The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-03-07
THE ACT.

THE REVENUE ACT.
1t was decided that at one O'Clock
tomorrow the Senate should go into
the revenue act.
HOUSE PROCEEDINGS.
Speaker Onion called the House to
order. Prayer by Rev. Reid of Raj
eigh.
TERMS OF BOND SETTLEMENT.
A message was received from the
Governor detailing the terms Of thc
bond settlement agreement and urg-
ing its adoption by the General AS
sembly. The message was similar to
the report made by the committee
to the House Wednesday night.
STATEMENT BY JUDGE GRAHAM.
Judge Graham. chairman of the
committee or revision of the laws
read the following from a Raleigh let
ter to the Charlotte Observer Of yes
terday. 1.-The Code Commission Great
ed by the last Legislature. prepared
the Code-of course, not including
the acts of the present Legislature.
This Legislature created a code COM
mittee, and these have been at WORK
for about six weeks. AS has been
stated a few men did the work and
two or three dominated the hole
outfit. Some very arbitrary things
appear to have bee done by the leg
islative committee in naking all sorts
of changes in the law. For example.
at the instance of one Of two men.
every public institution, including the
schools such as the University, the \.
& M. College. etc. were placed under
the control of the Board of Public
improvements. This was a little too
much and raised a protest, SO the
matter came to light"
Graham of Granville, said the re-
port was entirely unfounded, and 10
say that the legislative committee
made any change unwsrranted by the
laws was a misstatement Of facts. He
then detailed the method adopted by
the committee to cover the vast field
Of review which vas absolutely neces-
seary to ever give the work of the
code commission q cursory examina-
" Ii1CS Aoullu tIldt III lie COuI-
mission had omitted many old laws
ard inserted many new ones, there
was no indication Of what had been
omitted or what had been added, and
to find this out, was of itself an Her
culian task. It was not the work Of
any two Or three men and to say that
any arbitrary change was made in
law by any one of the committee was
incorrect and ran injustice. AS to
the chapter on internal improvements,
he said the committee had requested
the BOARD of Internal Improvements
to make suggestions and these had
been followed, except in one respect.
Judge Graham concluded by saying
that in a long legislative experience
he had never seen men work moro
faithfully, day n night, than did the
members Of the committee and while
a few did not work, more than twenty
of the committee had been at it all
n session: and there had been no
suggestion before, or inti,nations, of
any n man, or any two men or n
three men, did all the work or at
tempted to dominate the Others. He
said he felt it due the Observers re-
porter Of the House proceedings to
exhonerate him from any knowledge
or responsibility for the communion
ton.
SETTLEMENT OF THE BONDS.
The bill authorizing the payment Of
S21o,G0O in settlement of the Schafe,
bonds came UP On it's second reading.
Powers, Of Rutherford, said twenty-five
years g he and Representative Ora
ham OF Lincoln who was now presert
We're members Of the Legislature which
issued what were known as the commu>
tatlon bonds, which provided a Settle
nrent for the incubus of $40, 600, 900 debt
which had hung like a black cloud over
the poverty stricken state. That the
CondS now being settled were almost
the only ones which had not been sent
III under the terms of the debt settle
raent, and that the fact that after q
years thse bonds were now coming in,
and their holders virtually accepting
the terms Of the debt settlement Of 1879
was a credit to the honor as well a.
segacfty of those who made hat set
tiemen. Graham of Lincoln said
he desired to add that the settlement
of 1879 was made by a COM
AK ASSiSldlLIe d1ANi
one representing the bondholders, these
being in conference, just as the present
settlement had been made. Graham,
OF Granville said he desired to eongrat-
ulate the committee for having effected
the settlement without a departure
from the Democratic platform. Murphy
OF the committee having in charge the
bond settlement just effected said that
the report of the committee and the
message of the governor fully set forth
b transaction n that he would not
consume time with any further state
n1ent. The vote vas then taken upon
the bill for the settlement and 1e1 MEM
hers voted for it, Patterson, Republican
of Swain. voting no, and Butler of
Sampson being excused from voting
after a statement that he had no IN
t~erests, direct or remote in the matter
except that of any other citizen or tax
payer of the state and as a representa-
tive OF his people. The bill provides
for a bond issue Of net over $3.50. Coz.