The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-02

ment Here, however, it looked liBc
creating an office simply to give II to
/ n Democrat.
Mr.. Mcneil of Brunswick, thought it
a dangerous precedent TO adopt.
/ The Democratic party IS on trial.
The people are the jury. II the PEOPLE
approve of this Legislature Il will he
/ Democratic again. I'm perfectly will
ing for the people OF Su"ly TO have a
treasurer if they want him, but lct
them elect him. They haven't dee-
gated to this body the power to choose
their officers"
/ Mr.. Justice, of Mcdowell, wanted -
say that the white people of Western
I North Carolina are going 70 iun their
own affairs, but that this bill was law
/ full. He referred to the fact that che
| Fusion Legislature of 1897 created The
office of county treasurer for Mcdowell
/ and under that act the Governor APP
pointed the first Republican officer the
county had had i'll dozen years o.
more.
AS proposition of law the Legis
lature has a right to establish lac Of
flee of county treasurer. The sheriff
| took the office with that understanding.
He has no vested right in the Office of
treasurer after the Legislature has ii
vided it from that of sheriff
Mr.. Robinson. OF Cumberland. didn't
! deny the right of the Legislature to
do it. but he did deny the wisdom Of
doing it; and most emphatically he de-
MED the justice of it. The people fun
damentaIly have a right to control theil
own affairs
Mr.. Moore, of Jackson, told the H0usc
| that the sheriff of Surry county was a
brother-in-aw of the chairman of the
| board of commissioners and that this
| board was controlled by this chairman,
From this he argued that there might
easily be collision and great corruption
| i'll office might result and escape detec
] ton. The bill before the House he con
/ sidered, therefore, not Il question Of
| politics, but of eXpediency. Mr.. Parks,
the proposed treasurer, he said, was for
many years chairman of the boaru Of
commissioners and man eminently
qualified for the place,
| Mr.. Clarkson, of Mecklenburg, thought
| the passage of such Il bill would be
partizanship running riot.
|
tried to put upon the fair city of Char
lotte a police commission. | remember
/ TOO. that it was the Western Republi-
cans who prevented it. Mecklenburg
people are not the kind of folk to re-
| turn evil for good. Whenever you'll
prove to me that these bills are neces-
sary for the eastern counties I'll vote
| them, but in the West a different con-
dition Of affairs confrOnts lis"
Mr.. Craig made the point that the
| people. in voting for sheriff who was
| also to be treasurer, had thereby voted
FOR treasurer. And thar treasurer
was Republican and not Democrat.
| Mr.. Allen, of Wayne: who intro
| duced this bill?'
Mr. Craig: Senator Glenn"
rs Surry in his district?'
mo"
MIR. Craig: Two years ago the Flu
Sionists appointed treasurer for Nc
| Dowell county A Democrat protested.
He did right. a Fusion precedent is
no good precedent"
Mr.. Gattis: Don't you know that
the 600 negroes in Surry county hold
| the balance of powcr?'
| Mr.. Craig: Il hear there are only
about 400 negroes in the county"
! Mr.. Hampton said this was correct,
and that all of them did not vote the
Republican ticket.
| Mr. Craig: If Democrat had been
elected would there now be il petition
here from Democrats for election OF Il
/ treasurer: ! undertake to say there
would not. | don't know whether even
1 the Democrats want him or not. Tho
| neoplc of Surry county spoke in the
election. They sent Mr.. Hampton here
10 represent them; let's abide the YER
| Dict
| Mr.. Council thought the best interests
of every county demanded that it have a
| county treasurer He knew his own
lad suffered and was now some $4,000
in debt because it didn't have one. But
when it comes to electing him or any
other county officer by the Legislature
that's different matter. He said he
would, at the proper time, amend the
hill so as to create the office and give
| the county commissioners power TO elect.
MIR. Gattis said this was tne very
thing they were trying to get around.
| The chairman of the board of commits
sioners is a brother-in-law OF the sher-
iff. He is here lobbying. Leave it to
him and there'll be no treasurer. If
| Surry is to have treasurer now is the
time and here is the place. Then comes
the question of the treasurer. Who will
appoint? If you let the commissioners
do it, then the object aimed at will not
be accomplished An investigation is
necessary"
Mr.. Gattis called the previous ques,
| ton.
The call was sustained and Mr.. Cur
| lis, of Buncombe, called the ayes and
noes.
The roll call resulted. 81 in favor OF
| the bill and GIL against it.
THE HOUSE PROCEEDINGS.
The Smallest Number of New Bills fol
| Many Days.
The House met ut 10 O'clock, Speaker
/ Conner Dresiding