The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-02-03
STATE PRESS.

forget that any special rate enjoyed by
| them under the old management of the
Atlantic and North Carolina railroad
was at the expense of the tax payers
OF those counties and of the entire state.
Durham Herald.
The paper trust is denuding the for
csts of America and imposing a heavy
burden o all IL the
newspapers had as much influence as
the paper trust, wood pulp would be put
on the free list and the price of paper
would be reasonable.-News and Dbl
server.
The legislature is considering the ad-
visibility Of creating the office of COM
missioner Of Immigration. We believe
such In office, with an active man IN
charge, would De a great thing. We
need more people; more men and wom-
en- to go on the farms, and every means
should be used to induce them to come
in.-Clarkton Express.
1t is more popular these lays to make
laws than to repeal them, but there is
one existing law that has not a single
defender, that we know of. It is the
merchants purchase tax law. The time
for its repeal is ripe. We go SO far as
to say that it would almost be a crime
for present legislature to fail to lift
this burden from the backs of the mer-
chants of the state.-Charlotte Chroni-
Gle.
We are surprised that the bill to in
crease the judges salaries should have
met SO stubborn opposition in the Sen
ate. We shall feel disappointed if this
legislature fails to increase the salaries
of these men, especially the superior
court judges, for they are paid too little
when the work they do and the expense
they have are Observation-Disclosures
Times.
There is one more thing that the leg
islature should turn it's most serious at
tention to. That is the increase Of the
capacity of the hospitals for the insane.
This is really the most important of all. |
These institutions come before the legis-
lature in the wrong way. They should
stand all alone in the demand for sep
arate and adequate treatment, unen-
numbered by being huddled up along
with all other institutions that draw !,
money from the treasury. Their cause
is great enough to stand alone.-Monroe i
Journal.
The cotton mill owners in the north
are anxious for all southern states to
pass anti-child labor laws similar to
their own. Already the north is losing
prestige in the cotton mill business and
last year their mills were closed down
for many months. With the restrictions
of anti-child labor laws, together with
other burdens, the north is no longer
able to compete with the south in cot
ton manufacture, and it would greatly
delight the north for our Legislature to
pass some measure that would cripple
our southern mills and manufacturers
We a an abiding confidence that the
North Carolina legislature will not
crafty them.-Cleveland Star.
The Southern Railway is the most
tremendous factor in the development
of the south. There is good occasion
to quarrel with it about details, but it
must be admitted that it furnishes an
passenger service, n delivers
as promptly as a single track
railroad can. we are told that it is
surveying a line from Marion. in
this state, to johnson City, Tenn, with
O view to delivering coal to South At
iSIllC ports LII " Oil old |
points. Doing that, it will add an obli-
cation to the people whom it serves.
And we suspect that Colonel A. B.
Andrews. who has lone so much for
our people already, is behind his new
to furnish quicker and
cheaper coal, which means enlarged
prosperity to all of our interests
Charlotte observer.
We are strongly inclined to think that
the present law on h child labor
question is human and goes as far as
the law of God demands. 1t is easy to
find and emphasize abuses. P~aternaI-
ism by the state is, under certain con-
ditions called for, but it should not be
exercised beyond necessity. An iron
rule about girls at IA and boys at II is
not a dictate of common sense. Some
boys and girls are far more mature at
these ages than others. Then surely in
dealing with the labor of younglings OF
this age we are on the border where all
know there is not only overlapping, but
where the necessities of the household
sometimes call for the privilege of earn
ing something by children of II n IA
years in order to get on at all. Some
thing Of latitude and discretion must be
left to parents and popular sentiment
for the regulation of the matter in ques-
ton in order to look after the veal and
future good Of the children n their
households. We dare say the general
assembly will come after full considera-
ton, to this view and reject the propo-
sition of the secretary, who is paid by a
philanthropic association to look after
the interests of the children in the mat
ter.-The Robesonian.