The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-01

dition than Ever Before-Probability of
Reduction OF Railway Passenger and
Freight Rates-ButIer Finds His New
Party scheme AN Impossibility-A Block
ader's.shrewd Trick.to.Get "A New stiil
Messenger Burueau,
Raleigh, n. c., Jan. q.
At the meeting of the trustees of the
university today, at which Governor
Russell presided, President Edwin A.
Alderman submitted his annual report.
This SHOWED that the university is
more prosperous than ever before in
all its history Of over a century. The
total number of persons receiving in
struction during the past year was
685, of which 185 were in the summer
school, the others university students
proper. This enrolment is forty in ex-
cess OF the largest attendance, and 100
more than last year. Eighty-six of the
nfnety-six counties are represented,
and nine other states. Orange leads in
students, having 43, Forsyth %, Wake
q. Ninety per cent. of the students
are from North Carolina-the largest
per centage shown by any university
in the United Stares. Seventy-six per
cent. Of all the academic students are
perSuing the regular cources leading to
degrees. There are III in the fresh
men class, 12O being farmers sons. The
enroIlemnt places the university in the
lead in the south in the number of
academic students and as the third
in itc hot ole TTj, oI-o ;r n ,-1ooo VIZ I1o
showing. The professional schools
ave increased and have a total of 140.
The cornerstone of the $25, 900 alumni
building will be laid with appropriate
ceremonies Inc 1st. Revs. Robert
Strange, l.. B. Turnbull, C.. w. Byrd
and j. w. Garter are elected preachers
to the university for 1898, and FAX
will spend a week there This is a new
departure. Leave Of absence for three
months was granted to President AL
derman for a trip to Europe and THE
east. He has worked earnestly and haS
fairly earned this opportunity for
travel, as the prosperity of the uni
Versity shows. Professor j. W. Gore is,
during his absence, dean Of the faculty,
with powers as president.
President Alderman tells me he will
a February 5th for Gibraltar. He Wis
it's Greece, the Holy Land, Egypt.
Italy, Germany, France and England
and expects to be back May 1st. While
in England he will visit Oxford and
Cambridge universities.
Senator Butler has called for q
freight rate reduction and it is under
stood that the commission viii make
the latter quite soon. The senator de
mtanded a reduction of the passenger
rate recently, and the commission di-
rectly afterwards gave notice THAT it
would take up that matter. Some per
sons believe that on the main lines a
tWo-cent rate will be ordered. One of
the commissioners said the other day
that he Thought there ought to be a
difference i'm favor of the Weake roads.
1t is intimated by a close friend of
Governor Russell that Senator Butler
has sal it would be i~nlpracticable to
form a new party out of Butler popu-
lists, Russell republicans and a few
democrats. Members of Buffers party
say he couldn't deliver the goods if he
made a lea
Mr.. Hugh Mclean of Harnett cOun-
rty was here today. He and his broth
er Hector are the oldest twins in the
world, having been born July Is,
1910. Mr.. Mclean drove twenty eight
miles here in his buggy.
Among tCday's arrivals besides all
Gne C1lSI officials Oh uflP AJLldIHUlc CUdSC
Lime. the SeabOard Ain Line, the South
ern and the Cape Fear and Yadkin
Valley railway, We're George H. Locey,
of Wilmington; Paul Means, of Con-
cord; john S. Cunningham, of Pearson,
tand Fired Phillips, of TarbOro. Some of
these attended THE annual meeting of
the trustees of THE state university.
The revenue men are laughing ait THE
trick played ON one of the deputy col
electors by AN Orange county distiller.
The latter wanted a new still, the Old
one being nearly burned out, and cOuld
get a new one for SIS. He removed the
cap and other useful parts OF THE old
still and then got $40 from tine evenu
mar for Informing as to where is was
located. Thus he got his new outfIt
for only IS.
Gilbert Ward. who wals taken from
iail here yesterday to GO1dsboro for
t,:a1 fer murder, was brought back to-
day. Owing tic the absence OF his most
important witness his trial is postponed
until April.
Some of the STREAMS are very low.
Npuse river, for example, Us about as
low IS 1T was ever % to be.
john A. Ramsey, the engineer to the
state board Of education, which has in
charge what are known as the swamp
Iards. is here. He says There are sew
e-fal offers to purchase large tracts. A
Pennsylvanian wants so, 900 acres.