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Subscription Price.
The subscription price of the Wkkk
i. Star is as. follows :
single Copy 1 year, postage paid, $1.50
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. PRSMOEiNriAL CANDIDATES
It is . a noticeable faot that every
Republican candidate for President
since the party became . powerful in
1856 has been from the West. In
that year Fremont was the candidate.
In 1860 and 1864 Abum Lincoln
was the candidate. Grant in 1868
and 1872, and Hayes in 1876. Of
these all were elected except John ti
-Fremont. On the other hand the
Democrats have chosen generally
candidates from the old thirteen. In
1856 Buchanan and Fillmore were
the candidates, the former a Demo
crat and from Pennsylvania; the lat
ter,the American candidate, and from
New York. In 1860 this was not the
case. The Democracy split np and
had in the field Douglas, of Illinois,
and Breckinridge, of Kentucky. John
4ell was the Whig candidate. In
1864 McClellan, of New Jersey, was
the Democratic candidate. Iu 1868
Horatio Seymour, of New York; in
1S72 Horace Greeley, of New York;
in 1876 Samuel J. Tilden, of .New
York. So since 1864 ail of the Dem
ocratic candidates have come from
New York alone.
The Democrats have uniformly
noted upon the supposition that New
York was essential to their sueocss.
But getting New York, they have
not been able to elect. Notwith
standing their failure we are satis
fied that it will be perilous to enter
upou an election without the 35 votes
of the Empire State. Uan it'be'got?
Is Tilden the man? Who seriously be
lieves for a moment that he could not
carry that State against Conkling or
Grant? Cannot Mr. Seymour carry
it against either or both combined?
Look what he did in 1868, soon after
the war. He beat Grant, the idol of
the North, over 10,000 votes. He
carried four Northern States. Who
believes he is not as strong in 1880 as
he was in 1868? Grant was the
"conquering hero" then. He had only
a great military fame and no civic re
cord. But how is it now? He has
been President for eight years and
has a record that is stained with
crime, corruption and folly from first
to last. Cannot Seymour, able,
pare, stainless, incorruptible, do as
well against Grant in 1880 as he did
twelve years ago?;. Can he not do
better ?. There are1 very shrewd men
who believe he would carry New
York by a majority approaching a
hundred thousand. Could he not car
ry as many Northern States as he did
soon after the war ? It is believed he
could do even better. Could he not
carry every Southern State ? It is
thought by calculating politicians
that of this there can not be any
doubt.
Why not then nominate Horatio
Seymour? The object is victory. He
in honest, be is capable, he is popular,
he is without stain or reproach of
any kind.' In his bands free, repub
lican institutions would be safe. In
his hands the ' banner of the Demo
cratic party would be borne to vio
tory. ' -
WILL, IF COIdPELLj D.
The Washington Post of Wednes
day has nearly a column dispatch,
from Utioa, New York, Mr. Sey
mour's residence, relative to his posi
tion on the question of the Presiden
tial nomination. We. are delighted
to see that the Post's account of a re
cent interview which was carped at
or disputed by many papers and letter,
writers, Is fully substantiated. The
illustrious statesman's position is as
first reported; he is not a candidate,
but he will run if compelled to do so.
In other words, nomiqate him and he
will accept. This is jail that should
be needed or required. It is a noble
example that there isj one great and
pure statesman who does not desire
the highest office bui who will bow
to the will of the people. Let the
boom now start ir earnest. Seymour
and Hendricks is the ticket.
A hot partisan discission is almost
certain tooccur in thi SpofEord-Kel-
logg case in the Seuate. It is under
stood that Conkling, Edmunds, Blaine
and Carpenter the four ablest Re
publicans will make; a bold assault
upon the ftemocratio action, and will
flourish the bloody-ahirtjust for
effect and from force !of habit. We
have no intimations las to who will
reply on the Democratic side, except
one. We may rest assured that
Thurman, Kernan, Eaton, Wallace,
Beck, Bayard, Voorhees and Hill
will be equal to the emergency. Of
the latter the Washington correspon
dent of the Richmond Disnatch
writes:
"While thft nhilitv if Mnaare m.in-
Conkliog, Carpenter and Edmunds was
conceded, the belief prevailed that Senator
Ben Hill will trivp. thn HAnittA onH tha onnn.
try an exhibition of hia power as a debater
L!t. :ii . r . . ...
wuicu win -aiooisn even loose iamuiarwuD
hia DflSt nerfnrmanrpa rri nil h HM onil
said yesterday there was si confidence and
j -
a aenance wnicn may well induce the be
lief that he will nut lha nnnrtRitA nf hril.
hant Republicans named j upon their best
meiai, ana equal any iseoaioron ois own
sirlfi in th tnppnh hn mill moVo TTio ?r.t!
