The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-03

morning the Congress found its occupa-
ton gone"
From this Judge Conner argued that
the House could take the bit in its
teeth and settle this question without
so much waste of time referring and
re-referring to committees.
Mr.. Alexander, of Rutherford, Mr..
Rountree, of New Hanover; Mr.. Bou-
shall, of Wake, and others, favored the
passage of the bill, urging that it was
only Il question of fees and they
thought the reduction just one and
such as the people demanded and ex-
pected.
With this half a dozen counties that
had only few minutes before asked
to be excepted were withdrawn and the
bill came up on its passage as originally
amended.
The word was somehow passed around
to vote down all amendments that stood
in the way of making the law general
one, and it was done.
Brunswick first went by the board,
then Clay and Currituck and so on till
the Macon amendment boboed up. This
brought Mr.. Ray to his feet. He tackled
the bill with gloves off and lambasted
the House for its policy of riding over
members who didn't want the redue-
ton to apply to their counties. 1t
seemed to him that some of the mem
bers were assuming to themselves to
know more about his own county and
its wishes than he did himself. he
thought he ought to be allowed to
manage his own affairs.
The larger counties, he said, could
have this reduction if they desired, but
the registers salary III Macon is very
small and he didn't think it right to
further reduce it,
Judge Alen-"Didn't YOU say the
other day that there were no such
things as agricultural liens in yoUy
county-that you never saw one?"
Mr.. Ray admitted that he did, but ar
gued that there were many small coun.
ties in which this was not true.
On the vote on his amendment MIR.
Ray called for a division. The CLERK
announced % for and - against it.
Mr.. Ray questioned the accuracy of
the count. lie said there was one man
who voted on his side of the question
that wasn't counted. He wanted the
vote taken again.
The Chair (Mr. Foushee) refused to
take it, saying that the House had
voted, the vote had been counted and
announced
This Mr.. Ray denounced as unfair
and contrary to the rules.
Mr.. Allen: THE gentleman from
Macon has no right to thus address
the Chair"
The Speaker: 1.-THE Chair has decided.
The decision will stand unless the gen
tleman from Macon appeals and his
appeal is sustained"
Mr.. Ray: Il appeal"
The vote on the appeal stood: % for
appeal and SO against.
The Dare county amendment suf-
fered the same fate, though there was
no fight on it.
Jackson county. AS Mr.. Moore arose
to speak in favor of this amendment
his eyes were red as if from weep
ing over its impending fate and his
voice had watery timbre that some
how got under your shirt ON the left
side.
Mr.. Ray had come as warrior bold
to snatch his amendment as n brand
from the burning, and he failed to get
III MT. hDOTe dsSuUleu tHe HldFIyTeG
air of injured innocence. He wanted
the House to be consistent but he did
not want it to be cruel.
1.-THE best consistency is Justice. This
bill is unjust to my people. They
don't want it. They have sent me here
as their representative. l alone am
responsible to them. / ask you to take
them out of this bill, and j believe
you'll do it. / have never failed to
vote with other members mere who have
asked things for their counties. /
have done it sometimes when I doubted
if were best for them. All I now
ask at your hands is the same fair
treatment"
Mr.. Moore's county was accepted by
an almost unanimous vote
That done, Of course there was moth
ing left but to feed all out of the same
spoon, so Mr.. Clarkson, of Mecklen
burg, moved to reconsider the motion
by which Mr.. Rays amendment was
killed"
The motion prevailed unanimously.
and Judge Allen moved to lay Mr.. Rays
amendment on the table.
This too passed, carrying the bill and
all amendments with it.
Having thus killed the bill to re-
duce the fees of county officers, the
House adjourned.