North Carolina Newspapers

v 1, 7 i. r .r By WILLI ATI II. BERNAHD. lU.KI'K.P DAILY EXCEPT MONDAYS. 8irs, ,,F M 3SC1IIT100, tic advancb: ,,n, Yeur ,bv NUil. Postage Paid $ 00 1 hrtrr Month. ' , .of M, nth. " .- r,i,tv Subscribers, delivered in any part of . i k v Ckts per week. Our City Aent ! lr - , I' thor-.-ci to collect for more than three months jj jn:e. , .. u ivt Office at Wilmington, N. C, as W:-rr" th4'onJCl.Mil Matter. OUTLINES. The Senate passed a number of public buiMing bills yesterday, and afterwards considered House bill for the appoint ment of thirtv medical examiners for the p,,rr-n without reference to Pension hurt.ui. l.;VI- ,orv.a- law; the bill was tli ' . . .. ; . ; S(i t':.it the appointments Mian ame .t-.'-..it ions prescribed Dy tne Kit without finishing bo ru th til.' " ! I " J.v.V SO " tne dUJUUUICU, .,. whatever was done in ; , adjournment taking place a: '. alter the reading of the , .; lS tribute of respect to the . t Mr. Randall, whose funeral were being conducted. i i -.ie Committee has com : rlie River and Harbor Appro- '. '.I. and the total appropriation oer $'.rO.KH.000; tor the Cape ;; yer at and beiow Wilmington the ;::. it i. is $HH.uO0. while other r rs a id harbors receive $207,000. ; m. P Smith has been nomi ' - --tm.ister at Hickory, and iVr-'ii at Rocky Mount. r. . W . . .:. rd.i morning the remains of H S.i-iue! .'. Randall were borne to t ; :i r. Washington, of which he a -n ember, where the funeral ser--,v - con '.acted: Dr. Chester de-tii.- sei ''iion, and Rev. Mr. Mil . dosing address; the services i very solemn character, and .i:te::de 1 by a large number of the ; statesman's friends and admirers; r the serv.ces the remains were con i to the Pennsylvania Railroad de ar. ! from thence to Philadelphia for r..: .it. where the dead members of .:r iv sleep. A Russian palace. St. Petersburg, has been destroyed ire. and seven of the servants were ;-jd to death. A sad tragedy i W ' 1 . . recently took place m Moscow; the widow of an army officer, who was in extreme poverty, and her live daughters, locked themselves up in a room, turned on the sas. and when found all of them were dead from suffocation. N Y. markets: Money easy at :(.o per c-nt. cotton easier; middling up lands 11 A4C; middling Orleans 11 I0-I6 cents: southern flour firm and quiet; wheat unsettled; higher and fairly active; Ni -2 red 9-1(2194 cents at elevator: c - "cijiilar. fairly active and closing ::rn 4!&42 cents at elevator: ros; ' strained common to ood iiod ;i.(2. 1 :121.V; spirits turpentine da" otiered at 40l c. 1": pension bill industry is stiil liour:h:ng in Congress. Total num ber i:.tr-duv:ed this session up to last Sat tin lav is 0.040. It takes over thirty millions of st "npers to stop the beer bottles in this comtry. but all these stoppers can't stop trie beer drinker. The Mayor of Denver, Co!., is a or :el man. He let a fellow tempt ir.m with a $40,Xn" bait to sign a bill, didn't bite, and then exposed the b i:ter. S.nce the death of Mr. Randall, Mr. O'Neill, of Philadelphia, be comes the "Father of the House." P. is somewhat remarkable that Philadelphia has given the House three -fathers" within a year. Ko'.ev, Randall and O'Neill, who e tered Congress with Randall. NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. Sv.m'l Northrop Notice. Star Office Babbitt metal. MfNi)N & Co. Superior clothing. Wan t Steady job for young man. lx J. C. Shepard Farm for sale. N' k ikrop & Hodges Copartnership W.J. Kirk, ham A Co Auction to-day M asi nic Meeting Concord Chapter. h r ruRop. Hodges & Taylor Dis- LOCAL DOTS. Items of Interest Gathered. Heor and There and Briefly Noted. Spirits turpentine sold yester day at :it) cents per gallon. Mattie Johnson, colored, was lined $20 and costs in the Mayor's 1 -art yesterday. There will be a meeting pre paratory to the mission at St. Paul's Episcopal Church to-night at S o'clock. Ail who are in any way interested in this work are invited to attend this meeting. U rn. Hawes, colored, charged ith assault with a deadiy weapon a razor on a colored man, was arraigned before the Mayor yesterday and held in a bond of fifty dollars for his appear ance at the Criminal Court The firm of Northrop, Hodges A Taylor, insurance agents, has been dissolved by the withdrawal of Mr. Samuel Northrop. The business will be continued by Messrs. W. W. Hodges and Walker Taylor under the firm name of Walker & Taylor. 1JHE VOL. XLVI.