The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-28

To Pay the Penitenttary Debts-The
Bill 60 Sell she A. d n. G. Railroad.
Amendments TO the Antitrust Bill
Especial to the Messenger.)

! Amendments to the Antitrust Bill
Especial TO the Messenger.)
Raleigh, n. C., February 2I.-The
joint committee on penal institutions
today introduced Shepherd & Busbee
to prepare a bill providing for the issue
Of bonds for the payment of the indebt-
edness and support Of the p~enitentiary.
The exact amount of the issue is not
determined, though it is supposed 1t
will be $500, 900.
The senate educational committee
will recommend the passage of the
bill to lend the Agricultural and Me-
chanical college $4,000 for sewerage
purposes. The idea is that the sum
will be refunded in two or three years
from the income of the college.
Before the senate committee on cor
porations G. NJ. Busbee, w. C. Max
well and w. ]. Edwards argued in ia
vor Of the bill introduced today, pro-
viding that upon the payment to the
state treasurer within ninety days, af-
ter ratification Of the act, of $500, 900
the treasurer is authorized to sell to
Edwards and his associates all shares
held by the state in the Atlantic and
North Carolina railroad, provided that
before delivery of the shares, within
four years Edwards shall build a line
of standard guage railroad at least 100
miles in length, connecting with the
Atlantic and North Carolina railroad
and running westwardly through the
counties of Wayne, Johnson, Harnett,
Montgomery and Moore and thence in
the direction Of Concord, Salisbury Or
Charlotte. They stated that the state
had no use for the shares and needed
the money, and by making she contract
the valuation of taxable property in
the state would be increased in four
years $1,000, 900. Edwards offered to
| produce United States bonds as a guar
antee for his proposition, and said he
would guarantee the extension of the
road, satisfaction on the part of the
private stock holders and that the pro-
| posed road would not come under the
control of any monopoly. The com-
m.ttee seem disposed to accept the Of
fer, but will hold the matter under ad-
visement until the stockholders wishes
are represented.
The largest stockholders in the At
lantic and North Carolina railroad are
| some eastern counties and the estates
of the Moreheads and the fuckers.
The senate judiciary committee de-
cided to amend the Stevens antitrust
bill by striking out section 5, which
| provides that merchants in North Car
DINA shall not be held legally liable
for goods purchased from a trust. Sec
ton Z is amended to read: "Nor shall
! the act apply to agricultural supplies,
nor to articles and commodities used
in cultivation of farms" and section II,
! as amended, is that "this act shall not
apply to any wholesale or retail mer-
chant or jobber doing business in this
state, who is not a party to, or inter-
estted in a trust, nor an agent of a
trust; nor shall it apply to any fishing,
! canning or trucking industry in this
state, nor to any persons, firms or cor
porations engaged therein In this
/ amended form bill will likely pass the
j senate tomorrow.
The board of internal improvements
| organized by electing Armistead Jones
president, E. F. Lamb, secretary. AL.
| of it's nine members were present.
| General William CASTOR Lewis, OF
| Goldsboro, was elected agent and sur
| veyor of the state swamp lands.