The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-03-21

wsr MAS NV. PLATO cushAn's
WORD oeusrTor
Nsy nsa Ednos Sarnsos's Wera Aass
oessssd 7--rhs SIXTY nile Limit 10
esnssh hsasy Page

The following is from the last
I1ue Of the Raleigh Christian Advo-
cate:
"For the hrst time. probably. In
the history or North Carolina, has
minister Of the Gospel been suop9
nsed TO appear before legislative
committee or investigation 10 give
IN account Of words used In . ser
mon before his congregation.
This happened last week. The
minister was Rev. Plato Durham.
pastor Of Trinity Methodist Church.
South. Charlotte, n. G., Western
North Carolina Conference. Truly.
there In no lack OF evidence that the
legislature which adjourned on last
Monday was In some respects unlike
any other legislature which has con-
vened In Raleigh In . long time
Here Ii the story: The General
Assembly passed . railrosd rate bill
6xing the fat passenger rate OF two
and . quarter cents per mile for GER
tain railroads. The public were very
much surprised to find that among
the larger railroads to which the rate
applied, roads earning their thou
sands Of dollars per passenger mile,
was placed the little Aberdeen and
Ashboro road, Of which Mr.. Henry
A. Page IL president, and which
earns less than three hundred dollars
per passenger mile. The public will
wonder for many . day that such q
classification was made. 1t is I'M
precedented In the history Of legis-
lation.
The Raleigh Evening Times boldly
declared in an editorial that Mr..
Josephus Daniels influenced the
members of the conference commit
tee to make this classification in or.
der to satisfy his enmity against Mr.
Page, the president Of the small road.
The following Sunday, Rev. Plato
Durham preached to his coDgrega
ton q sermon In which he used the
following words: "It has come te
my knowledge that as the laws are
being made in North Carolina some
corporations are allowed to 60 scot
free, because some men are friendly
to them, while by fixing the length
Of roads that are to come under the
rate law at sixty miles, one corpora
ton, headed by q hlgh-toned either
of the State, was made the object oil
the wrath Of an individual whl
holds the whip hand, while great
corporations escape"
After q retrsxit by the Times, and
the resignation Of the editor, Mr.
r. w. Simpson, who had previously
stated that what he had written wal
given to him by one whose name ht
would not divulge, and who, hs
said, had misinformed him, ths
House, on motion of q member Of
the conference committee, adopted 9
resolution, drawn, it is said, by
Speaker Justice, providing for 9
committee Of investigation to find
out who had given the information
to Messrs. Simpson and Durham
The House had 1T first tabled the
resolution, quite number declaring
that the investigation was unwar-
ranted and useless, that the gentle
men of the conference committee
needed no Investigation, and that
the whole proceeding would be far.
cical. But the resolution, at the
earnest insistence of some, was finally
adopted.
REV. DURHAM AND SIMPSON BE
FORE COMMITTEE.
Mr.. Durham was subpe 1aed and
appeared before the com mittee OF
investigation. He claimed, in sub
stance, that in preaching that ser