The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-08

The pardon business is overdone in
this state. If governors SOW indiscrimi-
nate pardons and judges SOW endless
compromises and suspensions OF justice
THE state will sooner or later reap a har-
vest OF crime.-Chariotte News.
Chairman Caldwell puts a little venega
into a communication to The Charlotte
News, in which he denies that the rail
Rad commission has ruled that the rail
roads cannot, under the law, give free
transportation to the families of the EN-.
ptoyes, as heretofore. Will the chair
man please point TO the ruling of The
commission to the effect hat such priv.
leges can be given without violating the
1aw?-Raleigh Post.
The great and overweening confidence
of our people in the people is just o
sadly in evidence in North Carolina. II
ever a movement in the name of the dear
people started wrong end foremost to &C.
comprish reform the chaotic condition OF
our state furnishes an object lesson
which brings confidence to the unbiased
mind OF every honest citizen that the
conception and birth of what is called
the populiSt party in North Carolina was
one of the worst cases of malpractice in
midwifery that ever occurred. The bant-
ling captured the state and gave US Rus
sell and his party carefully selected for
whatever purpose he may demand. II the
reformerS were honest they have been
sorely deceived and beitrayed.-Ruther-
fordton Vindicator.
D. L. Russell is a great man in North
Carolina. He can make any of the boys
swap offices. He can kick a fellow out
when he refuses to do his bidding. He
can ride on free passes himself, and then
when poor Old broken down Gideon VIII
son gets the railroad to carry a few old
ski1lets. some Old frying pans, an Old
stove. two or three old split bottom
chairs and an-old buggy bedstead to
Round Knob, free OF charge. he can OBJ
ippt and he can pnr Wilson off from the
public trough. Verify this Russell is alb
sO'ute Monarch in this state. However.
when he went to Washington recently
to tell Mckinley who to appoint to a
certain POSITION he was told that his ad-
vice was neither needed nor appreci-
ated--Lexington Dispatch.
The New York World says that the
south is not poor because for fits so crops
Of cotton raised since the war. it has re-
ceived seven and a half billions of dol
lars. That does not prove the case any
more than to say Of a bank teller that he
must be rich because he has rec lived
over a million OF dollars in a year. The
mil.ion belonged TO other men. And tx
was too much so with the seven cotton
billions. If the sman planter makes on
his cotton crop a Thousand dollars, and
nus at once pay over eight hundred OF
it for store supplies. leaving the other
two hundred to improve and keep UP his
land. buy new tools. and to live on I'LL he
puts in a crop, he is not becoming rich
very fast. The World says il is affronl
to southern sagacity and energy 10 say
that the south is poor. The south is GER
tainly lacking in sagacity when it vii,
go on year after year making a crop that
ii is repeatedly asserted, contains no
profit, when half as large a crop would
yield a profit, leaving more land on
which 10 raise general supplies. But
where is the man IN the south wFho can
organize the cotton raising states by
townships against a too iarge cotton
crop? He has yet to appear above the
horizon.-Asheyille Citizen