- wfVWHU MW ... UMW &XO . 4
male friends think that he will, in the Kel-
logg case, aau greatly to his Senatorial rep
utation." !
SOLD.
The agonv is ended.
The sale has
been , consummated. The victory is
complete. Best is master of the
situation. Those who will live a few
years will see what Ihey will see.
The future will reveal who have
been wise and who havfe been foolish
in this heated controversy. We can
only trust that a merciful and benig
nant Providence shall so overrule and
control the affairs in this State that a
great detriment shall !not fall upon
the people by reason
of the hasty
and, as we firmly believe, unwise
legislation -of this extraordinary ses
siou. It is not necessary now to re
view the action of those who have
engineered the bill an4 effected the
sale. The Star puts in on record
once more that according to its most
matured convictions th sale under
the Best bill is a great error, and it
fears may prove a great misfortune.
We rejoice to know
that for the
present at least we
will not be
troubled with the elephant, and that
the Legislature will adjourn on Mon
day. . : r I
TUB RUSSIANS IN ASIA.
Russia is steadily preparing to push
her outposts still nearer
to the Bri-
tish dominions in India.
Year by
year witnesses territorial conquests.
Late advioes show that Gen. Skobe-
loff, who so distinguished himself in
the recent war with Turkey, is to
oommand the expedition! against the
Turkomans in Central i Asia. The
utmost secrecy will be (observed in
the conduct of the campaign, and the
irrepressible newspaper reporter is to
be excluded entirely from all partici-
tion in the glories and gbssipings of
the march. Russia means business.
and England, sooner frrj later, will
have to face Russia ati the verge of
her own conquests on the! great Asi
atic Continent. It may be many
years possibly a generation be-
'ore the roar of artillery will be
heard in that distant! land as the
two great empires engage in the death
struggle, but it will come inevitably.
. 6 i W
Such at any rate is the! view held by
many of the leading minds in En g-
and. It is true, however, that 'there
are those who do notj believe that
Russia has any serious! designs upon
English possessions, and that 'owing
to the immense distance between her
European dominions and Hindostan,
and the impossibility of marching a
great army so far from jits base of
supplies through hostile j kingdoras,
that war on a large scale iwill be im
possible, j
In answer to this view . it may be
said that Russia already bas pos ses
sion of nearly two-thirds of Asia;
that she will get nearer and nearer to
British India by conquering hostile
tribes or kingdoms; that she can take
her troops by ships a thousand or so
miles, then land them and begin the
march of two thousand miles or more:
that Bhe will build railroads as she
advances: . that this will require many
years, possibly a half century, but
having made up her mind to overrun
. i i
Asia she will keep pegging away" in
that direction. In the meantime Eng
land will not be idle, and she will be
steadily growing ' in population and
developing in resources.
.The Russians are uncommonly good
soldiers. With the exoeption of the
English Napoleon never met with
such an enemy who gave'' him such
terrible resistance. Such is the voice
of history. The English soldiers are
equal to any in the world, but they
will have worthy foemeu when they
meet the Russians.1
TUGVOTE,;.
We wish to call the special atten
tion of our readers to one fact in con-
nection with the passage of the Best
bill. The final vote showed but little
opposition. In the Senate there tprejge
but 5 noes to 40 ayes; in the House
but 21 noes to 89 ayes. Why was
this vote so small ? It is evident that
many of the opponents of the great
sell out voted for the bill because
after endeavoring to improve it they
found it a foregone conclusion that
the majority meant to sell at all
hazards.
But look at the votes on the vari
ous amendments - offered amend
ments that were judicious, necessary
and wise amendments that ought
to have been accepted if the majority
really desired to protect the interests
of the State and reduce the burdens
of the people. Look at the votes on
those amendments. Turn to Thurs
day's proceedings in the Senate and
scrutinize the language and intent of
the amendments. No man of sense
can fail to see how important they
were. Then look at thevotes. You
will find not five, but sixteen, nine
teen, and even twenty votes cast for
some amendments, totwenty-six or
twenty-seven against.
