Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-03-13
STEAM IS CUT OFF BUT
WHEELS OF MILL TURN on
Henderson COunty's Legislators RIA
Farewell to Legislative Greatness
With Brilliant Record to Their
Credit Tenth District Leg
isIatiOn.
(By Noah M. Holloweno

Raleigh, N. C.,-Hendersonville ana
other parts of Henderson county are
on the map, legally or legislatiEeIg
speaking.
If there's any doubt in the readers
mind about this, all he or she has to
do is to ask Senator T. B. Allen Rep
resentative J. P. Patton or Col R M
Oates about the matter and they wiM
readily dispel all this peculiarity aE
the mind that characterized Thomas
of old.
Hendersonville and Henderson coHn~
ty thoroughly enjoyed the hmelight az
the legislative halls this week, and il
was not to the expense of the county
either, as Col. Oates saved his Bic
Hungry water power plant that was
threatened to be swallowed merciless-
ly by the Manufacturers Power coR-
pany and it was by the "skin of his
teeth" that part of Polk county's pop
ulation escaped paying portion OF
Henderson county's railroad bond In
debtedness.
The legal battle is all over and Ehe
gentlemen of Henderson county have
| foldedS their tents and said farewell
10 .capitoI greatness"
More than week ago Col Gates eE-s
ercised his keen foresight and prepar
| ed bill which Representative Patt0R
dropped into the legislative hopper H
lpertained to the right of eminent de-
main and under the provisions of thE
OLD law the power plant and~<poWer
sites of the Colonel were subject ta
condemnation by bigger" business He
wanted legislative enactment to aVci&
such procedure as this therefore caMe
to Raleigh to see such law ma1G
Things went well until shortly befsHe
the bill got through the mill. AS tD
the trouble full account win 6R
found in another column ofthis papeE-
Chapter number two has to deal Win
that part of Polk county which Eaw
once part of Henderson. over which
there has been repeated scrambles kg
legislators from the two counties.
Two years ago Polk county sEe-
! Ceeded in divorcing itself from In
mother county and instead of be<RE
astride the county line as was 0noe
the case, Saluda is in Polk county
The odds were against HendeFSGR
county then as itehad a republican re-
preventative in the Legislature 2nR
Polk county had senator and re-
preventative here. All that was re-
sLrrected matter only to be re-resXE-
rected last week by Senator AlIeR
when he introduced bill authorize
Henderson county to collect from those
citizens of Polk county formerly on the
Henderson county side a proportionafE
part of the tax in refunding Hender-
sons Indebtedness incurred in voting
bonds to build the Ashevil1e-S SPARTA
burg railroad several years ago. The
bill passed it's third reading and Wzg
ordered sent to the House before Re-
preventative Bolich of Polk county
learned that such a bill had been in
troduced. Representative Bolich weEx
straight up in the air" and upon de-
scending came with stunning CRASH
against Senator Allen like billy got
rams his adversary. They lockea
horns at once and it was mighty
struggle, with Representative Patton
coming to Senator Aliens rescue. NE.
Bolich was greatly wrought up over
the matter and his utterances did not
tend to conceal the fact. He put On
his fighting cap for the first time DIR
ing his legislative career and MegsHG
Patton and Allen both thought Of 41zF
Henderson county constituents AMI
warmed up to the subject patriotfca1lE.
To kill the bill in the house or PIX
it through the mill was the vital Ques-
ton, as it had passed the Senate viii
ou a word Mr.. Bolich declared bis IN
tcntion to have the bill referred TO the
committee on Counties, Cities ana
Towns, of which he was a membe1.
instead of having it placed on the Cal
ender, as the usual custom AEfg
period of :he General Assembly. Mr.
Patton was a member of the commit
tee on Propositions and Grievances and
he thought the matter big propcst-
ton and>a mighty grievance to the PEG
Gle back home SO he watched aze
course of the bill like hawk in spr1E
time watching brood of chickens.
When the message from the Senate
containing the bill was read in Gae
House Mr. Potion spontaneously ro0e