The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-01-19
FROM THE STATE CAPITAL.
Doin2s in the Legislature During the
Past Week
(From Our Special Corre,pOndent)

RALEIGH, n. c., Jan. Is, '99.
The report of the special commit
tee of experts appointed by the new
management of the penitentiary to
90 through the books shows a worse
state Of affairs than was anticipated.
According to the books Of the superin-
tendent the institution owes more
than ninetysix thousand dollars more
than it can pay and the number of
debts for which bills have not yet
been presented will bring the figures
up to a hundred thousand dollars
and possibly over that sum. AS no
individual ledgers were kept it is
thought that it will be very difficult
if not impossible to tell exactly who
was responsible for the waste of the
funds That there was waste and
extravagent Encouragement the re-
port plainly shows. Whether Gov.
Russell's latest appointees will be
allowed to remain in charge is ques-
ton, for while Capt. Day has many
very strong personal friends in the
legislature there is a very strong SEN
timent to wipe out all traces of Rus
sellism in whatever department it is
discovered.
A bill was introduced in the House
to-day to transfer Mitchell county
from the Eighth Congressional dis
trict to the Ninth district, where it
is claimed it naturally belongs.
There will probably be very few
changes in the arrangement of the
| Congressional districts, though the
same cannot be said of the judicial
districts if the movement to increase
the number of judges is success.
There is strong opposition to any in
crease in the number of regular
| Judges on the ground that this legis-
laturc should not create any new
offices whatever. But the lawyers
generally are in favor Of abolishing
the present criminal circuits and in
place of them create new judicial dis
tricts with regular judges of the
superior court, and they point out
the fact that if this is done there will
not be any real increase in the num-
Der of judicial officers.
The distribution Of the public
school fund and the changes needed
in the election law remain the sub
jects Of most Importance. A bill has
been introduced providing for an
amendment to the Constitution strik-
ing out the clause which provides
that the school fund shall he equit-
ably distributed between the races.
This provision will allow the taxes
paid by the whites to 90 to the white
shoots, while the taxes paid by the
negroes will 60 to the colored schools.
AS a matter of fact the whites pay
nearly all the taxes, and this would
make the white schools nearly hun
dred per cent. better, but would leave
the negroes practically without a
means of education.
Sentiment on the election law need
has not yet crystalized on any par.
ticular measure, though the Louisiana
plan has more supporters than any
other, and it is the only measure yet
introduced as a bill. There will be
no Constitutional convention as it is
| regarded as needless.
DR.. Cy Thompson was before a leg
islative committee few days ago tc
give testimony regarding the amount
of fees he received from the insurance
division of his department. He
stated that they were not nearly SC
large as was generally supposed and
his income was only about So, 600 a
year.
The number of investigation reso-
lutions introduced, several of which
have been passed, have already borne
fruit. The investigators will prob.
ably look into the agricultural de-
partment before they have we'll done
with the penitentiary. There are
said to be number of irregularities
in that part of the fusion domains.
Senator Hairston's bill providing
for a change in the law regarding the
chartering of foreign corporations is
one of the most important measures
introduced in the past week. Its
main object is to prevent the whole
sale removal of cases from the State
courts to the Federal courts by these
corporations.
The resolution to reduce the pay
Of all employees of the legislature has
been passed and will effect material
saving to the State. Economy is the
watchword of this legislature.
a good deal of amusement was
created by the passage of bill to re
peal the charter of little town in
Mitchell county. 1t came out in the
course of the debate over the measure
that the town consisted of one dis
tillery and a foot log; that it never
had but one inhabitant and that onl,
when the man was running his dis
tillery.
Governor Russell will tomorrow
send to the legislature the evidenc,
in the case of the two Wilson's, who
were dismissed from the railroad
commission. This is not matter o
any great Importance, however, as i
is not likely that any of the old com
missioners will have place on thu
commission that will probably b.
created by this legislature.
The city is crowded with visitors
most of them wanting to get some
thing through the legislature or Sc
cure some position under the new
regime, though there are Il number
who have come to see the new legis
lature, and the number OF candidates
is not so great as it has been in pre-
vious years.
Great preparations are being mad,
for the State camp of Confederate
veterans and the big Confederate
bazaar that is to be held here mex
week. Thousands of old veterans ar,
expected to be present from every
part of the State. The bazaar is TO,
the benefit Of the Soldiers Home
which has been greatly in need o
funds for some time.
Heriot Clarkson's bill for the estab
lishment of State textile school i.
generally endorsed. The committe.
will have special hearing on the bill
next Thursday, when a number O
leading manufacturers will appear
before the committee and testify re-