Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-02-07
SUPREME COURT IN
WEEKS SPOTLIGHT.
Puts Ban on New Spending;
Meekins Ruling Waited
On Slots
DAILY Dispatch Bureau.

Raleigh. Feb 7.-NOrth Cardinals
Supreme Court took the center of Ra-
leigh's stage last week as the seven
justices cleared all but one case from
the Fall term, 1887, calendar, by hand
ing down "a decisions which included
some of the most interesting and i'm
portant in long time.
The court said an emphatic mo" to
the efforts of two cities 10 spend
money, but one of them appeared de-
termined to go ahead and spent it
just the same.
High Point was enjoined from issu-
ing some $5,500,000 in revenue bonds
to construct a hydro-electric plant on
the Yadkin the court ruling that the
project far exceeded the needs of the
city and would put it in the general
utility business, where it has no right
to be. City officials, however, went a.
head with the drafting of a new set of
resolutions which would, apparently
spend the same $5,50O,00O but with the
announcement that it will all be used
for lighting and supplying power to
the inhabitants of High Point.
The other mo" was directed at
Charlotte which wanted to spend
mere $4,000 on new hangar at the
municipal airport, but six of the seven
justices said an airport isn't a "neces-
sity' Justice Heriot Clarkson very
emphatically hut futilely disagreed
with them). Consequently, the court
ruled, no tax money may be set aside
for such a purpose.
On the criminal side the court cut
off the last legal chances of Edgar
L. Smoak, New Hanover poison-mur-
derer of his young daughter, and of
Milford Exum, Wayne white man.
doomed for the robbery-killing of an
aged Negro.
The court also upheld constitution
atty of the anti-slot machine law, just
a day before Judge I. M. Meekins held
a hearing in Federal court here in
the matter of vacating his injunction
protecting the "silent salesman" va
riety of one armed bandit.
His decision is expected today and
the general opinion is that Judge
Meekins will recognize what every cit
izen of even moderate intelligence can
see at a glance that the silent sales
man is a none-too-clever attempt to
evade the State laws.
Announcements of the impending re-
tirement OF Congressman William
Umstead of Durham and the sixth dis
trict, headed political developments
and sent political commentators into
a perfect whirl of guess and conjec-
ture BY the time they got through,
everybody in the sixth, Except Mr..
Umstead and two other fellows), and
his wife were in the race.
The situation does, indeed, seem
more than little muddled, but, mas
much as the prophets have named all
hands and the cook, they are bound
to be able to say IT told you So" un-
less Mr.. Umstead or one of the two
other fellows run.
!, Another minor political announce
ment-tfat of Zeb burlington for the
House from Iredell-caused something
like a frenzy among the wise boys,
some of whom all but had the States
liquor laws wiped off statute books
at the mere thought that the redoubt-
able Mr.. burlington will again go to
the political wars. Mr.. T. hasn't yet
beaten Con Johnston for the place,
and if he does, will find things bit
different from the gay days when he
, put his name to one of the most strin-
gent dry laws ever to be put on the
law books to be flouted.
Commissioner of Agriculture w.
Kerr Scott and a large part of his Of
ficial family went on a junket to At
lanta for a big agricultural powwow
AS one of the stay-at-homes put it.
they viii probably come back with
enough new-fangled ideas to keep us
all busy for month"
Herbert Falk, Greensboro attorney
who is a probable candidate for utility
commissioner to oppose Stanley Win
borne, took potshot at Mr.. w. and
the commission and drew response
in kind. Also his attack brought an
swer in the form of refusal of lower
power rates to commercial men whom
Mr.. F. represented before the COM
mission.
For a change, Governor Hoey did
little speaking.