The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-03-07
LEGISLATURE
CONTINUED from First Page.
suspension of the rules prevailed and
bill passed final reading.

bill passed final reading.
DIVORCE BILL.
, The Divorce bill was next taken up.
being that of McNinch which passed
the House. Mclean began the debate
by lifting the Bible high upon his mead
kfor the observation of the Senate and
Ithen read several verses from it, say
ing the bill should pass just as it came
from the House; that he knew there
were senators who thought the law
should not be made as hard on the man
as on the oma but that the Lord
was no respector Of PERSONS; that if the
Senators should pass a law giving
license to do wrong they themselves
we're partners to the wrong. That the
Bible made no distinction between the
sins of a man and a woman and that
men a no right to make good a bad
law. Eiler offered a substitute, strik-
ing out subsection one of section 1926
of the code and inserting: If h hus-
band shall commit f~ornication and
adultery further that all laws Great
ing any cause Of divorce since the code
of 1883 be repealed. Mason of Castor,
said the McNinch bill provided four
grounds for divorce, while the code
provided only two; that the Eller sub-
stitute was far better thar the McNinch
bill. The latter gave causes for divorce
unwarranted by the scriptures. ZOlli-
Golfer said every Senator had already
made up his mind in regard to the bill,
which did not meet his own approval
entirely, but if a single change were
made in it, its death might be pro-
claimed. He urged that the state try
it for two years, and if UnWise change
it. Flemming said it was surprising
that the moral element in the state
could stand for the McNinch bill, which
should meet defeat; Vann moved the
previous question, the motion prevailed,
the Eller substitute was adopted q to
13 and hen passed it's third reading.
AFTERNOON SESSION OF SENATE.
The Senate afternoon session adopt
ed a resolution to adjourn at noon Mon
day and passed bills regulating fees
and salaries Of M~ecklenburg officers:
repeating shell fish industry law of
brunswick county; preventing usury
and ~extOrtiOn in New Hanover county;
providing for collection of taxes in
Mecklenburg, amending the charter IF
Monroe, so is to allow the collection
of taxes from insurance companies by
municipality; prohibiting the illegal
sale and manufacture of liquor in Dur
Aham; Incorporating the North State
Telephone Company; amending the
charter of the State Normal college go
as to permit the increase of board Of
Students amending the House bill APP
propriating $500 annually for the geo.
logical survey, by increasing it TO ST.
900; omnibus bill making appointments
of boards of education for various coun-
ties; joint resolution appropriatins $780,
900 20 jamestown Exposition and vest
in1 power in governor and council of
state to say whether the appropriation
should be used, this being conditional
that the exposition is national in scope.
The Senate also ~cOncurred in the
House amendments to the school law;
adopted the revenue and machinery act,
with amendments, changing income
blanks, reducing tax on theatres from
two hundred to one hundred n fifty
dollars; small animal shows from
fifty to twenty-five dOllars; strik-
ing out the tax of five dollars on per-
sons writing deeds; reducing the tax on
piano dealers from forty to twenty-five
dollars; trading stamp companies tax
amended to be one hundred dollars and
fifteen per cent on gross receipts Of
honey.
HOUSE PROCEEDINGS.
Speaker Guion called the House to
order at 10 o'clock, prayer being Of
fered by Rev. Moment OF Raleigh.
PASSAGE OF BILLS.
The following bills passed n read
ing:
To promote the cause of education
in certain counties by providing for
election of boards of education by the
people in Mecklenburg. Martin n
Stokes counties. To exempt certain
boundaries in Henderson county from
special tax. To provide for the col
lection of taxes in Mecklenburg coun-
ty. To extend the time for the organ
ization of the Raleigh Light and Trac-
ton Company. To regulate dealings
!. of the state treasurer with the deposit
ton of banks. To prohibit the ex-
emption of certain property from tax
alton. To amend the charter of Hen
~dersonvi1Ie. To incorporate the town
of Goodwin in Cumberland county. To
amend the charter of Pine Bluff. To
the holding of county fairs.
The bill transferring Wilkes county
from the 18th judicial district to the
18th and Ashe from the 9th district
to the 18th district was vigorously op-
posed by Mr.. Feinster of the 18th.
who declared the object of h bill
was simply to give the 18th district
a Democratic solicitor without danger
of contest. He said that when the
18th was made it was simply Demo-
cratic and the 18th was made Repub-
lican, and now a further special priv
ilege was being sought for one a
If by the failure of the Democrats of
the said 18th district to stand together
for the Democratic policies. they had
placed the Democratic district i'll
jeopardy they. should not he allowed
now to make the 18th district over
whelmingly Republican by lacking
49,