Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1937-01-16

/ am writing you this letter, which
is not for the purpose of self-adver-
tisement but that you may know OF
nv experience so far and of my re-
actions to the doings of the Legisla-
ture. If you desire to publish it as
interesting to our people of the coun-
ty you may do so.
have been in active service now,
special session included, about three
weeks. The personel of the House,
is of course, made up of successful
politicians, or rather candidates shall
1 say and that means that each one
you meet has personality and those
traits which cause one to be pleasant
and congenial. If it were otherwise
they would hardly have been elected.
One of the most popular members is
one representing Catawba county, af-
fl cted by the loss of both legs from
his waist down, he rides on an espe-
cially built tri-wheeled platform and
propels himself by the use of his
hands It is remarkable how we'll he
gets about. He has his room on the
same floor as / do in the Sir Walter
hotel, near the elevator, you can
readily see his reason for getting his
room so close to the elevator. Yester-
day be stated to me that he had
caused the hote! maid to re-arrange
all the furniture 80 that he could
move more easily and get about in
his room on his especially built plat
form In the. reception the other
night, given by the Young Democrats
Tol- -, Of
non this man went right on down the
reception line just as though he were
flboring under no handicap what
soever.
A bill has been introduced to abol-
ish the execution of one convicted of
ascapital crime in the state by means
Of lethal gas 1t has been referred to
judiciary committee No. l of which
am a member. l am rather inclin-
cd 10 favor this bill, my reasons be
ing based among other things, on
what the State warden says about it.
Personally he says, it is easier on
him 10 execute by gas than electricity.
He says that those who are outside
and witness the execution through the
glass never know whether the victim
suffers or not as they can hear no
sound from within. But he and the
prison physician have a long distance
stethoscope Il am not sure of this
world which is attached to the
vict ms chest and back, which re-
cords his emotions. The warden says
that the victim groans and writhes,
apparently in pain, and that the short
est death so far recorded has been
ten and one-half minutes, which is a
long time if you stop to think about
it. And so l think the electric chair
is the quickest and shortest means
of death and is the more humane me-
thod.
Another bill is up to impel every
one operating a car in North Carolina
to carry liability insurance policy
in the amount of $5000O0 The pur-
pose of such a bill would mean great
bushes for the Insurance companies
but in my opinion would be a great
hardship on many poor persons-and
then too, if l understand it correctly,
every member of ones family would
have to carry this insurance in order
to operate a car. The bill which came
before our committee was turned
over to a subcommittee which may
reduce the amount or work out some
other more satisfactory plan.
Another important bill introduced
and one over which a big fight is
looming, is the bill to prohibit the
sale of liquor in North Carolina and
for statewide referendum on this
subject, to be held November 2, 1887.
This bill and others connected there
which has been referred to Judiciary
committee No. l of which, as I have