The news & observer., 1903-02-22
THE PEOPLES WILL
is SET At NAUGHT
Senatorial Courtesy Worked
to the Limit
TOISNOT DISPENSARY BILL
Town Choice to be Settled by Township Vote
Despite Citizens Protest and Favor
able Reports From Two Com
mittees.

There were not present an overplus of
Senators when the grind of the day be-
gan yesterday, for it was a beginning
at 10 o'clock, a little early for the SEN
ators to begin work.
The work of the day was pushed as
to introduction of bills and clearing the
calendar. 1t was on the schedule that
the London bill have the right of way
as the special order. but force of circum-
stances kept it off the track and the
Toisnot Dispensary bill was the storm
centre.
1t was a contest that presented a re-
markable scene The bill gave to the
people of the town of Toisnot the right
to vote on the question of establishing
| dispensaries. The bill in that shape did
not please Senator Woodard who de-
sired to amend it by leaving the ques-
tion to be settled as to the town of
Toisnot, not by the voters of the town
itself, but by the voters of the entire
township
For this he made a desperate fight,
speaking many times, and questioning
speakers who opposed the amendment.
Time and again though. saying he was
not asking Senatorial courtesy, he ap-
pealed to the Senators to stand by him
and not to iniure his influence among
the people of his district.
In his appeals for support he was di-
rectly antagonized by Senator White, his
colleague from the Seventh Senatorial
District, who was aided in his contest
for the local self government of the
town Of Toisnot by many of the Sena-
tors, while Senator Woodland also had
strong support. Despite this it took per-
sonal appeals from Senator Woodard to
stand by him in the contest for him 20
win and the amendment was finally
adopted by vote of "a to 20, the four
Republican voters carrying the amend
ment through.
In his fight for the adoption of the bill
Senator Woodland charged that Senators
We're influenced by lobby promises, and
that behind Senator White in opposition
to him was a man from his county who
had boasted in the Marlborough House
that he would spend $4,000 to defeat him
for office in his county.
When the bill came w for its second
reading there were some committee
amendments adopted and then Senator
Woodland proposed his amendment
Senator White said that he regretted TO
oppose his colleague as both were from
the same Senatorial district, but that the
amendment did not meet the approval
of the people of the town of Tosnot.
He said that he was in honor bound to
the people who had aided to elect him,
as he had said during the campaign
that he was in favor OF local self-gov-
ernment. This being his pledge he was
forced to oppose the amendment, az 76
voters out of the entire lis in ToisnCt
asked it. Besides this the bill had been
three times before committees, whore
the proposed amendment had been de-
feated, and came with favorable re-
port from both committees to which it
had beer referred.
Queried by Mr. Webb as to his support
of the London bill, which gave no vote
in certain eases as contrasted with a
vote wanted on this measure. Mr.. White
said that if the dspensary was to be
given without vote the matter would
be different, but here the proposition of
the amendment was to let the people out
of the town decide what the town should
GO.
Senator Woodard replied. He said
that he hoped never to ask the Senate
to do thing by indirection, but asked
open and direct methods. That the mat
ter had been delayed was purposely to
have it come up with the Wilson dspen-
sary bill the latter of which he had
not asked the dotting of an ''i' or the
crossing of a 1T" by way of change. He
regrettedr the opposition of Senate
White, but in Wilson nineteenth TWEEN
teths of the township vote was in the
town while in Toisnot there were three
fourths of the people outside of the town.
OF the 412 white voters in the township
200 had petitioned for township vote
Il ask the Senate to stand by me as
against the rs, out of 412. am a DEM
ocrat and ask this"
The largest business men of Toisnot
town. he said. lived out of the town, and
they had petitioned for township vote. "
am the representative. of the people of
my county and / appeal to you to stand
by me" His reason for not being at
the meeting OF the committee which re-
ported on the matter. he said, was that
he had been at another important COM
mittee meeting. He urged that it was a
personal matter to him and that the
passage of the bill without his amend
ment would not be fair TO him and his
people Again urging that the Senate
stand by him he closed his remarks.
Senator Vann said he was pleased when
it was possible TO stand by his friend
,, from Wilson, but in this matter he could
not. The two Senators from the same
district were both entitled to be heard
on matters concerning Wilson or Frank
lin. and that as to Senatorial courtesy,
honors were even. The matter had been