The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-03-10
HORIH CAROLINA.

The Landmark has from the be
ginning held that the real complaint
of the public against the railroads haS
reference to the rebate offenses. These
evils bring about a situation in Wnich
one citizen or company OF CITIZENS Il
not treated by the railroads so favor
ably as another. The power OF CIV
ing rebates is such that it a
the existence of legitimate enterprises
whose competitors ave the laVor Oh
the common carriers. the country
hos a mistaken conception OF the plan
to confer ~rate-making power on the
interstate m commission. The
hill which was adopted by the house
az CONSERVATIVES at the session just
closed does not reach the root or inc
rcaI trouble in u opinion: but sucn
n measure would undoubtedly corner
uncn the federal government a power
which might very seriously injure the
interests of individual states.-Nor-
folk Landmark.
President Roosevelt's uncles, Mr.
Robert 3. Roosevelt, of Ne" 10TH
WAS one Of the interested spectators
of the triumph OF his nephew SaIor-
day. The elder Roosevelt is a staunch
democrat, having left the republican
party IN disgust at it's reconstruction
policy, Immediately following the wal
According to the Washington II
WAS suggested to Mr.. Roosevelt tha'
the democrats might. four years hence
make his nephew their candidate and
the uncle seemed not displeased al
the idea. and said that it was q
thought not i~nfrequently expressed III
noIitical circles these days. Pes
dent Roosevelt has promised that he
will not accept a renomlnatlon at TIC
end of his present term, but that hEdS
apDlv to the idea of a republican cali-
s;aacv and make no bar to his &C
cantance of a democratic offer. The
democrats could give Mr.. Bryan Il
the republicans in exchange Tor M
Roosevelt. and we could nave a Tree
for All radicals race.-Charleston POST
VacilIation and the extreme Of IL
Nudity mark the two documents issued
by the czar yesterday. First cane
his manifesto, asserting the autocrdlie
principle with melancholy fanatlclsm-
i statement more depressing, more
inept. it would be hard to find IN all
the annals of royal laundering. Bul
close upon it's heels came the czac
rescript promising the speedy instl-
tuition of representative assemblies IL
Russia Obviously, if Nicholas is SIN
cere, his rescript eats up his mani
festo. But he seems like a man dis
traught. Anxiety n despair are thc
note of this ruler OF e He appears
to be of the mind of the last cou1,-
sellor who gets his ear. First we have
Pobiedonostseff, summoEing him -
shake himself and go out like the
Russian eutocrats of otL4er days. So
the nerveless gar essays that role.
Then cones Witte, assuring him chat
this will never do, and urging him tc
listen to the appeals and rising de
mands of the best men in Russia.
T~hercupon the tapleSs and helpless
cZar swings in that direction. The
personal impression he makes
throughout is that of orc wholly ur-
equal to the too vast orb of his ate.
New York Post
Now let's try and avoid the quad
%rennial sensational nonsense about ne
rroes at the inaugural ball and i'll
the parade at Washington. Some
southern people and newspapers seem
to make a specially o. being fools on
this subject. Suppose in a crowd oil
seven Or eight thousand people at the
ball there is q negro or TWO, or a
dozen? Suppose, even, we are threat
ened with the horror o. negro walters
on that occasion or a negro drum
corps somewhere in the paradox
mayhap a scattered negro here and
there in a New England militia COM
many" All this is no business Of ours
There is no necessity for us to NIL
with these people or even to encountel
them. If we did they Wouldn't hurt
US. We cannot imagine that in a pa
rade five or six miles long any body
caucasian chastity will be impaired ny
the presence in it of a few negroes
Nobody believes in drawing the so
cial race line tighter or holding j
harder than does The News-Leader
hut there is no sense in going TO eN
t~nmes or turning silly about it OF
talking Il LIT Of nonsensical bosh. i
some of the idiot newspapers witt
which we are afflicted in the soutf
choose to stir up this subject, as they
usually do, and if some sappy youth!
from Georgia or hat neighborhoo(
see fit to fuddle themselves with liquor
and say absurd things concerning 1T
the hest course for the rest of us i:
to ignore them entirely, let the sub
feet go by default, and go on calmly
about our business or pleasure
Richmond News Leader.