-NO. 23. FIREMEN'S PARADE. Exhibition Given by the White Volunteer Firemen in Honor of the C. F. & Y. V. Celebration. The parade and exhibition given yes terday afternoon by the Fire Depart ment for the entertainment of visitors to the railroad celebration was one of the most enjoyable features of the oc casion full of interest and excitement and unmarred by accident or discomfort to any. Not alone the visitors, but nearly the whole town turned out to witness it, and the streets were thronged with people and the windows and bal conies and piazzas of The Orton and all the buildings in the neighborhood were filled and crowded with ladies. The programme for the parade was carried out as published in the Star, A strong force of policemen marched in advance of the procession and cleared the way. They were followed by a carriage in which were seated Mayor Fowler and Alderman Morton of the Fire Committee of the Board of Aldermen, Chief Newman and Assistant Chief Cazaux. in uniform, in the chief's fire wagon. Then came Germania Cornet Band, in the order named, Howard Relief Fire Engine Co. No. 1, Wilmington Hook and Ladder Oom pany, Wilmington S. F. E. Co. No. 1, and Fifth Ward Hook and Ladder Co. The men were in full dress uniform. and with their brightly burnished ap paratus and handsome horses, carefully groomed and bedecked with nodding plumes, made a brave and gallant show Brave old "Harry Brock," the horse which pulled the reel of Wilmington S. F. E. Co. for nearly a half score of years, marched in the midst of the Company, led by masters James Taylor and Her bert Peterson. Passing down Front street and up Market to Third the parade was dis missed, and soon after an alarm was turned in by Chief Newman from box No. 14 at the City Hall. Within ten minutes theieafter the "Atlantic" hose reel was at the hydrant, corner of Front and Chesnut streets, had made connec tion, run a line ol hose and was "spouting water" down Front street, and a few seconds afterwards the hose reel of the "Adrian" engine had arrived and made connec tion with the hydrant at Front and Princess. Then came an exhibition with the aerial ladder of Wilmington Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, which had also arrived and was in posi tion nearly in front of The Orton. The fifty-foot ladder was run up, and two pipemen with a line of hose from the "Atlantic engine mounted to the plat form near the top of the ladder, and showed the wondering crowd how bat tles with fire are "fought and won.' They threw mighty streams of water far up and down the street, and made made many persons run to cover who thought they were at a safe distance and eyond reach of the stream. Alter the Atlantic boys had sufficiently amused the crowd they descended, and two pipemen trom the "Adrian" engine ascended the lad der and sent up streams of water that seemed to go even higher and farther than those ot their predecess ors. The Hook and Ladder boys had their drill with ladders reared on the New Hanover Bank building, and gave an in teresting exhibit. Altogether it was one of the best ex hibitions that the Fire Department has ever given, and was very much enjoyed and deservedly complimented. wilmingtonTresbytery. Reports of Committee -Home Missions An Interesting Discussion on the Tithe Question Other Matters. Wilmington Presbytery met at 9 a. m. yesterday. Several ruling elders pre sented themselves and were enrolled. After a half hour of devotional exer cises. Presbytery took up the routine business, and the Moderator announced the standing committees. An overture on the subject of the status of ruling elders, under circum stances stated in the overture, was re ferred to the Committee on Bills and Overtures. The principal feature of the morning session and to which the time was main ly devoted, was the report of the Com mittee on Home Missions. The report mapped out a line of aggressive work, and urged it with zeal and earnestness, and was heard with great pleasure. The Presbytery now contributes about seven times as much in this work as it did some four years ago. The report was adopted. In the atternoon a very interesting discussion on the tithe resulted in the adoption by the Presbytery of the re port of the committee on the subject. The report declares the Christian rule of beneficence- to be found in I Cor. 16: 2. The Church can make no law for her members that the Head of the Church has not ordered; still the larger privilege of the New Dispensation de mands a fuller consecration, and there are many whose privilege it is to give in larger proportion than the tithe. It makes it the duty of pastors and ses sions to impress this principle of liber ality upon all under their charge. An important paper looking to sim plifying the plan of contributions in the churches and increasing the amounts contributed was adopted. Mr. George M. Matthews, after due examinations, was taken under care of Presbytery as a candidate for the gospel ministry, fromiBladenboro church. A call for the pastoral services of Rev. A. McFadgen was placed in his hands and accepted by him. Mor WILMINGTON, N. C, FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1890. RAILROAD CELEBRATION SECOND DAY OF THE MENT. ENTERTAIN- Exoursion to the Hammocks Oyster Hoast at Ocean View The Banquet, Etc. The second day of the entertainment 1" J J . 