The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-01-11

In Annual Session In Raleigh Strength
of the Parties I'm the Legislature and
How Different Sections OF the State
are Represented.
Messenger Bureau.

HOW Dtucfent
are Represented.
Messenger Bureau.
Raleigh, y. c., January 5.
This evening the annual communica-
ton of the grand lodge of Masons be-
gar. The report for year by Grand
Secretary John C. Drewry showed that
2T6 lodges had reported and IS mad
failed to do SO. During the year the
following new lodges, were chartered:
Luke MCLAUGHLIN, Unaka, Scotland.
Roberdel. and Cherryville. Today a
charter was granted Whitstone lodge.
at Bessemor City, making in all so.
Galatia lodge was revived ana wake
Forest lodge surrendered its charter.
During the year oil paintings were Sc
cured OF Past Grand Masters Jno- Louis
Taylor, John Hall and J. NO.
BILE. The receipts during the year were
sc. ga. The membership reported is H.
S37. Secretary Drewry says that If a
complete report of all Masons in North
Carolina were made it would be found
that there were over 5000. The gain
in membership in b past hve years is
large. as in 1895 there were only s.s2s.
The state charters the Dixie Furni-
ture Company, of Lexington capital
SIS, 900, E. J. Buchanan and others
stockholders.
Members Of the legislature arrived
ver rapidly today. n his afternoon
all save about half a dozen were pres
ent.
Great surprise was expressed today
at the news of the resignation os vice
president St. John OF the Seaboard Air
Line.
An unusually large number of mem
bers of the legislature are Masons.
Ofice-seekers are here in great num-
bers. and from all parts of the state.
Il nNAarG
tomorrow VIII not contain a sohtarE
negro senator or representative.
There is not a republican membeT
white or black from a single eastern or
middle county. The entire republican
strength of twenty-five in both houses
i. comes from counties OF the Eighth and
Ninth congressional districts. The SEN
atorial districts represented by repub-
licans are 27th. 2Sth. 18th. 30th. 31st. Saith
and 35th. The republican strength in
the house, Il members, comes from the
counties of Alexander, Ashe. Caldwell.
Cherokee, Clay. Davie. Henderson.
Madison, Mitchell. Polk, Stokes. Surry,
Swain, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin. yam
cy. There are two eastern and one
western populists.
From the eastern n southern or
cotton raising counties OF the state
there is a solid democratic representa-
tive, excepting two populists from
Sampson and one from Bladen counties.
Divided thus, there are in the senate
q eastern and 13 western democrats.
In the house, Go eastern and SO western.
All the republicans come from the tier
of counties which produce fruit, grain.
grass, tobocco, and whiskey The COM
position of the senate is democrats 40.
republicans Z, populists 3; Of the house.
democrats, 101, republicans II, populists
2. OF the SO senators IA are lawyers
In the house, there are 80 lawyers, the
exact number of the last general assem-
bly,.
There is said to be a much larger av-
erage OF prominent and experienced
public men in the house this session
than in the senate. Both bodies. how
ever, are considered far above the av-
erage.