DANBURY REPORTER
Volume LI.
DOINGS OF LEGISLATURE
DURING PAST WEEK
Gov. McLean Delivers Address and Makes Recommendations—
Members Visit State University—Many Proposed Bills Are
Introduced.
(By M. L. Shipman.
Raleigh, Jan. 26.—The outstandin
feature of the week in legislate
circles was the message of Govemc
McLean to a joint session of the A;
sembly on Wednesday in the Hall t
the House. The address was a eorr
prehensive survey of the State'
business, accompanied with import
ant and valuable recommendation
looking to the application of neede
aomedies to meet the urgent need
*>/ the hour. The Governor woul
not retard the progress of the com
monwealth in any sense, but h
wants to proceed on a "safe an
sane" basis. Enlargement of publi
institutions, to an extent that wil
enable them to keep pace with th
State's steady and solid develop
ment, meets the Governor's approval
yet lie would have all garments "cu
t> fii till' cloth."
The Governor's suggestions wer
received with the closest attention b;
thi' solons and a crowd whi.-h packet
the lolibi 's ami galleries of the Hall
Tile need for an economical minimis
tration wa> one of the points in th
nus-age which received the "glai
band." The speaker wanted tin
financial condition of the State dis
closed in >ts entirety and will hi
satisfied with nothing less. Tin
Governor covered a number of sub
jects in his address, viz: Training
in Agriculture, Health. Economy it
Administration, the Budget System
Reforms in Judicial Procedure
Freight Rates, Development o!
Water Transportation, Highways
Treatment of the Afflicted, the Par
doning Power, Blue Sky Law, Con
servation and Development, Our
Natural Resources, Industrial De
velopment. Development of Coastal
Plains, Treatment of Labor Work
men's co.m eii.-ation. Treatment of
Prisoners, The State's Prison, Com
mercial Traffic on the Highways,
Al-i-h and Oysters, etc.
The juestion "f deficit, or no de
ficit, has passed the debatable stag.-.
It is here, an-! the size is yet to b ■
determined. The most authentic in
formation available fixes th • amount,
as of June HO. 1024, at $(S,6000,00!'.
The Budget commission estimates
that a couple of millions more may
as well be added to the shortage re
ported by the Auditor. Governor
McLean insists that "all the cards
be laid on the table" so that the
General Assembly and the public
may know "the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth."
It is the Governor's purpose to get
the State's expenditures back in line
with its deficient revenues, and mem
bers of the General Assembly appear
to be in aceor with the views of the
Executive.
The proposed o.Viuillion bond bill
for the further extension of the
State's highway system was trotted
out for the inspection of both houses
on Thursday. , It was introduced in
the House by Representative Bowie,
of Ashe; in the Senate by Senator
Heath, of Union. It will not take
course of the Port Terminals
rt*asure which the voters of the
State rejoiced in November. The
Legislature is either to accept, or re
ject it. If it passes, the gasoline
tax will be increased to four cents a
gallon, and short term notes issued
to take care of expenditures for road j
purposes until the bonds are issued '
and sold. It will likely "pass mus- i
\ ter," for good roads are the subject
of general and polite conservation
with most everybody in the State
these days. So Ibng as those who
use the public highways most are
willing to pay for the privilege will |
the State risk its credit in further
extending the system.
The request of Governor McLean
for a Pardon Commissioner is to be
seriously considered. Representa
tive Womble, of Forsyth, has offer
ed a bill which would authorize the
appointment of an official to assist the
Governor in connection with ap
plications for pardons and com
mutations. He would be paid a [
salary of $4,000 a year, and llowed j
to employ a stenographer at a salary j
not exceeding $l5O a mo|th. The !
commissioner would be under the
immediate direction of the Govern-'
or, the final arbiter in all pardon
or McLean to devote his entire time
to the weightier matters of state.
instead of wearing himself out in
the consideration of petty affairs.
It is not in the mind of the Governor
to shirk any duty, but to discharge
every obligation to the best of his
ability. A capable man as Commis
sioner of Pardons, oile who could
prepare all cases in a proper way,
would relieve the Executive of no lit
tle worry and detail.
