The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-18
BLIND TIGERS
WITH
WOODEN HANDS
An Indigenous Product of
Mitchell County.
THE SENATE CHOPS EN-
A. L. SWINSoN'S SALARY BILL
PUT TO SLEEP.
THE '97 VINTAGE FINDS NO MARKE I
AsBill 10 Supplement- State Prison Legislation
and One 10 Enable Children TO In
herit Under Certain (ontin.
gencies Pass d.


gencies Pass d.
There was nothing Of over-much mo-
ment to talk about in the Senate yes
terday, but that body was in more or
less of a talking humor from the Gay
before. Blind tigers in Mitchell coun-
ty and the proposition to pay a. l..
Swinson 500 back salary withheld Ivy
the 1897 aggregation provoked discus
sion.
a bill to make the running of blind
tigers in Mitchell county felony had
been overhauled in committee and the
crime toned down to a misdemeanor
and it came up for its readings. Sena
tor Lambert. of that county, opposed
the passage of the bill because he
thought the law was already sufficiently
severe for offences of that sort. He
asked that the bin be tabled.
Senator Faves, of the same district
opposed his colleague. He said that
blind tigers were bad in Mitchell; they
were corrupting the society of the colln-
ty. They had blind tigers over there
where you did not see anything but Il
hand stuck out through hole in the
wall; you put your money in the hand
and it drew back and when it was
poked out again it had a drink Of
whiskey in ii. A severe law was
needed TO break them up.
Senator Glenn favored the law also.
As district attorney be had found il
next to impossible TO convict the blind
tiger people. They bull, high wall
around the tiger so you could not see
who was inside. All you saw was the
hand. You could not catch the offend
ers. Senator Lambert wanted TO know
If the hand could not be caught when
it was stuck out. Senator Glenn ex-
planned. amid much laughter, that it
was wooden hand
Senator Fields said the law should
pass. He had received letters from the
best people in the county asking that
something be done to break up the blind
tigers which were literally over-run-
ming the county.
The bill was passed by 4 large ma
iority.
The Swinson back salary bill came in
with the favorable iinprianauur Of the
judiciary Committee ana it was ably
advocated on the floor by Senator's
Osborne and Glenn, but il was not TO
the taste OF the Senator's They did
things to it.
Senator Mason, who is a good work
er on committees. but says little on the
floor. stuck his legal snicker-snee inro
it deep and strong.
Senator Mason said he had opposed
the bill in committee, ON general prin-
ciples. On examination he had found
that at the time there was no statute
creating the office Of enrolling clerk.
that in consequence the enrolling clerk
was merely an employee, not an officer
of the Fusion Legislature. which p
pointed him. Whether he was dis
charged for a good reason or not was
not the concern Of this Legislature.
1t was no row of this Assem-.
bly,. What the reason for his
discharge was could make no difference.
1t was urged that he refused TO appoint
negroes and that he had rendered SER
vices TO the Democratic party in the
last campaign. That was but his duty
and he deserved no pay for it. Economy
had been promised and the promise
should be kept.
Senator Osborne took the ground that
The enrolling clerk was an officer and
was therefore entitled to his pay He
made a strong legal argument for the
payment of the money.
Senator Justice opposed the payment
To pay a man 500 TO vote the Demo-
cratic ticket was triie high. A com
mittee of two sPopulists, two Demo
Gratis and one Republican had found
that Swinson had been grossly extrav-
agant in the management of his office.
He did not think it right. wise or eco
nonical to pay the money.
hat f1a
sionists turned Swinson off because he
did not do what they wished him 70
do. His only claim was that he had
refused to appoint negroes. He had been
put in the place by negro votes and
if negro demanded Il place it ought
TO have been given him, by Swinson, as
a matter of right.
Senator Glenn thought it should be
put on higher grounds. Ii the money
was due Swinson it should be paid. II
he was an officer he should be paid;
if he was an employee he should be
paid unless good cause of discharge
was shown and no such had ben
shown.
Senator Travis said it was a ques-
ton of equity and the claim was
not equitable. There were grounds FOR
discharging Swinson.
The bill was tabled and then mo-
ton to reconsider was tabled.
NEW BILLS.
S. y. So. Senator Collie: To incor-
porate the Allen Brothers and Hill Com
pany. To Committee on Corporations
S. b. S73, Senator jerome: To amend
section 9O1 of the Code, as TO removal
of causes. To Judiciary Committee.
s. Il. S1i. Senator Mason: To pro-
hibit sale of liquor within three miles Of
school house No. II, in CASTOR county.
To Committee on Propositions and
Grievances.
S. Il. S74, Senator Miller: To prevent
the fishing Of certain nets in PamIico
Sound. To Committee on Fish and
Fisheries.
S. b. S15, Senator James: TO amend
chapter All, Public Laws of 1897. as TO