The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-01-31
Especial to The MessengerO
SENATE.

SENATE.
Raleigh, n. c., January 2s.-The sem
ate met at 10 o'clock.
a petition was presented from men,
bers of the various churches OF Colds
boro to establish a reform school.
Bills were introduced as follows: By
Senator Mcintyre, to repeal chapter
"a, laws of 1889, and to re-enact chap
ter 296 laws of 1885. relative to the
stock law in Robson. To incorporate
the Carolina Building and Insurance
Company.
The bill to restore Mt. Airy township,
Surry county, passed its final reading.
(This bill practically enforces the COL
lection of a $25, 900 bond issue, sub
scribed for the Cape Fear and Yadkin
railway
The bill to protect cattle from sple-
netic fever passed. The particular evil
guarded against is the fever tick,
which is especially deadly to cattle and
also causes contagion.
The bill to repeal section 3113 OF The
Code came up. This provides that local
option elections may be held IN any
month during the year instead of in
June and on petition of one-fourth of
the citizens of a township instead Of
one-half.
The general principle of local option
was brought under discussion. Senator
Bryan said he did not believe in local
option that prohibition did not pro-
hibit and only led to evasion Of the
law and curtailing of n mans rights.
High license, say $500 TO $1,000 or even
$4,000, is the best policy, in his opinion.
Senator Mcintyre took the opposite
view. He said ten years ago in Lum-
berton, the women and children were
not safe from drunken men and gen.
eral lawlessness prevailed. That this
was under the high license system; that
now there was, with local option in
Lumberton, sobriety and decency and
not 100 arrests in a year. He urged
that the women and children of North
Carolina be given the same chance, at
best, as the barroom people of the
state.
Senator Ward said he wished to pro-
pose an amendment to the bill: $50
that cities and counties should be in
cluded in addition to townships" For,
he said, as the bill stands whiskey
could be driven from one township to
another where there was no police sur
veilance, and to be effective it's provis-
ions should apply more generally.
The bill was finally re-referred to
the committee.
The bill to amend chapter 159, laws
of 1895 (this is Rountree's bilD and pre-
vents judge from issuing an injunc-
ton or restraining order on quo-war-
ranto proceedings against a defendant
in office.
Bills also passed to incorporate the
Carolina Bonding and Surety Compa-
ny, and to amend the charter Of
Greenviue.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIvE
The house met at 10 o'clock.
Bills were introduced as follows: To
allow the commissioners of Greene
county to levy special tax. To incor-
porate the Old North State Farmers
Mutual Fire Insurance Company. To
provide for the promotion and super
vision of the oyster industry in North
Carolina. To create the Vance Tex
tile department Of the Agricultural and
Mechanical college. (This bill simply
makes it the duty of the board Of trus-
tees to establish and maintain a de-
partment of the college in which shall
be taught the manufacture of textile
goods.)
The calendar was taken up. The bill
introduced by Mr.. Winston, of BERTHE
to make the cohabitation between the
white and the black races felony
punishable by imprisonment In the
county Jail for not less than -four
months or in the states prison for no
more than five years, came up for con
sideration with favorable report from
the committee. The bill caused a lonI
discussion. Speaker Connor calle,
Locke Craig to the chair and took tn
floor in advocacy of the measure.
Messrs. Allen and Justice oppose
the bill on the ground that it woul
promote blackmail and fraud.
A yea and nay vote was demande
and the bill passed its secopd reading
So to "a, and then passed rs final read
. ing. The "clincher'' was put on tn
bill so it cannot be reconsidered.
The bill to regulate the measuremer