By consulting the proceedings in
the House ou Thursday in to-day's
paper, you will see important and
absolute! necessary amendments
voted down, but not by the majority
that marked the final vote. You will
find forty-one and forty-two nega
tives re jrded
So there was really on joint ballot
over 60 votes recorded in favor of
certain important amendments, which
shows that the sense of a strong
minority was that the Best bill would
not do, needed surgery, and was
drawn to favor and foster the buyer's
interests and not the interests of the
people of North Carolina.
The time will come, and not many
years hence, when it may be clearly
discerned whether the majority or
the minority possessed the wisdom,
prudence, judgment and far reaching
sagacity. We now leave the matter
as far as the Stab is concerned in the
bands of the people. We are tho
roughly sick, not to say disgusted,
with the whole subject, and do not
expect to return to it again soon un
less forced to do so.
The Stab hopes that good may re
sult from what has been done, and
yet it is no casuist and doeB not be
lieve in the doctrine , that evil may
be done that good may result. If the
Democratic party, shall suffer here
after by the legislation of thef'-riost
extraordinary session, no one can lay
the charge at the door of the Stab.
"Shake not thy goiy locks at u,
Thou cana't not say we did it."
The whole, conduct of the State
officials and the advocates and friends
of the Best bill appears to have been
based on the principle,';
If it were done, when 'tis done then 't were
- wen '
It were done guiclly."
: To quote still farther from the
same grand production,
i "But io these cases.
We still have juggnwat here "
and we sincerely hope that what has
been done may not "return to plague
the inventor."
if '
I On Wednesday night last, about 9,
o'clock, when the new steamer John Dawkni
was on her way from this place to Point
Caswell, and When within about four miles
of her destination, the crank-pin of the
steamer broke, knocking the cylinder-he-d
out and causing considerable consternation
for a few moments. ' The engineer was
standing in the door of the engine-room at
the time and a stray holt struck him bn ihe
leg, but without inflicting ny injury. The
steamer completed tbeftrip with oue engin e,
and returned here yesterday, where1 she' Is
undergoing the slight repairs necessary to
put her in proper trim again.
j Uttlefleld, who was nominated for Go
vernor of Rhode ; Island by the Republi
cans last week, is charged by the Provi
dence Star with paying $5,000 for the honor
to the machine managers. Exchange" '
Is this "our Littiefieid ?". If not it
must be his brother?7 When a fellow
has to pay where 4oe& the "hbnbrV
come in?
WILMINGTON, N. C, FRIDAY;
Captare of Noiori Tblef
v swindltr.
-On or about the first of February last a
well dressed and: apparently well informed
colored individual a stranger made ' hia
appearance in the neighborhood of Lilling
ton, in Pender county,' gave his name as J.
M. Wentwortb,' alias John Duwell, and
represented himself to the colored people
thereabouts as a first-class school ' teacher.
Being in need of a good school the " neigh-
bora immediately went to work and organ
iized one, of which he took charge, engaging
board with ao industrious,' hard-working
colored man by he nameol Uudjo Lai kins,
Who is well known among the : tar and
turpentine dealers ' oo ithe " wharf, as
welt as to other citizens , in Wilmington
He soon worked himself into the entire"
iconfidence of the ' family with' whom be
.boarded as weU as other weU-td-do colored
people in the vicinity, " and everything
seemed to be working to the satisfaction of
all concerned . On dr . about .the : 21st of
Pehrnary, while the family - were .absent
from home, Wentwortb entered the hous
of his landlord, broke open a 'trunk and
stole a gold watch valued at $125, the pro
perty of Larkins. He -soon afterwards
offered to pawn the watch with Mr. Mc
Intire, a white gentleman of the neighbor
hood, who recognized it as belonging to
Larkins, and informed the owner tbat he
(Wentwortb) had it. Larkins immediately
started in pursuit of the thief, and found
that be had taken the train. He pursued
him to this city, and on his arrival
here learned that he had departed for
Raleigh. Larkins then went to Justice Hill
and got him to issue a warrant for the man
arrest, which was sent to Wake county fo
endorsement and execution. Wentworth,
in the hurry of leaving, forgot to take
two photographs of himself, one pf which
was sent with the warrant. After a week's
search Sheriff Nowell of Wake finally came
across the enterprising pedagogue and
lodged him in jail, when a telegram was
sent to Justice Hill, on Friday morning.an-
nounciBg his capture. The magistrate im
mediately sent the necessary papers to T.