1 l i r . openeu, as am tne aay Deiore, with a cold, drizzing rain, but neither the Wil- mingtomans nor their guests allowed thislo interfere at all with the pleasures of the occasion. Our friends had come to enjoy themselves, and they were de termined to have a good time, rain or shine, and as far as we were able to judge they carried out their determina tion to the fullest extent. The first part of the programme for the day was an excursion to Wrights- ville and the Hammocks. The trains carried down between 400 and 500 persons, who greatly enjoyed such novelties as an oyster roast, a ride on the switchback and the sight of old ocean. The oyster roast furnished by Mr. R. B. Humphrey at the Hammocks was the feature of the day. Mr. Hum phrey told us he had prepared for the occasion by securing 115 bushels of oys ters. When the train left at half-past 3 o'clock he had about fifteen or twenty bushels left. We give this as a fact to show that this part of the entertainment was enjoyed to the fullest extent by our guests. By 9 o'clock about seven hundred persons, prominent citizens of our city and their invited euests, assembled at the banquet hall to partake of the good cheer that had been prepared for them by the manager of The Orton. It is beyond our power to do full iustice to this banquet. The hall which had been selected for the oc casion was most beautifully decorated with gay flags and bright bunting, and lighted by a dozen or more electric lights. Among the flags used in the decorations were the national colors of Denmark, Germany, Italy, Austria and England. The tables were beautifully decorated with Mowers and evergreens. The ten long tables were most bounte ously ladened with edibles of all kinds and the parties present did full justice to the occasion. Against the wall on one side of the room was the band stand. Opposite that was the stand occupied by J. H. Currie, toast master. Back oi this a table on a dais, at which sat many prominent men, including Major C. M. Stedman, Mayor Fowler, Col. A. M. Wadded. Mr. U. VV. Williams, ot our city, and the following guests: Messrs. V. F. Carter. W. A. Moore, of Mount Airy; W. A. Lash. D. XV. C. Benbow, D. F. Caldwell, of Greensboro; Col. K. M. Murchison, of New ork; Col. WTharton J. Green, Mr. J. H. Myrover, of Favetteville; Hon. Alfred M. Row land. Messrs. A. Pope, W. Fullon and J. C. Renshaw. The proceedings ol the evening were begun with a blessing invoked by Rev. Colin Shaw of Duplin county, and after those present had supplied the de mands of "that little gentleman who will be heard" the literary feast of the day began and was most pleasantly presided over by the toast-master, Mr, J. H. Currie: The speech of welcome was made by Col. Alfred M. Waddell who said: Col. A. M. Waddell delivered the ad dress of welcome, and said ; Gentlemen As the essential ele ment of a cordial welcome consists rather in deeds than words, and as you are here to hear a great deal of eloquence this evening from various sources, my words will be lew. 1 he chiet regret that we have now, and the regret we will expe rience wnen we part with you, has been that the chairman of our committee on arrangement has been a little unfortu nate in making his arrangement with the clerk of the weather this week, but I want to sav by way of apology for him that he was not selected because it was supposed that ne had any familiarity with things above or anything above. Nobody would have accused him of that. But he was cho sen exclusively for his personal beauty and for profound acquaintance with the virtues of Rock Spring water. That is what thev call it down here. If any of you have been with him he will certainly , i bring you back again. It may seem a little strange to some people, my friends, that we, instead of greeting you with this welcome when you first arrived, have postponed it until you are almost ready to leave us, but it is a peculiarity of the people of Wilming ton that the longer their guests remain with them the more welcome they are, and we are only taking occasion this evening to tell you how glad we are to see vou. I assure you that we are sin cerely glad to see you and to extend our hospitalities to you, ano wouia De even more sincere if possible if I told you that we will be perfectly delighted if each and every one of you will get his sisters, his cousins and his aunts, and au nis peo ple, and will come back and stay with us permanently; and I would suggest that if you do not have any sisters or cousins or aunts, then bring somebody else's, and we will be equally glad to see them. And we can show you amongst our markets, the finest and largest mar ket for baby carriages on the South At lantic coast. The people of Wilmington this even ing are realizing tne areams or tnei fathers in the establishment ol direct communication with that part oi our State from which we have long been separated, and to the people of which our city has been and is duc a name NING without significance. We do not wish t his to-continue. We greet you on this great occasion with our heart to our home. This great railroad, the com pletion of which we