The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-05
Tm Wesserwer.
A STARTLING REVELATION Fob
RUSSELL

hOSSEAA
There was really nothing lacking to
show to the good people of all parties
in North Carolina, that the Russell
administration was a vicious one. 1t
would be impossible for it to be other
wise with such a man at the head of
appointees who is governed by a high
sense of duty and moved by a sincere
desire to serve the state and prove a
friend to the people in SO doing, has
resigned his place in extreme disgust
and unrepressed indignation. Young
Mr.. Bailey, who edits the Raleigh
Biblical Recorder, the old Baptist or
gan, was appointed a member of the
board of commissioners Of agriculture.
I'VE suppose ne is a republican, but not
n Of Russell's sort. He has found
it to his sorrow that he was in a false
position and was powerless to serve
North Carolina as a member of the
present board under the present adj
ministr1tion. So finding it impossible
to prevent corruption and abuses he
very wisely gets out of the vicious
concern. His letter to Russell is a
clarion blast on the eve of battle. 1t
is the bursting Of a shell of explosives
right in the camp of the black radical
gang. 1t puts fat Dan in a hole, and
there he must stay, blow and fume as
he may. Dan is in and it is an ugly
sight. Mr.. Bailey shows just how
Russell unanswered to get John Smith
out of the penitentiary management,
when he said the state was suffering
the disgrace of personal scandal and
financial loss by corruption" How
a demagogues's words come home to
roost." When Dan was writing his
fusillade of invectives against Mr.. Sim
mons he was perhaps oblivious of his
W vile record.
But Russell not only kicked John r.
Smith, the most incompetent of Off
Gals, out of h convict place, but he
foists him by way of a swap, upon the
departmental agriculture. Afellow who
was so corrupt and stupid as not to be
fit for managing "savages" and bad
whites who wore the convict stripes,
is good enough to have a voice in a
department hat was created for the
benefit Of the great farming class, the
very basis of a states prosperity.
AND that is Russellism all over. But
while ostensibly Smith is to receive |
500, less by the year, in his new place
where he al most injure the farmers, |
he is to be no loser by the swap. Mr..
Dailey says that it is an understanding,
with Russell of course and no doubt |
tie board, that he shall Illegally and
dTlmorally get $4,000 per annum from !
tle board of agriculture; that Mr..
Smith would not agree upon the ex-
change until the understanding was ]
reached. The padding of some items
of the budget at the June meeting of
the board-to which l called the atten-
ton of the board at the time-may
throw some light upon the mat
ter. Gas, water and telephones cost
$99 the last six months; for the next
six months 5000 is appropriated. Print
ing and paper cost 1857; $4,000 is ap-
propriated. There is a special ap-
preparation of $40, 900; of this amount
$4,000 is for the experiment station
work and $500 for the museum, the
of 81, 700 is for labor, fuel, re-
pairs and such special appropriations
may be ordered. You see it will be
easy to carry out this undertake
ing if it exists" All of which is fine
reading. If it does not
make a rare political stencil then it is
useless to mix such CONCLUSIONS
dire" The members Of the board
have a nice way of getting pay for
four days when the work could be
done in Jour hours, says Mr.. Bailey.
He has done we'll to escape such a
and to get away from such
an ignoble band of plunderers.