The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-01-12

Full Expression of Views on me
Bill. Adjourned till Tomorrow After
noon nj 1 o'clock-House May Hold
a Night Session to Receive the Com
mittcc's Report.
If h House Committee on Salaries
and Fees at its meeting yesterday mao
taken a v,tc on tn" bill to increase
the SALARY # the Governor 70 $1,000
per annum, the vote would nave Stooa
7 to / to report the bill n~laEofapl|
or would have been s to y AGAINST lne
measure. as the chairman Of the COM
mittce. Nh. Wooten, of Lemon, had
not decided which way he would vote:
Not a word WIS spoken IA favor ol
the bill, but several speeches were
made in opposition to il. The conf
mittee adjourned at a late hour in the
afternoon to meet again Monday al
ernOOn at 4 O'Clock. Tomorrow morn
ing Mr.. WOoten Will inform the House
Of the nonaction of the committee ana
ask for a night session OF that pody
at which the report OF the committee
may be received.
The committee met in the Supreme
Court building at 3o'clock. The Dill
was read and an informal discussion
ensued.
Mr.. Conner. of Wilson, stated that
the report Of the auditor showed that
for the year 1907 there went to the
Governors mansion and grounds So
4a0.93. and $234.75 for the Govern
or's travelling expenses; during 1905
$3.125.55 to the mansion and grounds
and $4,000 for travelling expenses. An
itcmized statement secured from tht
State TreaSurer'S office showed thdl
the Governors mansion and grounds
received during the past year the toll
lowing mounts for the objects stated:
Fuel. 400: water, SIS; ice, $50;
lights. $3.50; Waterman. $3.50; garden
er. 1872; servants. $3.50; l~ncidentals,
$500. Total, $3,067.
Mr.. Connor declared that he could
not vote for the bill. Not, he said,
BECAUSE be thought the services Of the
Governor We're not worth that amount,
or that Sc, 600 was extravaganza, but
aside from other considerations he pc
IicVcd the bill to be clearly ~unconSti-|
tutiODaL Section l Of Article III OF
the Constitution, he said, states that
the Governor shall be elected for a
term of -four years, his term of office
to begin on the first day of January
next after the election AND continue
till his successor shall have been cleo
ted and qualified. The Governor shat
receive for his services a salary fixed
by law. The. Constitution declares
that this. salary shall not be changed.
during the Governors term of office,
nor shall be receive any other emolu-
ment or allowance whatever during
his term Of Office. The term Of office,
M. tOnQ0T continued, docs not dtlu-l
ably begin till Mr.. Kitchin qualities.
buI section Is of Article III, he ex-
planned, does not use the word term"
at ali, but that (referring to all eNecu-
i've o~fficcrs) the salaries shall he nei-
Their increased nor diminished during
The time. for which they shall have
been elected and the time for which
the Governor was elected, he said, be-
q January LIST
MI. Smith, of Randolph, stated that
h. woo DnrA-.l - II, i,0aIaaCn of tho
Governors salary. He had talked
with Senators in regard to it and some
IF them. who had voted for it had
2fterWard changed their minds about
it. He thought that $4,000 was suf-
fiCient and that it WOuld be dangerous
to increase it. He gave notice that
he would oppose the bill on the floor
Of the House.
DR.. Bolton, of Montgomery, stated
that if the Governor is to be allowed
the amount which he has heretofore
received for the expenses of the Man
sion and grounds and travelling, he
would oppose the increase in his sal
AIRY, for then, he stated, the Legisla-
ture would not be justified in raising
the salary to $4,000.
Mr.. Smith, of Randolph. stated that
he had seen the Treasurer's report
and that in the estimate Of the eX-
nenses for the coming year there We're
the items of $4,000 for the Governors
Mansion and grounds and $500 for
the Governors travelling
Mr.. Conner thought there was not
sufficient Interpolation to pass upon 4
matter OF SO 3reat importance+ Be-
efrfvs prfrs contrary to the spirit OF
the Constitution to increase the Gov
ernorss salary now would set at nought
the labors Q. the legislative commit
tee Of the session of 1907 which took
up all the elements which 90 to make
up a salary bill. after a thorough IN
AtSI1G1Tl0n. horj1f1Tl" m n - ~ /
increase in the salary of the Govern
or, and the present committee, he de-
ciafcd. was justified in assuming that
after the full investigation by the for
nte[ ~Go!nnIttee' they left the salary
at IT is now. The m
Shouid have more information, he be-
IeVed, before it should vote for an
increase that had been denied by a
committee that had fixed the whole
salary scheme of all the State officers.
Mr.. WoOten said he wanted more
enlghtenment. He thought it adyisa-
bic to adjourn till Monday morning.
MI. Conner said that he was salts
tied that the feeling Of the committee
caused by the fact that the advocates |
81 the increase urged immediate action
on the bill justified the committee in
gong slow about it. He moved that
the committee adjourn till Monday
afternoon at 4 o'clock.
Mr. Wilson asked: will that kill
the bill? Well, it'll scotch u.s.
Or. Bolton stated that the commit
zee would he responsible if it should
9eier action on the bin. If it was to
dle' he said, he wanted the Legisla-
ture to be responsible for it.
Mi. Conner said action should not
ne taken on Il bill that would appro-
pirate $4,000 out of the State Treasury
Hhtl more Information might he OH
tanned on the subject. He wanted
statements from the Treasurer ana
Auditor. ~
d, Bolton offered an amendment
70 NJ. Connor, motion, fixing 10 a. m.
MONDAY as the time for the adiourncd
meeting.
Mr.. Wooten said that he wouIa not
IKE Tor the responsibility Of the bill
&c remain on the committees hands
til tuesday. He said he did not know
whether he would vote for if or
against it, He desired that the ad-
Journed meeting be held Monday
morning. ~
Mr.. Common held that the only pur-
pose of the adjournment was 10 oh
~ ~