celebrate to-night and in which we rejoice, ought to have been the first railroad built in North Carolina, and I verily believe if that had been the case, the entire commercia and industrial establishment of this city would have been different from what it has been, and would have been more honorable to our civilization. If that road had been built then it would have established that oneness of spirit and possibly that wholeness of a community ot interests among the people which serve best to establish a great city. That was the dream of our forefathers to which I a moment ago alluded. It was a hope based upon a grand idea They were not influenced to establish, that road which was their dream by any mere desire to do something that will be beneficial to themselves and the community in which they live, but it was an idea much grander than that in its sweep, and took into consideration the great State whose people were united commercially and independently, and with whom they desired intercom munication. They desired, too, to have a seaport of their own, by which they could exchange their products for the products of other countries vithout taking it outside of their own borders. Their idea was to make that the initial enterprise, the very basis of develop ment of our industrial system, the back bone of our transportation system; this road from which the city now hopes to reap reward. Unfortunately the execu tion of their plan was beyond their means and they were compelled to see their products taken by other routes out of our State and enrich the people of other States. But.Jgentlemen, the backbone has been inserted at last, and I believe that a new energy has been en fused into the industrial interests of the State. In the completion of this great road we are indebted to the pluck, the vim, the help and the enterprise of one who sits there, the President of the road, whose modesty is only exceeded by his merit, who tries vainly to appear to be venerable, and who has even dyed his whiskers white in order to conceal his youthfulness; but, gentlemen, we cannot be deceived by any disguise even of that sort, or lead away from the fact that he is one to stand in the foremost rank of the men of enterprise and ener gy and spirit. On his shoulders rests the mantle of John M. Morehead who was the pioneer of railroads in North Carolina, and worthily he wears that mantle. If only for him and his associates who have builded this great work, may they receive the re wards which they so heartily deserve. The people of this city, gentlemen, have exhibited their faith in the work by giv ing $150,000 to it. The whole debt of the city of Wilmington except a trifle consists in bonds given for the construc tion of railroads in North Carolina. Her first exhibition of that spirit was given when the Wilmington & Weldon Rail road was built, which at that time was the longest railroad in the world but one, and this town supscriDeo to tne Wilmington & Weldon Railroad a sum greater than the entire assessed valua tion of every foot of real estate in it She has from that day to this aided by generous contributions to every railroad that has come into or passed through her borders. Gentlemen, I said my words were go ing to be few, and 1 have to apologize I do not want to weary ycu with an ex pression of our sentiments on this occa sion. On behalt ot all the people ot Wilmington I extend to you a cordial welcome, and I trust that by our united efforts from the mountains to the sea we mav be able to stimulate the industrial progress of our State, and place her in that position in which God and nature intended she should be. Mr. J. H. Mvrover, ot r avettevule. in reply to the address ol welcome said: Mr. Chairman: I feel that you will pardon me a word personal in a king in dulgence in that I interrupt your feel ing oi disappointment in tailing hear a distinguished friend and citizen of the State, for whose absence 1 am to make a leebie etlort to console you a wioe breach into which I would not have dared to stand but for an urgent tele gram from the good friend who sits on on my right. But slight would be the well-springs of my nature 1 did tail to thrill with pride at being selected to ex press the appreciation ot this city s hospitality of all the people of one great section of a great commonwealth, embracing the di versified resources of a land blessed by the smiles and hand of God in the mountain ridge section, as if dropped from heaven by its Creator's hand, a curtain tenderly veiling the beauties of the twin States, with Mt. Ararat, pilot ing the Indian through trackless wilds centuries ago, still keeping watch and ward over golden field and happy ham let. We cherish the history of Daniel Boyne and the traditions of his times his prowess through that wilderness where the Indian hunter wooed his dusky maid; in the fair Piedmont belt we boast many lineal descendants of that patriotic band which first struck the blow which was