The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-12-14
STATE PRESS.

At the same time we believe the prf-
mary in this state has been done for.
We believe that every officer from
township constable to president should
be elected by popular vote, and when
we change our opinion on this question
we will have lost faith in a republican
form of government.-Durham Herald.
Goldsboro is moving in the direction
OF municipal ownership of water and
lights. The experience of every town
and city that has adopted municipal
ownership has demonstrated that it is
the system. Raleigh ought not to de-
lay longer in owning it's water and it's
lights.-Raleigh News and Observer.
The principle issue that turned many
of the northern states for Mckinley
was the sectional issue. The hatred of
the south, while it a somewhat died
out, whoops up certain classes Of those
fellows, better than anything else.
Southern hatred and Hanna's barrel
did the work.-Wilkesboro Chronicle.
An editor makes enemies. He also
makes friends and good ones, too. A
little squib aimed at no one in particu-
lar will hit some hollow headed indi-
vidua on a sore spot and he at once
declares himself against the paper.
The paper may have given him many
complimentary notices, but the imagl-
nary thrust puts him on his dignity
and he establishes himself a critic
Franklin Press.
Mr.. D. A. Tompkins in his proposed
act relating to b suggests that six
ty-six hours shall constitute a weeks
work. This is eleven hours a a six
days in the week., or twelve hours a
day five day in the week with six
hours on Sunday. 1t may be that this
mount of labor is required in n pres
sent condition of southern cotton mills.
1t may be that we cannot at present
compete with northern mills unless u
operatives work more hours in the day.
We hope this is not the case. If it be
so and remain so permanently, we shall
in the long run be unable
with the northern mill. Under such
a system our mill hands are bound to
degenerate in the long run and even
tually to become even more inferior
to northern mill hands than they now
are.-RaIeigh News and Observer.
We know of no more urgent need
than that of thorough o d revision
The present code was enacted in 1889,
and it has therefore been tinkered with
by nine different legislatures. whose
acts cover something like 1000 printed
pages, and the grist which will be ad-
ded before a revised code ca~ be
brought out will bring the total to 81
900 or 5000 pages. A large. part or this
mass consist. in amendments ana
amendments of amendment OF the
present code. The result is a maze OF
intricacies in our statue law which the
lawyer threads with difficulty and in
which the Iayman is hopelessly lost. 1t
would be a mistake to suppose that this
work is a need of the legal profession
and not of the public at large. On the
contrary, many lawyers oppose code
revision for the same reason that their
forebears opposed the code system.
viz: tina it brings the law within the
comprehension of the masses and there
fore tends to make them i~ndependen,
of the lawyers. Codes are the peoples
| law, and a code which has largely ceaS-
| ed to be. the law is, of necessity. a pit
| fall for the feet OF the unwary.-Ashe-
| Vile Citizen.