The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-17

present high state OF efficiency. Ir
the second session OF the IForty-third
Congress he was made a member o.
the Senate Committee or Agriculture
and from that time on until he LEI.
the Senate he embraced eyery oppor-
tunity to further the 9 cultural In
terests of the country. m both the
Forty sixth ana sorty-ssssrih Coz.
crosses ne introduced q bin FOR tht
established Of Department of Agri-
culture and Commerce. and advocated
It in a speech in the last named Con-
gress. At the beginning of the Forty
fourth Congress-, Senator DAVIS be-
came a member OF the Committee on
Appropriations. on which committee
he continued TO serve as long as ne
remained in the Senate. being chair.
man of the committee when the
Democrats were in control OF the or.
ganization The work of this com ,
mittee was entirely congenial to him
and he studied every item of all O,
the great appropriation bills, insisting
on full and exact information as &c
the necessity of every expenditure.
His examination into the accounts OF
| the Treasury convinced him that the
system of bookkeeping was radically
defective. and that there were posi-
| bly, discrepancies in the accounts run,
| ming into millions. He introduced a
resolution I'm the Senate providing foI
an investigation 10y special com
mittee The Republican majority put
| the matter in the hands of the FL
nance Committee which made a rel
port attributing all apparent discrep.
ancies to changes in the methods o!
! stating accounts Senator Davis was
not satisfied lie kept up the fight
until he was able. in the Forty sixth
Congress, 10 have special commit
tee appointed, OF which he was chair.
man The report of this committe
showed that the system was faulty
and ii served to direct attention tC
the need of reforms in the Treasury
which resulted later in complete
overhauHng of the system of accounts
and the introduction Of many inn
provements aud safeguards.
! Mr.. Davis might have remained ir
the United States Senate as long a.
| West Virginia was Democratic
state, but during the two terms which
ne served his business interests hao
| developed to such an extent as to re
quire his immediate and personal gu.
lpervision. He declined reelection
for third term when there was nc
lopposition to him in his own party
land only his consent was required to
insure his continuance in the Senate
for at least six years longer.
! West Virginia Central Railroad.
He left the Senate on March 4
1883. Two years before this he and
his associates had already commenc.
led the construction Of the West Vir-
ginia Central and Pitt.burG Railroa
from Piedmont into the coal and lum-
Der fields OF West Virginia. He wa,
lnow able to give his undivided atten-
ton to the railroad and 70 the min
ing and marketing of coal. Within
two months after he left the Senate
he was mining ana selling TOO tons
! of coal z day, having established a
coal house in Baltimore, with agen-
cies in New York Boston ahd othei
/ places. Until some years after tbs
death of John ". Garret: the rela-
tions between the West Virginia Cen.
tral and Pittsbur@ Railway and the
/ Baltimore and Ohio, its Eastern OUT
/ let, were most amicable. But in 1SSi
the Baltimore and OHIO refused tC
give the West Virginia Central ant
Pittsburg what Mr. Davis considered
fair treatment. Although all kinds o.
legal obstacles We're placed in nj:
way and construction parties were
threatened with physical force. he
built a line from Piedmont to Cum
berland. connecting with the Penn
sylyania system and the Chesa peakt
and Ohio Canal and rendering hin
entirely independent of the Baltimore
land Ohio.
The development of the country
pierced nv the railway went on rap
idly. The road was extended iron
time TO time, branch lines were buht
towns were laid out, and IN all OF thI'
work former Senator Davis was al
ways the leading spirit. The develop
ment was continued without interrup
ton. and the value of the road ane
its coal and coke properties was con
Itinually increased until in 1JOZ al