The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1908-01-23

AAA0 4 OhCOEWA1L u
" correct any unjust discrimination
against North Carolina shippers, job
bers and merchants. This being an
interstate question, it can only be
reached through the Interstate Com
merce Commission; and, In order that
these suits may be successfully push
ed to an early hearing and termina-
ton. / respectfully ask that a sum
not exceeding $1,000 be appropriated
Tor carrying on an Investigation
fraught with SO much benefit to our
people. At the last session a bill maxi
ing this appropriation passed one
house and two readings in the other,
but In some way failed to become a
law.
Other Important Matters.
When I called the extra session,
with the advice of the Council Of
State, only object was considered,
and that was the rate question. 9th
er purposes, however, than those
which / convened you to consider will
doubtless be brought before you; and
If, in your wisdom and after the most
mature and wise celebration, you de-
eide to enact other legislation than
that embraced In my call, there are
two matters, imperative In their ma
ture, to which I would most respect
fully call your attention.
Better Court Facilities.
There is a defect in the present ju-
dieial system of the State. If a Judge
is sick OF detained from his courts by
unavoidable accident, there is no pro-
v~isioHto remedy this omission, un-
less some other Judge can find time
from his W courts to ride the cir
cult of the sick or absent Judge. This
could easily be remidied by establish
ing two small additional districts,
consisting of a county each, so that
the Judges riding these small districts
could, when not engaged with their
courts, hold special terms and take
the place of the sick Judges. The
Ninth Judicial District lost its entire
circuit this fall by the serious illness
of the Judge, thereby causing a loss
of thousands of dollars AMI leaving
persons in Jail who were entitled to
a speedy trial. Such instances have
happened before and will happen
again, and, therefore, should be rem
edied.
Prohibition.
Theer is another matter that will
doubtless engage your most careful
consideration. / allude to the ques-
ton of State prohibition. The people
of North Carolina are determined to
make a trial of prohibition, and the
only thing to decide is when and how
this can best be brought about. The
curse and degradation of the liquor
traffic is fast becoming a stencil in
the nostrils of decency, and there is
an imperative demand coming to you
from every section of the State to
drive out these places of vice and
wickedness, and to convert the money
thus wasted in riot and drunkenness
into channels of. business, thrift and
industry. Every one in the State
knows my views on the liquor ques-
ton, for, publicly and privately, I
have contended that, both from an
economic as well as a moral stand
point, the greatest blessing that could
possibly be given the State would be
the prohibiting of the manufacture
and sale of intoxicating liquors as a
beverage anywhere In its borders. So
firmly am 1 convinced of the sound
ness of my views on the subject of
liquor being a curse to the people Of
the State, that, if the power to act
were vested in me, l would not
trouble your body to consider the
matter, but would at once free out
land from this monster evil that, Iii
my opinion, is the source of a thou
sand woes and scarcely a single bless
ing.
When I issued the call for this
special session 1 did not know wheth-
er the voice of the people could now
be heard, or whether it would have to
wait until the regular session; but
so quickly has the demand for relief
c~rystallized throughout the entire
State that it would be utterly wrong
to deny the people a hearing upon a
matter so vital to their public and
private life.
L would not put my judgment
against that of the one hundred and
seventy members who compose your
honorable body, all of whom are just
as patriotic and many far wiser than
II; still, after visiting the people in
every section and hearing and know
ing their views, as l do, / am thor
oughIy satisfied that no act eve pass
ed by any legislative body in North
Carolina would give the joy OF be
more generally endorsed than would
be the act of this General Assembly
in giving prohibition to the entire
State.
Under the Watts, Ward and other
similar bills, by legislative enactment
prohibition was given to all rural dis
~tricts, until at least four-fifths of the
States territory thus had prohibit
tory laws. These acts have produced
good, and not evil, and have been en-
dorsed by the votes of the people in
three general elections. Also, under
the same laws, villages, TWINS and cit
les throughout the State have declar-
ed for temperance, until ninety pei