The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-01-22
TO MEET.
North Carolina Will be Represented.
Western Union Will Try TO Escape
Payment OF Mileage Tax-Other
raleigh News Notes.
Messenger Bureau,
Raleigh, y. c., January 16

'SolN45H, ~ - ANo y
Last Thursday meetings of the
Farmers Alliance in every county
in which it is organized were held.
This organization is in about forty
counties. and it is expected that dur
ing the present year some twenty
more counties will be organized.
Architect Charles K. Bryant has
been employed to prepare plans for
the virtual reconstruction OF the
Academy of Music here, which is
now condemned and 02sed The
width of the building is only 40 feet,
while it ought to be at least GO to
65 feet. 1t will really be better if
the building were torn down, so poor
is the plan of construction The
owner The Raleigh Auditorium
Company will have the building put
in shape and it Will be ready for next
seasons theatrical companies.
a number of officers Of the Nation
al Guard of this state Will go to St.
Augustine. Fla, on the 23rd. to at
tend the National Convention of
Guardsmen. Among those w II will
go from North Carolina Will be
Adjutant Genera Register. Brigadier
General Joseph F. Armfield of the
First brigade, Quartermaster General
Francis Macon, Colonel Thomas r..
Robertson of the First Regiment,
Assistant Adjutant General ,Alfred
Williams. Important results are ex-
pected to follow from this meeting.
1t appears that the navaJ militia
will be put upo n the same footing as
h National Guard in the way OF
aid from the general government,
which up TO this time has emily arm
ed them.
Z. P. Smith, of Raleigh, is APP
pointed commissary of the First
Regiment of the Rational Guard. He
was QuarteTnaster OF that regiment
When it was in the First Regiment
of volunteers in service in Cuba.
The state officials manifest some
interest in the action of the Western
Union Telegraph Company in secur-
ing an order from the Federal court
restraining the collection of the mile
age tax on its lines III his state. The
tax is imposed by the general reve-
nue. law. The state treasurer last
October began the work in trying to
collect it, and wrote the company
a letter. The company in reply told
him he did not believe 1t would be
necessary for the attorney general
to take action IN the matter of col
lecting this tax The law does not
say when the tax is due, but the
tr~easurer's idea is that 1t was due
as soon as the law was ratified. Up
to the time OF the action yesterday
in securing the temporary restrain
ing order, the state treasurer had
made no thneat of imposing the
thousand dollars penalty which the
law prescribed, but Of curse he will
now impose IT. The treasurer re-
marked that he case could have
been settled BY a friendly test suit
IN the state court, by agreement
and thus the company could have
avoided the thousand dollar penalty.
AS the treasurer remarked, he had
been trying for six months to collect
The tax.
Four North Carolina ex-Confeder-
ate officers attended the funeral Of
General Gordon, these being Julian
S. Carr. j. S. Nets, W. J. Woodland
and Capt. Bell
Considerable interest is felt here
in the decision of Judge Cook at
Durham to the effect that Chapter
S49. laws of us03, ikaown as the
7anti-1ug law applies only to the
counties named in the first section
OF that law. namely. Cleveland,
Cabarrus. Mitchell and CASTOR. CLYDE
<. Hoey. of Cleveland. the
passage Of this law, another section
oT which, make or seems to make
II apply to all the counties In the
STATE. Inere IS a case here under
this very law. The aeffort of the
ant-saloon league is to have the law
considered general. and make the
place of delivery the place of sale
anywhere in the state.
George Mcneil. the negro In tail
here charged with committing a cap
ltai crime on Emma Taylor, a colored
married woman. will be tried for his
lie His attack upon the woman
most savage, and a peace Of cor
set steel was driven into her side.
ser condition was delicate. This
negro has been in the criminal insane
department Of the penitentiary and
Is a very dangerous character. Feel
ing Or the part of the negrees is
high.
Rev. DR.. w. E. Cave. has arrived
here to take charge Of the First
Presbyterian church.