The General Assembly "took a day
off" and visited the State Univer
sity in a body on Friday to witness
the formal dedication of the new
law building:. Owing to pressing
official duties Governor McLean
could not attend and Lieutenant
Governor J. Elmer Long presented
Manning Hall to that institution,
while the acceptance speech was
made by Mr. Josephus Daniels on
behalf c.f the board of trustees.
Special scats were provided for the
wives of the legislator.- and other in
vit. d giust- who w. iv, also handed
ticket.- t-> the luncheon at New
Carolina Inn following the exercises.
Slate o:!ici.-|member:; -f t : v Su
preme Court and di:;l!n:hii.-n.' I p> i
sonagi-- front afar graced tile i.cca.--
with ii ir pro.-ene ••. |» - «
nn-nt.- at tie University wi-iv iri.cn
the "five over" by many ineasb IN
of the Lcgislatuie liurim; thi ir visit
to the Hiil and first hand information
may be helpful to soma when the ap
propriation bill comes up for con
sideration later on.
Both branches of the Assembly
were in action again on Friday even
ing, but neither had a "full house."
The third week of the session has
practically expired, with no bills
ratified except a few of routine
iharavt.'r. The fourth week will
•■tart with prospects of accomplish
nv»nt. Governor .McLean has shown
himself a man of action and makes
plain lii.-s conviction that he is not
one i;f those who is content with
"making primisis to the ear to be
broken to the hope." He finds fault
with th • State's tis.-al policy and
wants the system changed. He
stands for progress, but does not.
look with favor upon extravagance
in any form. It is his conviction
that the State is a big business in
stitution and he believes that sound
business methods and prudent busi
ness management should be applied
in the handling of its fiscal affairs.
A number of legislators were
heavy losers in a disastrous fire
which destroyed the Motor Service
Storage building near the Sir Walter
Hotel on Thursday morning, in which
more than 200 automobiles and
trucks were burned. Serving as a
member of the General Assembly
this winter will, to them be an ex
pensive experiment. Few of them
carried insurance on their cars.
These will have to take total losses
and make the best of the misfortune.
A bill by Senator Sams, of For
syth, would change the constitutional
requirement relative to the canvass
of the vo|e for Governor and other
State officers by committees of the
General Assembly. The Senator
thinks this should be attended to not
later than January Ist, before the
Legislature convenes. With the sub
mission of this amendment goes, for
the third time the proposal to in
crease the compensation of members
of the General Assembly which has
twice been rejected, the last time by
a very close margin.
Several administration measures
are "in the making" and will soon
be ready for presentation. The Gov
ernor will insist upon the budget
system of handling the affairs of all
state department, and revision in
the judicial system. The claim of
congested dockets has reached the
ear of the Executive. Whether the
Legislature is in accord with his
views on this particular proposition
remains to be ascertained. His Ex
cellency plainly indicates the desire
to evolve a plan for the expansion
of the Geological and Economic Sur
vey, as outlined in his message to
the General Assembly, rather than
the creation of an additional depart
ment for the purpose of collecting
and collating* information touching
the industrial progress of the State.
The legislative mill began to op
erate with a greater degree of regu
larity and the lobbyist is no stranger
these days around the hotel lobbies
(Continued on page 4.)
Danbury, N. C., Wednesday, Jan. 28, 1925
WHY MARCH 4 IS IN
AUGURATION DAY
Chosen By Congress Of Th«
Confederacy In New York
City—Last Session In July
1788.
How did it happen that March 4
was the date selected for the inaug
u rat Ton of the. President of thi
United States?
It came about that it was in thi
City of New York that the old "Con
press of the Confederacy" held it its
final session. It had led a peripa
tetic life, holding sessions in no less
than eight different cities and towns
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster,
Pa.; York, Pa.; Princeton, X. J. ;
Annapolis, Md.; Trenton, X. J., and
then New ork, where sessions began
in 17Sr>.
During its last session, in July,
liSS, it received official notice that
th" new Constitution, framed by a
• institutional Convention held at
Philadelphia, in 1757. had been rati
fied by tile mvessary number of
.-tales, ijnd it immediately adopted
a resolution providing th:;t the se
lection of presidential electors by
(lie various states as provided in the
new Constitution should occur en
tile "lirst Wednesday in January,
Ithat thi- electors should cast,
their Mites for President on the
"first Wednesday in February," and
that the President thus elected
. hould be inaugurated on the "lirst
Wednesday in March."