J. Armstrong, Esq., a member of the Legis
lature from Pender, and also a Justice of
the Peace, with a request that he take the
matter in charge .and bring the prisoner to
Pender with him, the offence being com
mitted in that county.
Wentworth alias Duwell ia said to have
swindled a great many of the colored peo
ple of the Long Creek aection during his
short stay among them, and other warrants
are expected to be served upon him as soon
as he reaches the county.
Child Burned to Ueatb.
A few days since, on the plantation of
Mr. Samuel C. Fullwood, in Brunswick
county, a Hi tie colored girl, about five years
old, was so badly burned that she died the
following day. It appears tbat the family
had i.-een roasting oysters, and when they
had all left it 1s supposed the child com
menced searching among the live coals to
see if any of the bivalves had been over
looked, when her dress caught fire, and the
flames, fanned by the stiff breeze blowing
at the time, soon enveloped her entire body.
Her screams brought assistance, but too
late to save the life of the little sufferer.
Fire la Ibe woodi.
During Tuesday and Wednesday of the
present week much damage was done in
Brunswick county by a fire in the woods.
It commenced on the land of the W. H.
Benton estate, and swept nearly everything
before it until it reached Town Creek,
which put a stop to its further progress;
Messrs. Jackson Potter, Joseph Skipper,
Jacob Evans and John A. Evans all lost
pretty heavily in turpentine boxes, fences,
&c, Mr. Jacob Evans losing about one
thousand panels of fence. The properly
of Dr. Bellamy, of this city, we learn,
made a narrow escape.
1HIBO CONGRESSIONAL O.S-
; TftlCT. -
Card from dpi John W. Bills, of
i . Common. -f;
Wilmington Review.
WmTEVr,E, N. C, March 25th, 1880.
JtiUtor Eeuew :
Dear Sm: In the Remew of the 22d.I.
noticed that you used my name, among
others; as a "possible candidate" for Con
gress on the "dark horse'' plan. '' ! .1 "
I I write to say tbat I am not . an aspirant
or candidate and trust I never will be. If
I wanted the place 1 would openly enter
the lists and contend for the prize. I de
spise side-shows and all animals that are
trained iu the dark. I am a Democrat from
principle and helped to fight the battles of
the party in its day of peril and globin. I
have enough courage now to say tbat I de
Sire the success of the party above all other
political considerations, because I know that
the prosperity of the country depends Upou
such success. Fortius reason I am open
nd outspoken in favor of Maj. C. M. Sted
faian. I am sure that, if nominated, he can
and will do bis country faithful service and
reflect credit upon his constituency. My
silence shall not be taken as a sanction to
the use of my name against the men whose
cause I espouse. The first duty of the par
ty now is to dominate good men, who can
be elected and will bestir themselves in he
half : of that cause on. which the hopes of
the country depend, ana men who. when
elected and put on amy, will be found at
their post every hour;1 Henceforth I desire
nothing but the Iiretrt S good citizen, advo
cating the principles and voting the ticket
Of the Democratic party. At the next elec
tion I very earnestly hope for the pleasure
of voting for Charles M. .Sledmao. ,
I doubt not that your reference to me was
In a spirit of kindness, and while I am
averse to troubling the : public with my
name, I cannot be silent when principle
and party are involved.
Yours, very truly. J. W. Ellis.
i Wlt Jl"
i Washington Press. On Wed
nesday next, the 24th inst, the 220th ses
sion of Orange Presbytery will convene in
the Presbyterian church of this town.
In the Yeates-Martin contest we learn that
the attorneys of -Major Yeates make out a
plain case, and, claim hia majority is -176
votes. Fraud and rascality is the ground
on which they stand.
APRIL 2, 1880,
f A Rdaaa'nile Sql ;t' ;TrKleal
Our readers doubtless . remember the-
. iragic occurrence ar Xiumoerroo, a year or
so ago, resulting fu the death of Mr. Ed.