to shatter British supremacy in the great struggle of the devoted colonists; and not alone do we honor the dead, but we glow with pride in the labors and example of those who are still with us, the great advocates of a North Carolina system of internal improvements, who warmly threw themselves into the work in the vigor of young manhood, in the vigor of physical and intellectual ma turity and in the wisdom of old age, one of whom is with us to-night Hon. D- F. Caldwell, of Guilford. In the upper Cape Fear we still have scores of that stock which followed the for tunes of Flora McDonald, the unselfish heroine whose name is inseparably linked with that of the chivalric but ill-starred Prince Charles Edward; in the generous, full-hearted land of the tide-water we love the names and keep imperishable the achievements of Lilhngton, Harnett and that gallant colonial soldier, Col. Hugh Waddell, whose services to coun try and pepple have been perpetuated by the pen ot the eloquent speaKer, nis descendant, who preceded me, and is to-day fixed on the pages of fair print. Yes, we have good cause to rejoice with you in this, your gala day, for, 'brothers, we sorrowed with you in days of lamentation, sympathies with you when pestilence, stood at your .thres holds, and at night you said: would God, it were morning, and in the morn ing, would God it were night; when in vaded hosts encircled you as the hunt ed brought to bay, and as, with tremb ling hand we wore with you the immor telle, shall we not help wear the chaplet of rejoicing! Fair city, regally enthroned on your beautiful seat, where breaker and wave bathe your feet, we salute vou! Mav your walls rise high, and from all the fair sections with its people for whom I speak, there will be congratulations without a taint of envy. The manifold resources of the earth she will bare her bosom to pour out to you, in exhaustless minerals, the resources of the forest and the field; and from the western fields, "rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun, with vales stretching in pensive quietness between, and poured at foot of all old ocean's gray and melancholy waste," we'll hail you the Queen City of North Carolina. Our Guests: We hail with pleasure and bid a warm Cape Fear welcome to those whom this new link of steel has brought from the mountains to our seaside city. W. F. Carter, Esq., of Mecklenburg, responded as follows: The thoughtful and progressive states man of more than a century ago, look ing down through the vista of time, caught inspiring glimpses of the gran deur of this occasion. But the stupen dous reality presented to us puts to con fusion and shame the brightest concep tions of his almost divinely-inspired im agination. The mouutains and old ocean are made friends, and this tie of friend ship isb ound by links of steel that can never be broken. Imperishable monu ment this, erected to the wisdom, the undaunted courage and untiring efforts of those true, noble and patriotic sons of North Carolina whose labor forged this mighty chain! (jenerations yet un born will delight to do them honor. 1 o you, sirs, l as tne mouthpiece ot the in vited part of this vast company do most gladly accord that meed of praise just ly due in thus making possible this joyous and happy gathering. Ihe people ol Wilmington, as ever ready to greet with a cord ial welcome every enterprise or movement whose watchword is progress and always true to the impulses ot their warm and gen erous hearts, have embraced this auspi cious opportunity of paying a tribute of appreciation to the greatness ot this achievement and of bestowing with s lavish hand their far famed hospitality The feeling words of welcome so elo quently delivered by the distinguished son of the lower Cape r ear, have as it were annihilated all distance, removed all forms of ceremony and make us feel that surely we are camping upon our native heath. We would from the very deep of our heart of hearts reciprocate this noble and heaven born sentiment, and would eagerly grasp your out stretched hands and thus seal for ever this band of friendship. Our enjoyment and pleasure since we have been in your midst have been all that heart could wish or desire, and when this festive occasion comes to an end, as soon it must, and we return to our homes, we will speak to our people of the magnificence of your scenery and of your generous hospitality, in the words of the Queen of the South on her return from a visit to King bolomon, that the half had not been told In conclusion, may I not indulge the fond hope that this social gathering, this mingling of our people with your peo ple, may prove but the dawning of a bright day or prontaoie commercial in tercourse between two sections of our grand old State, heretofore separated by seemingly impassible barriers. Tie City of Wilmington: Famed in the past for its enterprise and hospt tality, it proposes to be in the van of commercial advancement, and to oner the good old