The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-02-14
Our Raleigh Letter.
GORMAN NEWS BUREAU, I
RALEIGH. N. C.. Feb. IL. (

hundred bills being now in the hands OF
the Senate committee alone on which
there have as yet been no reports made.
This of course means that as usual there
is going to be q great rush to put bills
through their several stages Legislative
evolution in the closing days OF the SEES
sion, with the prospect that many will
either get left or be pressed through with
out careful consideration which every
bill ought to receive before it is placed
upon the statute books as q law.
The Senate has managed without
much trouble to clear it's calendar nearly
every day before adjournment. and there
fore has made good showing in that
way. But it does not deserve as much
credit as appearances would indicate be-
cause of the light calendar day after day,
owing to the few bills, especially House
bills, reported back by the Senate CON-
mittees each day. 1t is the fact however,
that most of the bills introduced in tho
Senate have been reported back and act
ed upon by that body. But the number
does not include several of the Senate
bills.
Among the latter class and which may
be taken up the latter part OF the pres
ent week are the antitrust bills of Sena-
tors Holt, Reid and Aycock which have
been before the Senate committee of the
judiciary since last Friday. The pros
poets are that the Reid bill amended and
changed considerably, will be the one
the committee will report hack to the
Senate. Whether it or any antitrust
bill will be passed does not appear to be
quite certain at this writing.
All four Of the measures so denominated
which have 80 far been introduced, in
GLIDING the Koonce bill in the House. are
said to be entirely too radical in their
provisions to be enacted into law as they
stand. Nor does the author of either
bill expect to see it accepted as in the
original form.
The cotton manufacturers of the State
came focking into Raleigh last week
under a hurry alarm sent out because
OF some OF the provisions of one or two
OF these so-called antitrust" bills, which
cannot be made to reach the big national
Octopuses, but which threaten to close
up some OF the most important and ex-
tensive of our home industries, and there
fore throw a lot OF our own folks out of
good jobs. 1t will require the exercise of
much deliberate care and grey matter + o
draft bill of this character that will
operate to the advantage OF the State
and people Of North Carolina. The law
yers all know that no State law can
properly reach the big trusts, like the
meat trust and Others that affect the
very livelihood and stcmachs as we'll as
the pockets of our people most. Ofcourse
the legislature can pass some sort OF Or
namental contrivance, to please the dear
people and the demagogues in the legis-
lature who are after fooling them into
ho1iovinu fhou bo 1oro rrrook &h;Doo
But whether the more sensible and con-
sentative and intelligent element OF the
general assembly will allow that sort of
thing to be done is doubted. 1t may be
that they cannot prevent it, For it is
the fact that, we have here this year
more than the usual per centage of I'M
broken jackasses and damphools of the
greenhorn variety, and a pretty good
sprinkling OF aspiring demagogues bent
on moving up higher on the political lad
der if possible and ready to adopt the
usual tactics Of the INSCRIPTIONS politi-
clans to attain that end.
The railroad passenger rate bills will
get hearing in both branches probably
within the next week or ten days. The
Senate and House will have to get to-
gether on this matter. At present it is
known that the Senate is opposed to the
reduction of less than two and q half
cents maximum for frst-class fare, while
the House wants to make it as low as
two cents on the three big systems.
The more important matter of the reg.
ulation of freight rates and prompt de-
| livery OF freight and the prevention of
discrimination against North Carolina
points in these matters will come later.
The matter ofpenalties has received con-
sid erable attention already and bill is
now pending in the Senate on the same
subject.
There was more time consumed in the
senate during the last week or ten days
in the discussion OF the liquor question,
| or several phases OF the liquor question,
than on any other subject, a fact which
proves that the Watts and Ward laws
have not accomplished one of the
desirable objects intended, namely, the
removal of the matter of local differences
the State Legislature to the local county
| and municipal ballot boxes.
The map makers may as well add the
new county OF Lee to the State, as
the bill creating the county tout of por-
tons Moore and Chatham counties)
which passed final reading in the Sen
ate last Saturday is sure to go through
the House. Senator BuxtOnin recording
his vote expressed surprise that the
county had not been called McIver, in
honor of the late President of the State
Normal and Industrial College, who was
born and reared in Moore. But his suy-
gestion had no impression and no effort
was made to change the name.
The warmest and most feeling speeches
yet made in the Senate this year were
delivered during the past week by Sen
ators Buxton, Of Forsyth, Kiutts of
Rowan and Reid of Rockingham on the
dement's Of the Burton bill to make it
crime in the State for a person to drink
too much liquor, even on occasions,
and putting it within the power of any
little measly 2x4 justice of the peace to
send any good citizen, any of the thous-
ands of good men in North Carolina who
are in this way at times, to the roads
| and disgrace them for the error. which
the bill seeks to make q "crime." It
| was sent back to the committee for
modification and iii is not very material
~ modified it will meet o quick death
upon its next appearance in the Senate
| Several senator's warned the senate that
the Democratic party had better let well
| enough alone in the matter of the present
laws regulating the liquor traffic. Sen
| ator Kluttz declared that the men in his
section OF the State were already COM
| planning Of the drastic legislation that
| had been partly enacted into law, and
that II the pendulum was swung much
further it would be sure to swing back
even still further the other way ere long
and he feared it would be to the undoing
OF the party in power and responsible
for the unpopular laws.
The matter of a State reformatory for
youthful offenders against the law has
during the last week enjoyed period OF
! catalepsy. Ditto that of child labor.
Ditto the new or enlarged State house
proposition.
MAXWELL.
| Sspipou1as5 funp oil ollie -, L. &c.,