Hartman, at the babdaof Miss Amelia Link.
: haw,' ia tbe parlor of a. battel in f that ; towD,
;for which deed of revenge she , was subse
quently tried and, acquitted pn the plea, of
; temporary insanity! ' ButVaccordib'g to the
Charlotte Observer, the romanee of her life
does not end here,nanother and pleasanter
j incident having recently baen. added to a'
.career which began? ia, Jove abd ended: in
!ttagedy,f That paper eonUnuesi r' . ,,.
f During the period of , her confinement iC
ioe gaii a Lumoerion, wnen me only com-
jpamoii she' nap. Waaler ;cu!I(r,,, wbich; was
jbqrn after the enactment of the tragedy, she
received many ' letters ? from sympathetic
persona m al I par ts 0$ ecoun try. r Among)
.ner corresponaents was a man named, Lit-
itie; whtfig ropnted'8;ra'ustdm Heuse
offlcex.statiped at : Sullivan's, j Island,, auear
Charleston.5 He became deeply '.interested
an ner ana wrote to her repeatedly while'
ishe waain prison. On the eight, the trial
jwas expected to'cloae, he was offtbe Island;
and in attempting to reach Charleston du
ring the prevalence of a severe storm, that
be might hear at the earliest possible mo
ment, whether she was to live or'die, he
barely escaped being lost by the capsizing
of the boat. After the acquittal of Miss
Linkbaw the correspondence was kept up,
photographs were exchanged, and a pro
posal of marriage was made Sod accepted.
A week ago. Miss Linkhaw, accompanied,
by her child and one of her sisters, left
Lumbertoo and proceeded to Florence, S.
C, where, she was met by Mr. Little and
the marriage ceremony was quietly per
formed. The three, mother, child and
husband then left for Mr. Little's home,
and here the story, for the present, stops.
No aiiemmeni of Real Property thlo
" Year.
. The j following from State Treasurer
Worth will be of general interest through
out the State. It seems that Mr. Solicitor
Mdore, who is also Attorney for the Board
of County Commissioners of New. Hanover
county,! was asked bis opinion in regard to
the act in question, and he,construed the
language of the same to mean that the as
sessment of 1879, so far as it related to real
property, should hold good until the law
directed otherwise; but, to place the matter
beyond question, he wrote to the Treasurer
for his opinion, sanctioned by the Attorney
General, which, as will be seen, coincides
with the views of Solicitor Moore:
1 TkEASUBT DfiU'ARTMEIIT,
Raleigh, March 25, 1880.
B. R. Moore, Esq., Wilmington, N. C,
Deab Sir: Yours of 24th inst. received.
The act to provide for the collection of
taxes does not contemplate the re-assessment
of real property this year. The as
sessment of real estate ot 1879 stands until
altered bylaw.
Very respectfully,
, ;J. M. Wobth, "
j 'tate Treasurer.
Political matter la the Xhlrd Dis
trict. Corre8pondence,;of the Raleigh News.
Buroaw, Pender Co., March 23. The
general interest which prevails in this sec
tion upon the important question of the
disposition of the Western North Carolina
Railroad, does not exclude thoughts as to
political affairs in this Congressional Dis
trict. The large majority obtained by
Judge Russell at the last Congressional
election in this Democratic District, necessi
tates early action on the part of the Dem
ocratic party, thorough organization, and
the selection of a popular man and a good
candidate.
Prominent Democratic names are being
suggested by their respective friends. The
Hon. A. M. Waddell and Maj. Charles M.
Btedman, of New Hanover; Hon. A. A. Mc
tCoy, of Sampson ; Col. William A. Allen, of
Duplin; and last, but not least, Maj.
Charles W. McClammy, of Pender, are all
being brought forward as most prominent
tor the nomination. . Not one of these well
nown Democratic gentlemen is dearer to
the people or more in favor with the Dem
ocratic party than Pender's eloquent son
and favorite citizen Major McClammy.
