The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-01-20
VOL. XIV. New Series Vol.
THE EDITORS LEISURE HOURS
Points and Paragraphs Of Things
Present, Past and Future.

lana in February to modify the consti
tuition in regard to the elective suffrage
1t is to make such requirements will
reference to intelligence and the hold
Ing of property as will cut down th'
number of colored voters in that State
The Philadelphia Record says:
"The necessity for such discrimlna
ton seems to be generally conceded BY
the white voters OF the State of bott
political parties"
The great suffering amongst the
Cubans cannot even be imagined by
the people of this prosperous country
and this good land filled with plenty
Hon. Charles Russell, assistant United
States Attorney in the Department OF
Justice, has recently returned from
Cuba, and says that two hundred thou
sand persons are daily suffering and
dying for the want of food and medi-
cine. He says it would take $4,000
day to partially alleviate the suffer-
ing. Such is the result of war. But
the insurgents in Cuba will in the end
gain their victory, we believe.
The winter OF 1897-98 has, to this
writing, been very mild. Will it con-
tinue so all through? This is a ques-
ton which many have somewhat won-
deringly asked.
w. w. Parker, writing to the Rich
mond Dispatch January 18th, said:
"You may say upon my humble
authority that have noticed for years.
and often published it In the Dispatch,
that if the weather continues warm till
the 18th of January it will be warm
all winter. I know of but one excep-
ton in many years then the cold wave
came on the morning of the 18th, and
it continued cold till late in Febru-
ary."
At last sensible thing will be done
in launching a ship. It has been a
question with thousands of good peo-
people in this land as to what sense
there is in breaking bottle of wine
over some part of a new ship at its
launching and calling it christening
the ship"
To-day, Miss Helen Long, daughter
of the Secretary of the Navy, will
christen the first Japanese warship to
be launched in the United States. An
item from Washington has said that
the ceremony will take place at
Cramps ship yards and will consist in
calling the name "Kasagi" by Miss
Herbert and loosing silken bag and
releasing white pigeon, bird which
Is held sacred by the Japanese in such
ceremonies.
Recently DR.. T. B. Kingsbury, editor
of the Wilmington Messenger, wrote
of the excellent work which is being
done by the press of North Carolina.
What he said was true, we think.
The average newspaper in the State
is worth many times the price paid
for it but the people are Glow to real
lze this. As to running a paper on
the spot cash plan, there is some differ
ence OF opinion but we have found 1t
impracticab1e. Many newspapers in
this State, weeklies and dailies, take
chances with goodly number of their
readers, frequently sending the paper
a year or more beyond the time paid
for. And while in many instances it
seems to be the best plan for some
particular reader, we believe that no
class of creditors is more imposed
upon than the newspaper that indul-
ges its readers. The newspapers of
North Carolina have done more since
the war to develop the State and show
It's resources than any other influence
at all. And they deserve to be paid
handsomely for their work.
The progressive ladies of Westfield,
Ind, issued "Woman's Edition" OF
the Westfield News, bearing date OF