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

once IUeEc was IL great INolhdh syn
eral His name was Fabius This was
long ago.
Fabius won his battles by delay.
Procrastination was the weapon with
which he fought. and by its deXtrous
use he became the pride and glory of
ancient Rome.
When Fabius found an army too
strong to successfully tackle, he simply
didn't tackle it. He spared for time
He hung around the aforesaid army,
harassed it in all possible ways, always
just out of reach of return blow, yet
near enough to be nuisance and q
constant menace.
Finally. when the enemy had grown
careless, having made up his mind that
Fabius was never going to boldly at
tack, down would swoop Fabius and
wipe him from the earth.
All of which brings us by easy, grace
full swoops to a consideration of the
trial of the Wilson's, suspended Railroad
Commissioners.
This trial is to be based on evidence
adduced before a special committee ap-
pointed some six weeks astern for this
very purpose This committee made re-
port on the evidence, completely exon
Grating both the Wilson's.
The day the report was made there
was an effort to railroad the report
through joint session that happened
to be on tap just at that particular
time.
But it didn't go; and Fabius knew that
he had struck a camp too strong to
tackle
Is it surprising then that the day for
the trial has been set several times since,
but the trial has never yet been held?
it astonishing that when the magic
numbers do not come one should ask
for another throw of the iron dice Of
Destiny:
After many postponements the case
of the Wilson's, suspended Railroad
Commissioners, was the special order
for q joint session of the House and
Senate, in the House. yesterday at
o'clock
1t was announced that the affair
would at that hour be pulled off. But it
wasn't. The enemy of the ''ex0nerat-
ing" report did not seem to have got
careless, as the ancient opponents Of
Fabius were wont to do.
A preliminary vote showed the report
of the committee generating the Will
sons badly beaten and advocates of that
report, after getting through Il motion to
allow argument on the floor by counsel
on both sides, secured a postponement of
further proceedings in the case until
this afternoon at 4 O'clock
The clock of the House-which by the
way is never right-was pointing 20 the
hour of 4:10 when the door-keaDer am
nounced that the Senate was approach
ing. The members of the House rec ,.ved
the Senators standing.
Lieutenant Governor Reynolds, on
assuming the gavel, said:
1.-The General Assembly will come to
order
THE business before this General As.
sembly is the disposal of the report OF
the special committee in regard 1D the
suspended Railroad Commi ssioners
What is the pleasure or the body?
1t was the pleasure offthe body to do
absolutely nothing for just seven mnu-
tes-except talk and laugh and wait for
somebody else to spring the mine that
all knew must be sprung.
AT the end of the seven minutes, the
Speaker announced that pursuant to
the Railroad Commission Act the Gov
ernor of North Carolina had suspended
j. W. Wilson and $. Otho Wilson fl ON
the office of Railroad Commissioner; that
pursuant to this same act he had sent
TO the Legislature his reasons for thus
suspending them; that further in pursu-
ance of the same act the General AS
sembly had instituted an investigation
as to the facts connected with tiiS SIS.
pension to ascertain whether it should be
confirmed or not. A special committee
had been appointed for the purpose and
the report of this committee WAS now
before the joint session for action.
Evidently Fabius was trying to aseer-
tain whether or not the enemy was