Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1923-03-08
WAS UNUSUALLY.
TURBULENT SEES
SION
General Assembly Crowds Sixty Day
Work into Six-Calendars are
Cleared. Memoirs Go Through
More High Water Than Any in
Decade
Two Weeks of Calm
Victory for Morrison and Admins
tration Policies Bitter Pill for An
tis to Swallow.

tis to Swallow
"A dispatch from Raleigh under the
date of March a gives the following
of interest in regard to the closing of
the stormy session of the legislature
The legislature that got away to
such bad start is about to reach its
bitter ending.
Crowding into the past six DAYS
the work of 60, it has handled in
one way or another most of the
important legislation proposed dur
ing the session and it leaves with
its public and local calendars com
pletely cleared.
1t has been through more politi-
cal high water than perhaps any
legislature in a decade. 1t has had
but two weeks of tranquility out of
eight, the first and the last. 1t has
received a degree of abuse unprece-
dented in legislative annals, and
when the members return home
they very likely will receive more.
1t has been the victim of influences
seeking political preferment and ad-
vantages and it has been beset by di-
vers and sundry disturbances over
magniied trifes. 1t has been for the
most part badly disorganized lot
Displeased Everybody
1t has displeased everybody some
more than others. 1t may have in
tended to please them all. Certain
ty, it ran into every path that was
beaten for it long enough to make
! all the conflicting elements and in
ffuences praise it for time. But
finally it made its own path, and
followed it in the latter days with
some degree of consistence.
The first week gave signs of a
conspicuous session. The house
wherein the disturbances seemed to
center that at one time or another
shook the entire state, was calm for
the first week and quite enthusiastic.
The grand old man of Allegheny R.
A. Doughton revenue commissioner,
was at the Helm, and the chief mate
Secretary of State w. N. Everett was
In the nest Ine governor took these
two away and tllenceforth the house
Jared shout on shifting sand.
lhere followed new leaders who
failed to get the hang of things;
then came the Maxwell deficit con-
troVerSy and the convulsion within
TIE general assembly made the state
tremble
1t ran into counting spree with
reactionarism but wuund up by vot-
ing haf as much in bonds as the
preceding session. 1t sought to man.
ifest a welded fancy for indepen-
dence but developed into chaotic
and disorganized aggregation of men
who could not figure out where or
how they stood.
While complaining of the lack of
revenue and the danger of high
taxes the body was magnanimous in
its generosity, exceeding the recon-
mendations of its own budget COM
mission, And this on top of mid
session indications of extreme reac-
tionarism, threatening the continu-
ance even Of the building programs
and educational and charitable insti-
tutions.
What Was Accomplished
1t may contend with degree of
positiveness that it reaches its "bit-
ter ending" in a "blaze of glory"
regardless of what has gone before
and the mountains of abuse that
have been heaped upon it. The bond
issue it has authorized are conceded
to be for wise undertakings, and
even the most reactionary of reac-
tionaries can not help but find de-
gree of justification in them. 1t
has provided for constitutional pro-
lection of the states bonded indebt-
edness and for safeguarding its fl
nancial standing through the limita-
tion of the authority to contract in
debtedness. 1t has passed consider
able legislation of Importance along
reform and social lines. It took a
step of extraordinary boldness when
it struck from the laws the tax dis
elimination and exempted stock in
foreign corporations held by residents
The bond issues it authorized for
undertakings recognized as n re
eta ti.a Se,ita pso,;g 2-.-,e p. IA
r.,.s.
I;faeca ln...i.o..s for roads, ten