And as it happened that the "lirst
Wednesday in March" of that year
occurred on the fourth day of the
month, the date for the beginning
of the presidential term was thus
fixed for tlie historic date, the
"Fourth of March." And while it
happened that in the absence of
railway, telegraphs, long distance
telephones, wireless telegraphy anil
the radio, George Washington, seat
•'l at his comfortable horn • ;.t Mount
Vernon, Va., did not recei v o litial
notice of his election in ti.ius to
leach New \ ork by March I, and
was, in fa: t, inaugurated on -\nril
• ' . the i! ill- fixed for ihj inaugura
tion by the act of the ixpinng Cosi
er ef the Confedera- y, March I.
Il*i> alivajbeen observed as th' l
beginning of the pruideniial term.
"Curiously," says ti; ■ fi.i.le
ord of the National City Hank, which
recalls these incidents, "while the
new government with its Congress
and ( hief Kxecutive were thus es
tablished in the City of Xew York,
the actual seat of the government
only remained here for a compara
tively short time. All the sections
of the country, Xew Kngland, the
middle states and South, were re
spectively clamoring for the estab
lishment of a permanent capital,
and the matter was tinally settled in
favor of the South by a compromise
by which certain Southern members
withdrew their objections to a bill
providing that the government of
the l.nited States should assume the
52ii.000.000 of debts which the va
rious states had incurred during the
Revolutionary war, and a measure
est:;Wishing the permanent seat of
government 'on the Potomac river'
was adopted, the necessary build
ings for its occupancy to be ready
by the year ISOO, and the sessions of
Congress meantime to be held in the
City of Philadelphia.
"This establishment in the wilder
ness of a new seat of government at
a point distant from any great busi
ness center marked a new era in
capital making, and is now being
followed in Australia where the new
City of Canberra is being establish
ed as the future capital of the Com
monwealth of Australia."
NEW COURTHBILL
PRESENTED TODAY
Provides For Three Federal Ju
dicial Districts in State In
stead of Two.
Washington, Jan. 24.—Xorth Caro
lina would be divided into eastern,
western and middle judicial districts
inder a bill introduced by Senator
Overman, with terms of court pro
vided for the eastern at Raleigh,
Elizabeth City, Wilson, Washington,
New Bern and Wilmington; for mid-
He at Laurinburg, Fayetteville, Sal
isbury, Winston-Salem and Wilkes
•>oro, a> 'I for western at Charlotte,
Shelb;, itiosville. The cities of
Wilson, SHlisbury, Winston-Salem
til 1 Shelby woulii he required to
Furn-ih facilities at .heir own ex
iiens,. i'ir holding cour*.
COM. A. S. HANES
ON ROAD BONDS
Anything Less Than $35,000,-
000 Would Not Allow High
way Commission To Complett
Road System.
Winston Journal.
Anything less than a state bone
issue of thirty-five million dollars
will not allow the state highway
commission to maintain its present
standard of efficiency in the seventh
district, but would only allow the
commission to do touches here and
there, declared Alex S. Hanes, state
highway commissioner of the seven
th district, when asked Friday for a
statement on the fight that has been
launched in the general assembly for
an additional road bond issue.
When .Mr. Hanes refers to the
seventh district he means the fol
lowing counties in northwestern
North Carolina: Forsyth, Stokes,
Davie, Yadkin, Surry. Wilkes, Ashe,
Alleghany. Watauga and Caldwell.
Commissioner Hanes' staUment
follows:
"A stdte bond issue of thirty-five
million dollars will not allow the
state highway commission to hard
surface all the roads in tin- sevvnth
district, but it will enable the com
mis.-ion t• • put ail the roads with a
traffic census of tioo ears per day or
more in the hard-surfa .v
"Thirty-five million dollars di
vided among the nine highway dis
tricts in the suite would give the
-e\enth district about three million.
1 his amount divided among the ten
counties would give each county
three hundred thousand dollars,
which would allow seven miles of
hard-surface road for ea.-h countv,
including grading and bridges.
"Anything less than thirty-five
million will not allow the state high
way commission to maintain the
present standard of efficiency in the
seventh district, but would only allow
the commission to do touches here
and there.
