mr.. Freeman, republican, said
he represented a territory which
almost to a man was putting the
vote on this bill; that he wanted
to deny that the lease was made
in a corner that the majority re>
port gave the Seaboard Air Line
a monopoly, that the bill bore on
it's very face "contiscatiOn."
Mr.. Pearson said that he fav,-
ored the majority report. That
Governor Cars idea in using the
lease was that he might get the
road on the tax list; that he made
a great mistake; that the demo-
cratic party had nothing to do
with the lease, but would be held
o a stric t accountability for its
vote here to>day.
Mr.. Blackburn said the North
Carolina railroad was not valu-
able except by the work of the
Southern.
Mr.. Murphy said the bill vests
ed the governor with more
power, so far as railways are
concerned, than the czar of Rus
sia has. He denied that the lease
was either secret or fraudulent
or with fraudulent intent. He
considered the bill unconstitu-
tional as violative of the obliga-
tion of a contract which binds
the state and the private stocks
holders and said any law would
oe retrospective.
Mr.. McCrary said the lease
was made too soon and for too
long a time; that more publicity
should have been given it, but it
has been made and the question
is what will you do with it; that
this was really a fight between
the Seaboard Air Line and the
Southern.
At $50 o'clock MIR. Cook called
the previous question. The vote
was first taken on the minority
report.
The vote was SO to 81, so the
minority report failed to pass
There was rattling volley of
applause as the result Of the
vote was announced.
The substitution then passed
it's second reading go to 81.
Mr.. Blackburn moved to ads
journ until tomorrow. The
House by large majority re-
fused to adjourn.
Mr.. Cook moved to suspend
the rules and put the substitute
on it's third reading
Mr.. Hancock demanded that
persons not entitled to the floor
be removed and declared that
lobbyists were at work on the
floor.
The bill passed its third read
ing.
Raleigh, N. c., Feb. 17.-Bills
were introduced in the House, to
require sheriffs, in sales of NOR
tagged land for taxes, to give
notice of such sale to mortgage,
to incorporate the Snow Hill
Railroad, to divide the A. & M.
College from the Agricultural
Department and put it under the
control of ten directors, to incor-
porate the Independent Order of
Farmers and Mechanics, to pros
tect fruit shippers by requiring
railways to pay cost price of
goods if there is great delay, to
allow the Agricultural Depart
ment to hold farmers institutes
at an expense of not over 81. 500.
to entitle widows of Confederate
soldiers to fourth class pensions,
to give the Governor the ap-
| A GENTS WANTED-For War in