Npt alone ia be the ' choice of Pender for a
nomination for Congress. The long and
able services be has rendered the party and
State have endeared him to the people gen
erally. And as f bur fearless and effective
Standard-bearer for Congress in this Dis
trict he wields-a tower of strength, and
would strike terror into the ranks of the
Republican party. . . ;
j As a soldier, no man in the District has a
braver or better record. He was quite a
favorite ia the army, and was on the eve of
important promotion , when the terrible
struggle ended, inrwhieh' he bore a gallant
and conspictroOT-p-rt.-""Among the first to
volunteer he : never f faltered--or despaired,
but from first to last was always to be found
Where service Was the ' hardest, danger the
greatest and where heroism was most in
demand . i . . ,
As a Democrat he has always been readv
for duty, audio forget himself when work
jffas to he done or sacrifices to be made. As
a bold and' leading champion of popular
tights he has unselfishly enlisted as a speak
er iu every important political campaign
Since the war. He has never been a mere
parlor Democrat or band-box man, who do
only light or fancy work, or make only city
speeches; but he has ou all occasions pulled
off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and gone
when the roads were roughest, the labors
fcioat arduous- and service the most needed,
regardless of wear and tear to himself, whe
ther in sunshine or in storm. The . ablest
Republican speakers in the State dread to
meet him on the stump, and well they may,
for he is one of the best speakers in North
Carolina, as be surely is one of the truest of
North Carolinians and one of the . most
popular and deserving of men. a As a metn
bqr of the Legislature he has shown that he
has, a heart big enongh to embrace the
whole State, although it is true that his po
litical and legislative record proves him
to have np superior in allegiance and
devotion to the Cape 'Fear- country, and
the the : best interests of . Wilmington.
No ' man" has. stronger ' claims' than
Major McClammy to the support and ap
preciation of the people of tbat city. No
man has ever been more, ready and willing
than' this patriotic man to labor in and out
Of the Legislature ; for "Wilmihgtou and all
these . Eastern and neighboring counties.
Borne years ago he was the leader of a me- !
morable forlorn' hope, as a candidate for i
the Legislature from New Hanover county.
By his talents, popularity, adroitness and
energy he overcame overwhelming political
odds against. , him and .was elected to the
Senate from' thafl&rge' and' well-known
Republican county. His legislative record j
combines with his public spirited and ef
fective services In other public relations in j
declarlng tuat Eastern North Carolina has
no tnrer' Democrat or, worthier son .than !
this feasant man and popular gentleman.
For these ' reasons ud because of other i
claims;, and '.qualifications which he- has 1
upon the people for a seat. In Congress, his '
own devoted county of Pender," now rises
to present his pame. for noniination before
our approaching Cob gressiotral Convention,
mh 27 D&Wlt T. W.
J OINIB RUSRRUION'S RrKKCU. ;
'Judge Merrimon has made two
speeches on the sale of the Wa!rii
North Carolina Railroad to Best and
company. His last and unanswerabl
: argument was- made on Tuesday
nisht. Of course Jit was a foregone
conclusion that the great wrong
would be consummated. The Powers
had so decreed. But the able , ex
Senator put in some blows it will be
well for the people lb remember. We
ican only grye a ' part of ..;"the abstract
of what hesaid, as it vis .reported : in
. the Raleigh Observer. Skajl. ' :;
It had ' given him pleasure to hear
the distinguished gentlemen who east
tlhe bill explain it, thoxgbthey :djid
not retqove a single doub'tVoV'diifioiil
ty to his mind. He must expresa hia;
dissent' from some of their vie ws and;
give his reasons therefor. He had
notified CoL Ruffin and Mr. Davh off
his intention to speak.
He wished to
be corrected if he was in error in any
particular. .
: i As the matter now stands the
construction bondholders- have no
dividends and there is no money to
induce them to prosecute their claim
but whei the bill passes litigation
may begin. He would not be sur
prised if it did begin in a month. He
referred to the statutory lien for the
information of the Legislature. He
spoke pf it for the additional purpose
of showing that they would buy the
bonds in at a reduced value and
"bear" them, and secure the road for
$1,250,000. He did not think that
the State in buying the road for one
third its value, would lose it so.
ine otate has no power save as a
stockholder in the road. The State
has the right to receive the profits in
the way of dividends. Lien creditors
have a . lien upon the property just as
the State, has an interest in it. The
same was a case in the N. G. R. R.,
as evidenced in the bwazey suit, so
well known. He stated what Chief
Justice Waite decided in that case.