North State a metropolis of which she may be proud Mayor Fowler, responding to this toast said: Mr. Chairman and Fellow Citizens It is unnecessary for me to allude to the past history of the city of Wilmington. The culture, genuine hospitality and chivalry of its citizens established from the earnest penoos a reputatiou wnicn won and has retained the respect and confidence of all. It is the present and the future of our city iu which we are most interested. The city of Wilmington of to-day is not the city of years ago; but a city that has been tried In the crucible, that has passed through the furnace and been made doubly refined. During the dark days which succeed ed the late civil war, the days of recon struction, Wilmington was reduced to a condition from which it was feared she would never recover. Her credit was destroyed, taxation increased, her finan cial obligations totally disregarded. ,City script was hawked about the streets at 40 cents on the dollar, and her public debt was so entangled that the burden became appalling. The only instance in the records of the city when this condi tion of affairs existed was during that period. These' circumstances, my fel low citizens, were the result of a foreign influence and I allude to them only that you may more fully appreciate the pres ent condition of affairs. To-day every obligation of the city is promptly met; a sinking fund for the eventful liquidation of the public debt is strictly maintained, city scrip is worth dollar for dollar, and the general credit of the city is such that its bonds are sought for as a source of permanent in vestment and command a premium of from 3 to 5 per cent. Though our city is not on a boom, in the general acceptation of the word, it is in mv opinion the most progressive, and enterprising of any city in the Southern or Eastern States. The valuation of real estate in the city of Wilmington has in the last three years increased on an average over 25 per cent. and in many instances the increase has been almost incredible. To illustrate: One piece of property that two years ago was offered for sale at $800 was a few days ago again placed upon the market and readily sold for $1,550; another piece of property offered a year ago for $300 recently sold for , TAR WHOLE NO. 7,318 $600; for another piece of property pur chased at $1,500 three years ago $3,000 has been offered and refused; one piece with an assessed valuation of $250 re cently sold for $1,500; one piece assessed at $600 sold for $1,925; .'another piece assessed at $700 sold for $5,700. These are but a few of many cases of the kind. There has been constructed in the city of Wilmington in the last 12 months, during the fiscal year ending March 31, 207 buildings, at an approximate value of $310,000. Many of these buildings were for the use of various industries re cently established, others for the enlarge ment of those formerly existing and in cludes in the number about 1G0 resi dences. Of these residences all are now occupied. In a recent conversation with a prom inent and reliable real estate agent of this city he said that one year ago he had from thirty to forty unoccupied res idences for rent, sought for occupants and could not obtain them; that nowhe has more houses in charge than formerly and none are unrented, and that there is a constant unsupplied demand. What but a rapid influx of people could produce this state of affairs, and what could produce this rapid influx of people but new enterprises, increased business and general prosperity. The population of the city of Wilmington has increased until it now reaches in excess of 25,000, and should the increase of the next ten years be in proportion to the last three years, we will give to the State of North Carolina a city with 60,000 inhabitants. The true greatness of a city does not consist in the number of its inhabitants, nor its wealth, nor in the amount of business transacted, but in the charac ter of its citizens. It is therefore a source of greatest gratification for me to state that those who have adopted Wil mington as their home, are a brave.chival rous, self-reliant people. They come principally from the counties of Duplin and Onslow; Pender, Bladen, Bruns wick, Columbus and Cumberland, and from Old Sampson, the land of the Big Blue and the True Blue, God bless her. They are a people who believe in order and good government, and so believing, will maintain the supremacy of the Anglo-Saxon race. There is one thing that has militated against the interest of our city, which has retarded its growth, and which i3 most difficult to overcome. That is, an erroneous impression currently believed abroad that Wilmington is an unhealthy city. While in the city of Raleigh some months ago I had the pleasure of meet ing Mr. W. R. Williams, the Master Granger of the State Grange, a genial, clever gentleman. I invited him to hold the next convention of his body in this city. His reply was astonishing. We