Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1925-02-26
OUR WEEKLY RESUME
OF LEGISLATIVE EVENTS
by NJ. L. Shipman.)

| hdlelgn, req. Zo.- MONKEY DuSl
ness has had the center of the stage
in the general assembly the past weel
and no great progress has been made
IN the enactment of general legisla
tion. The revenue bill has been whip
sideration by the committee of the
Whole in the House. The bill provid
ing appropriations to the state edu
cational charitable and penal insti
tutions, pensions for confederate sol
diers and widows; for the payment
of the interest on the state debt, e.
Qualizing fund for the public schoo
etc. is to follow in due course. The
Finance Committee have raked every
available source of revenue with q
fine tooth comb in an effort to com.
ply with the demands of the appro.
priations committee. But "the call is
not sustained" There is an appre.
ciable difference between the two
which is not likely to be reconcileG
at this session.
Two days were given to the con.
sideration of the Poole resolution
outlawing the teaching of evolution
in State institutions, which has been
made special order for Tuesday
night. The bill was displaced however
on account of the crowded condition
of the hall and galleries of the house
which were jammed with people ca
ger to hear the discussion The uues-
ton for debate was: "Resolved by
the House of Representatives the
Senate concurring, that it is the sense
of the General Assembly of North
Carolina that it is injurious to the
welfare of the people of the common
wealth for any officer or teacher in
the state, paid wholly or in part by
taxation, to teach or permit to be
taught, as a fact, either Darwinism
or other evolutionary hypothesis that
links man in blood relationship with
any other lower form of life"
The resolution came up on the
House calendar Thursday morning
as unfinished business and the fire
works started without difficulty. The
forces in favor of the resolution were
directed by Representative Turling.
ton of Iredell; the opposition by Rep.
resentative Murphy of Rowan. Mr.
burlington could see no harm in pro
hibiting the teaching of theories as
facts and paid his respects to the
heads of state institutions who haC
appeared before the committee il
opposition to the resolution He wa.
sustained in his contentious by the
Messrs Madison of Jackson, Hunter
of Polk, Braswell of Nash, Neal Of
Caswell, Miss Alexander of Mecklen
burg, and Poole of Hoke, author Of
the resolution, who pointed out the
dangers to young minds of theories
that are now being promulgated thru
the camouflage of science in the high
schools and colleges Of the state. Mr.
burlington declared he had parted
company with Doctor Chase and the
University, under his management
after hearing the doctors speech be-
fore the committee on Education il
opposition to the Ysolution. Rep.
resentative Madison sought to refute
the suggestion of the abridgemen
of freedom of thought, freedom OF
the press and freedom of speech
Other proponents of the measure took
the same view.
Representatives Erwin of Burke
Connor of Wilson, Everett of Dur.
ham, and Yelverton of Wayne, con
Cured in the opinion of Mr.. Muir
ply in his appeal for religious free
dom and kindred influences. Free
dom for everything was the slogan
of the opposition. Besides they con
tended that the legislature is not thu
proper forum before which to bring
the issue and the house finally con
Cured in this view by voting to ia
BILE the resolution.
Defeated but undaunted is the po
sition in which the author of the res
olution finds himself. But he declares
that the fight has just started.
The Humphrey resolution. intro
duced in the upper branch by Sen
ator Humphrey Of Wayne, encoun
tered no difficulty in running thu
gauntlet of the two houses of thu
legislature and the assembly will sool
be in possession of list of the EN-
ployees of each state department an(
institution and the amount of com
pensation doled out to them on th'
first of each month. The statemen
| is to be filed with the chairman O
! the Senate and House Finance AM
| arnronrio+ion cononoittaac and wit