The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-02-28
Our Raleigh Letter A.
GORNAN NEWS BUREAUl
RALEIGH. Y. C.. Feb. -.

While the grippe has taken a firm hold
on the feelings of this writer. and with
the desks of several of the Senators
sprinkled with a pretty thick layer Of
-gubernatoria frost, admins
tered last Saturday in a surprising and
discriminating shower by presiding Off
Ger Frank Winston. | am attempting To
send thA readers Of this paper their usual
weekly Raleigh Letter about legislative
affairs. But | am working under un
usual difficulties and must needs be brief
er than ordinary.
The railway passenger rate is still I'M
settled and it is not certain (as Ipredict-
ed last week. that it will ever be settled
by this legislature, and this despite the
unusual and provoking course adopted
| by the presiding officer of the Senate to
| force a settlement against the wishes of
| the majority of the Senate. The Senate
Graham bill, which passed the Senate
over the Daniel substitute by nine major
| ity and on final reading got Al of the
II votes cast, is now in the hands Of its
without a single supporter who
| voted for it against the proposed Daniel
| substitute or the Mclean substitute or
| other real friend among the six men who
| have been named as cOnferees on the part
! of the two houses
| This unusual and highhanded situa-
| ton is due to the equally highhanded
action OF the lieutenant-gOvernor who.
| having the naming of the three members
| OF the conference committee on the part
of the Senate, refused to place a single
friend OF the Graham bill on the commit
| tee, when as a matter of precedent and
custom and equity he should have been
careful to see that at least two of the
Senate cOnferees were friends of the meas
ure which passed that body and that
one of them shonld be Senator John ".
Graham of Orange, the author OF the
| bill
When the sided and partial com
mittee was announced it created the
greatest astonishment throughout the
| chamber. Mr.. Daniel, the Senator from
| Halifax, whose discredited substitute
calling for two and quarter cents was
badly defeated an hour before, was
placed at the head of the senate conferees
and Aycock OF Wayne and Webb OF Bun
combe, neither Of whom supported the
Graham bill and are opposed to both
the two and One-half cent rate and the
secOnd-class car feature of the bill as it
| passed the senate, were named as the
other two. Ma or Graham, the author
OF the bill, was ignored entirely. and
neither Buxton, Mason, Mclean Mitchell
nor either OF the other original champ.
ions OF the measure. one or two OF whom
every one supposed would be certainly
named as conf"rees, was mentioned by
the chair, and so of course the senate
committee is very unsatisfactory in its
complexion.
And thus it is that the senate bill is
now in the hands Gifts enemies without
one friend on the Joint conference com
lnttee.'
Now, ii that committee. all thinking
so much alike, and with the ma or pOr
ton of the thought of the senate entirely
, unrepresented, can and does formulate {
bill that can run the gauntlet of the sen
ate it will be little less than a miracle
, Some fault has been discovered by it
friends in the Graham bill since it passed
the senate. But they are faults that cal
be easily eliminated or corrected and The
bill in the main good one can be pre-
J served-Or could have been if it had beer
| committed to a committee on which i
had any friends.
am one of the staunch friends and ad
. mirers of the Lieutenant Governor anC
like nearly all OF them we were astOund
ed and sincerely sorry that he saw fit tt
= pursue the course be did in this matter
because it is certainly not calculated tt
add to his popularity or reputation TO
fairness. At the same time, the prope
thing for at least one if not two OF th
cOnferees named to have done under thu
circumstances was to have peremptoril,
declined. The fact that neither actual
- manifested any real desire to do st
added to the ugly aspect of unfairness
But something will Or will not eventu
ate this week LLEWNAM