cannot do it, he said, as we hold our conventions in the summer time, and if we should meet in your city during that season we would sicken and some of us would die. His remarks were in keep ing with the general idea, though the cause of such an impression I am una ble to ascertain. There is one thing however I do know, that there is no city along the South Atlantic Coast that presents as satisfactory a health record as the city of Wilmington. We invite comparison, nay we challenge it, not only with the seaport cities, but with the inland cities of North Carolina and States adjoining. By reference to the annual report of our Superintendent of Health, a report made by an efficient, valued and con scientious officer; a report not made for comparison, we find that in our popula tion of 25,000 inhabitants there is a mor tality of 15.80 to the 1,000. Dividing the whites from the colored and esti mating the former at 10,000 and the lat ter at 15,000 we find that the mortality among the whites is but 11.30 to 1,000 and among the colored 18.70 to the 1.000. When we consider the negro's proclivity for dissipation, for subjecting himself to exposure , it is but natural that the mortality of their race should exceed that of the whites hence in making comparison with the cities where the white population predomi nates, I respectfully submit that the comparison should be made with the mortality of the whites alone. I am told that among those bearing life insurance, those who are selected with the utmost care, under the rigid examination of a physician, a mortality of 10 to the 1,000 is considered very good and satisfactory. Such being the case what better evidence do we desire to establish the superior sanitary condition of our city than a death-rate amongjthe whites of 11.30 and a general mortality of 15.80. I assure you, my friends, that in my opinion, based upon observation and enquiry, the mortality of Wilming ton compares favorably with the health iest cities in the land, and in many in stance it is less. There is now but one thing, my fellow-citizens, that Wilmington needs to make her all that nature intended and her citizens desire. There is a unanimi ty of feeling, a determination on the the part of her citizens which portends success, and all that is now needed is the co-operation and support of the citi zens of North Carolina, and particularly of you, gentlemen, resident along the line of the Cape Fear & Yadkin Valley Railroad. Your road is now completed to our city; you are brought in close and speedy communication with us, and we rejoice at the event. We are now neighbors; let us be friends, and as friends let us realize that our interests are mutual. Come and see us. Wilmington bids you come, and ever oners a cordial wel come, and by mutual intercourse and transactions let us build up the city of Wilmington; a city now "in the van of commercial advancement," and let us give to the Good Old North State a metropolis of which she may be proud." North Carolina: Her resources un- fathomed, with mines rich and inex haustible, forests unbounded, and ability to feed the world. Mr. R. T.Gray, of Raleigh, responded to this toast. He said: To be required to stand in the place assigned to the Chief Executive of the State is embarrassing to me; to disap point, as I know 1 must the expectations of a feast of oratory which were justly excited when it was announced in the printed programme that the silver tongued Governor of the State would respond to the sentiment just .pro- BATES OF ADVEIITIIINU, One Square One Day I 1 Of) Two Day IT Three Day IM Four Day ( Five Day Ht One Week 4 00 Two Week 6 Ml Three Waea IW One Month 10 Mi Two Month it Mi Three Month 4 Mi Six Month 4i One Year Ml t T7 Cc.ntrrt AdvrttiwinrnK lkrn l p-i.rl i ately low raten. Ten line olid Nonfmrrit t)r makr enr qnmrt nounced. But I recognize and ) irld to the fact that no son ol Nntth Carolina, wherever he may Ik or whatrwr the time, should fail to lilt Ins hat .it the mention of his name, or however leebie his utterance may be, should shrink from endorsing and testifying to the truth ol what isgaid in her praiv. ut tin be my excuse, if any is needed, lor my temerity in consenting to-da to Mand where Gov, Fowl, was cxprrtrd to stand To tell how great North Carolina is i too large a task for an nftc r dinner talk To sing of her glorious people, her valiant men and lovely women. Ik r climate and her resources, her riches possessed and potential, her history and her future, would require a pa an longe r than Judge Gaston's and a minstrelsy more perfect than that with which Highland Harper told the legends ol his native hills, or Jewish captive in lar off Babylon sang the glories o! Ins beloved Jerusalem North Carolina' What is it' A strip of land between two States, as it has been sometimes derisively i ailed ' A State whose chief products, a ordmg to some old geographies, and some. I am sorry to say, now used in the- scIumiIs. are tar. pitch