If the holdera of the bonds in the W.
N. C. R. R. sue they can get the
same deoision if they have a lien. The
same result would follow, and the
rinrhts of these creditors be secured.
When you undertake to destroy the
stock and "divert the property from
the purposes indicated in the lien, you
bring this trouble on the road.
The gentlemen did not meet this
argument. Why did they not ? He
did think such methods of debate
valueless and illegitimate. - He would
ehow the fact that they have erred.
He came now to the bill, which he
analyzed, pointing out defects. This
bill comes, said he, in a questionable
shape. Who are the men who make
the proposition ? Not one of them is
a man engaged in railroad enterprises.
Why do they embark in sueh an enter
prise? Does any one believe they want
the property? Is it not probable that
their assigns, so frequently mentioned
in the bill, are some railroad corpora
tion or interest? Capital is always
selfish. Those who stand behind can
come in and take the property. They,
have their agents, and work through
them. There may be a financial Tal
leyrand, who invests here and there,
and makes great combinations. Best
is shrewd and , enterprising. He
knows all about the road, in all ways,
as well as all the details of the propo
sition. He was spoken pf as so in
genious. He deceived them some.
He yielded at times, because they did
not touch him in a sensitive point.
He, Judge M., could put in a clause
to protect the property, which, if
they accepted, would cause him to
believe their sincerity. No fair man
could question his motives, nor could
the motives of the. speakers of Tues
day night be questioned. A propo
sition which was so obscure and un
certain that even eminent lawyers
could not agree about it should be
rejected, it is absurd, contradictory
in many of its propositions. .
When the bill is scrutinized you
find that this proposition is certain as
to everything against the State and
certain as to everything in favor of
the grantees. He challenged a de
nial of this statement.' He believed
in the fact that the State in the end
Would lose everything. He com
mented on the course that had been
pursued. We hear people speak of a
property worth millions as worthless,
and see them seeking to give, it away.
"This isnnnatural. He said he wished
to expose the defects of the bill. If
he jwas in error, correct him. Section-conveys
all the property, with
all J liens, debts, &c. It is a quit.
claim for the State's interest. The
quit claim ia in the 3d section, limited
by the nse of the word "only." He
spoke ot the knowledge of the road
by
the railroad men North. They
wil
say that the State said the road
was liable to but one mortgage, but
yet there was one for $1,750,000.
Thiey will hold the property until
they are indemnified. They will take
every technical advantage 1 -In the
matter. If. they intend it as a quit
claim,, why not strike out the 3d sec
tion? ; , It means something. ? The
reason "only" was not stricken out
was, it is said,, because Mri. Best
wanted it in. Mr. M. said it was, to
speak plainly, not honest. , u
' .Then as to the deed and its keep
ing. . Why put it in , New York ?
Why not here ? They understand
how to manage such things in New
York.' Suppose the- Commissioners
ascertain that Mr. Best and bis -associates,
or his assigns, (for these last,
are the ones you will have to dea
with by and bye),' and demand
"escrp vill they give, it up?, Thn
fondwyauimrNewlYork: Mil
lions will be involved, in the suit, and
after long and. expensive litigation
there may be: lawyers' fees, amount
ing to $25,000, to say nothirrg of
costs; .3Vby nMpinCWpfa:iri ' tNorth
Carolina iwayi deposit? that 'escrow"
in a bank in our'StaVe? Then the
Slate would bo on an t qua! footing
with the syudicate, . ; . -..
" Then, '; as'soon as " i he property
passes to tbem, they d. a strange
thing. -- They shall organize as a cor
poration j with $4,000,000 preferred
stock, and $2,250,000, or $15,000 per
mile ou the road, additional slock.
The official estimates giva $5,500,000
as the cost. " You allow them $0,000,
000 of stock, and they are not com
pelled to pay in a single dollar. W as
there ever- such . a charterr here or
anywhere? .Where will Ihey "get the
moneythe $5,500,000? "The compa
ny is not to have one 4 dollar' in th
Treasury.- This charter making them
a corporation- is to allow'thetn to .jgi
on aod do the worfc wiLrroutiuy per
sonal , responsibility upou a singlo
si6.ck.bolder, though they owe a debt
of millions.-' The honor and faith of
tha Slate are pledged to pay-the. : in
ter;e8t,r pn , the 850,000 : mortgage
bond;, and if. it is not paid the ho-
I nor of the State is'taruished
andher
credit, goue. tThey can buy hia up
atauch priaaajjey oaM.