anci turpentine- a Kip Van Winkle, stretching his laggard legs in sleep, while others are awake, alive, and forging ahead in moral, sk ial and material prosjrrity 5 (rod forbid' What Commonwealth has tin history she possesses? At Mec kirn bur g, dec l.ir mg against tyranny, and at .iwjwns, Moore's Creek. King's Mountain and Guilford Court House, making good Ik i declaration by her muskets, her cannon her pikes, her swords and her t' and, after the battle had been fought and won, standing in a -"ederal ( ongirss and at the Constitutional Convt nt ion m I a ettcville. holding out to the last and on tending for a constitution that would preserve to xistenty the fruits of her victory! and latrr, and within the mem ory of all of us, you know how, w hen the Southern Cross was upheld, the ls of the Cape Fear joining those n the Pcidmont and Allxmiarle vet ions and their brothers from the hills and mountain raves, untrained to feats of arms and gladiatorial sports, rushed to the consecrated fields ol Vir ginia and all the battle-ground of the Confederacy, anel stayed, and staee1 and stayed, some of them forrve r. (more than thexsc of any other State i. and t he others until their ( lueltam said "Enough! go back I" and whether dmg or surviving, illustrating by the ir dar ing, their heroism and thru snldinl qualities the noblest type ol Southern manhood, until an allusion to r emu parison with Thermopylae Ik-i mies c om monplacc and tamr Such is a short rre or! ! North ( ar lina's past, than which no ornmon- wealth or people has ,1.1. history. hitfr-Sta( ( i"ifn .i of Tradf. Col. A. Pope respond'-! and elusion said The railway that I represe nt In direction oi whose management asked to be here to-night say we le and tender to you congratulation. the am i rne. u j k m the work you arc doing, and the- jwopie beyond the border of the State appre ciate and realize that work I represent a railway that is large- e nough an. I strong cne)ugh to be lirs. fair, ami then generous to this section It has no preferences to en i iv e.r to e cr cisc; it hails the opening of the ( aje 1 eat S: Yadkin Valley at the North ( arolma border with all sincerity. It iroosrs to do everything that is proK-r to con tribute to the sure ess of that enterprise I sec arouncl nic here many representa tive men. You are here representing Wilmington, the rluef seaport of the State. You constantly ask your mem bers in Congress to exert themselves to improve your tide water fac iht ies, am) for aid to deepen the water in your harbor. Your representatives are alive to your interests. With a successful result you will lc enablrrl to eornjetc with the cither scajHirts upon the North and South Atlantic coast n equal terms. Wc enjoy with our railroad through the rhief rt of Virginia, ample facilities in that direetion, but wc arc extending that rail way and enlarging its area of tern tory in a manner that require arMit tonal facilities. We have an old-fashioned habit cm the Norfolk arvl Western rail road of simply referring to that wln h we have done and that whic h we are do ing, and not that whic h we intend to do Wc arc now building :t0 mile s of rail way. Wc arc builcling in our shops to day ample supplies of cars and Joe omo tives. Wc wish to use- a large share of these cars in hauling tralh with our railway. Wc arc building these aeldi tional miles of railway that we may gather additional traffic from the terri tory they traverse and reach anel divide it with you. Wc want the virgin pine that grows in your forest to-day in the building of our cars and to carry to the West where that kind of material is needed It le hooves you, gentlemen ef Wilmington and of North Carolina, to eo-oerate with us. It behooves the young men of frour town to look westward It le looves them to cultivate local trade on your line, to give due regard to every merchant and every town ujkmi the line of the Cape Fear t Yadkin Valley Newel from Wilmington to the Virginia line It behooves you to do all these things in that spirt of hospitality and in that spir it of good business judgment w luchjl !--lieve you will show, and your reward will be as certain as anything on earth is certain. When wc open our lines to the West it will shorten from 200 to 140 miles the distance over existing lines that can now reach the seacoast. You arc then put indirect communication with a ter ritory in which you will lie able to re gain a large part of the foreign traelr and coastwise trade that you may have lost. These arc not idle fancies, nor are they the results of any enthusiasm from this entertainment, 1 am accustomed to deal with these questions. I knem whereof I speak and it lchcoves you to think well of what I say. If you have established your trade anel know what reciprocity means in every respect, then the luxuries of civilizatien will lollow thereafter. And referring tthat I would say that our people are opening up summer resorts along your lorder. CONCLVDF.I) (IN KlIKlll I'ACr