In his opinion it lends the snoction
of the State to these men to "hear"
these bonds; to "bear" the credit of
; the State. It takes us back to a day
he hoped would never dawn again tor
North Carolina. But
what he insisted upon was tbat not
withstanding this the title to the road
f?om Salisbury to Paint Rock would
remain in the trustees. Every foot
ot the road to Dacktown is liable for
:the mortgage debt. Will not a court
of equity 6eize the property and pay
off the legal creditors? Though they
: throw up the contract the liability
remains' the same. Mr. Best's law
yers laugh in their sleeves at the dis
tinguished gentlemen who spoke last
night on this point. He ad
monished North Carolinians that
the time will come when the cor
poration will be defunct; then suit
'will be brought and that property
sold to pay the creditors. Best &
Co. will buy the property at that sale
and hold it. It is an error and a
fatal one, to say that the State is not
a party to the contract with the
mortgage bondholders, for she is.
They are in a position to take the
iproperty and cut the State out of it.
jThey will build nothing towards
Ducktown.
They need not complete the road
to Asheville until they complete it
from Faint Rock to Asheville. He
referred to the machinations of the
railroad officials, some of whom, no
'doubt, stand behind this thing. The
bill repeals all former laws in regard
to building the Ducktown road. He
warned his hearers that not one loot
would be built west of the French
Broad, nor would they hear of our
in two generations if this bill passe.
A BAILBOAD SIiiCGHTEK.
T-te Horrible Accident oo ibe W-
term North Carolina Railroad on
; Wednesday.
Raleigh Observer.
A special telegram to the Observer
yesterday gave a brief account of a
horrible accident on the Western
North Carolina Railroad, whereby
jtbree men lost their lives. Mr.
Richmond Pearson,1 who was an
eye-witness of the occurrence, reached
the city yesterday, and gave a repor
ter a full account of it. The acci
dent happened at a point about one
fourth of a mile above the now
famous "Mud-Cut," and not far from
the summit of the Blue Ridge. The
track at that place had been before
regarded as Bafe, the road-bed appear
ing to be in good condition. The
heavy and continuous rains, followed
by dry weather, caused the embank
ment to give way, fissures appearing
in several places, allowing the track
to incline to one side. The construc
tion train, consisting of an engine and
a flat car, was on its way down to Mud
Cut. . On the flat car were forty con
victs and several guards. When the
tram reached this point on the road,
at a speed of about twenty or twenty
five miles an hour, the engine went
past it safely, but the track sunk to
one side under the pressure of the
car. in a moment ine oar pitcnea
forward: and then, went over and
Over down the steep face of the em
bankment, there fifty feet in height.
As the car pitched forward one of
the guard, Jas. Bradly, of McDowell
county, was thrown under it, and cut
literally in pieces by the crushing
weight Two convicts, Collier Hill
and Claiborne Swett, j both colored,
the latter from Craved county, were
also killed instantaneously, . and hor
ribly mangled, one being, disembow
eled. Two other "convicts, Charles
King, white, of Wilmington, and Sara
Jones, colored, were dangerously
wounded, the former haying bis knee
cut oft. The other persoos on the
car were nearly . all bruised, and the
caj itself wrecked.
In rear of this construction train,
and following it, was the passenger
train. It was only two hundred yards
away wnen ine . acciaeni occurred.
The engineer stopped .it almost in a
moment, and the trembling passen
gers alighted and went to assist the
unfortunates on the wrecked car. The
passenger train could not, of course,
go beyond the break, and the passen
gers -were, compelled to, walk to
Round Knob.,
If Plato had a chance to revise his famous
definition of Man, he would describe him
as an unfeathered biped with a mono-.
mania for money-making." To Be any
body, or to accomplish Anything, nowa
days, one must begin by putting money in
his purse, .-i Hence Ibe "chief end Of (mo
dern) man," as the Catechism expresses it,
is to1 "Get Money," your own if con-vente-V
otherwise jour neighbors' and
keep it, after youv'e got it." MaUqU Far
mer & Mechanic. " ' -
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