"Thirty-five million dollars ('ivided
amory. all the counties would nutke
the amount for each county relative
ly small. To hard-surface all the
roads in the state sy.-tem. in all the
counties, would cost something over
51 •">o,ui)o,iioo in addition to the
000.000 already spent."
Stokes Would Attend
Billy Sunday Meeting*
Billy Sunday is booked for a meet
ing at Winston-Salem, to begin in
April. And this circumstance ought
to be sufficient to pull at least one
completed hard-surface section of
highway to that town.—Charlotte
Observer.
If Commissioner Hanes will tap
the capitol of Stokes with a paved
road this county will furnish it full
quota of hearers at every service. If
the meeting was in progress now
our people couldn't possibly get
there. The road has been impass
able almost.
Funeral of Mr. Styers
Held At Germanton
The funeral of John J. Styers,
who died at a hospital in Wins
ston-Sal»m at 5:30 Sunday after
noon. was conducted from the home
of Rev. E. A. Long, in Germanton at
11 o'clock Tuesday mtorning by Rev.
i" red N. Day, and interment was
made in the graveyard at that place.
Mr. Styers, who was 31 years of
age, had been a resident of Winston-
Salem for the past two years, and
had recently been connected with the
Texas Oil Company. His home was
at :JO4 Woodland avenue. The de
ceased, who was the son of the late
Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Styers, is sur
vived by one son, John Styers; two
sisters, Mrs. Sarah Long, of Ger
manton; Mrs. I*. I'. Jones, of News
terry, \a.; three brothers, N. G.
Styers, of Germanton, J. M. Styers,
ef U inston-Salem, and S. I'. Styers,
of Baltimore.
Dumb Dan in Sport
Friend: "How did you like the
basket-ball game?"
Dumb Dan: "Nothing to it. I
left after about ten minutes. There
was all them young huskies trying to
get the ball in the basket—and blame
me if any of them noticed there
wasn't a bottom in either basket."
It will soon*be time to report the
annual shortage of Easter Lillies.
1 CENT GALLON
ON GASOLINE
This Is Sufficient To Take Care
Of $35,000,000 Bonds For
Roads.
Raleigh, Jan. 22.—8i11s calling
for the issuance of $35,000,000 state
highway bonds to supplement the
$05,000,000 previously authorized
and an increase of a cent a gallon in
the gasoline tax making the total 4
cents instead of 3 were introduced
in the senate and house today.
This proposed legislation immed
iately became the principal topic of
conversation among members of
both branches, although there wis
no public comment when the bills
were introduced. The senate bill
was introduced by Senator Heath of
Monroe and the house bill by Rep
resentative Bowie of Ashe county.
Another Measure.
Another measure that was deem
ed important as it bore upon one of
the governor's recommendations in
his message to the general assembly
yesterday was that providing for
the appointment .f the pardon com
missioner. This bill was introduced
in the house by Representative
W omble of l"oi>yth. It was the lirst
bill introduced as the result of the
governor's message and created no
especial comment, as was expected
within a f. w days. '
The introduction of highway bond
bills h:'.d iii.; been delinit'ly forecast.
Early in the session Representative
Bowie declared that he favored the
issuance of 535.000.000 bonds to
complete the state highway system.
He was one of the fathers of tln
state highway bill introduced and
passed at the U2l session when an
initial appropriation of $50,000,000
was voted. Then in 1H23 § 15,000,000
was added. The passage of the
measures now before the senate and
house would bring the grand total
up to $100,000.00(1.
Asked upon what grounds he in
tromit e;! hi.- measure today Repre
sentative n*.iw; j replied following
adjournment of the house:
"»e I ' lie. .. th ■ people
want it. i ve they want the
ore-er.t system completed and this
is tin only way t.. (in it satisfactory.
1 shall support the measure with ail
the vigor 1 possess and 1 believe it
is going to pass."
Secretary Everett was asked this
afternoon if he could give an es
timate as to how much additional
revenue the proposed revenue of a
cent a gallon on gasoline would
yield annually. He replied, that ..tr
hand he would say $1,250,000.
The house roads committee it was
stated this afternoon will hold a
hearing on the Bowie measure next
Thursday.
"Collapse" of Top Soil
One hears much these days about
the "collapse" of the top-soil roads.
They arc "failures" declare some of
the "experts," who take into consid
eration only a few weeks of discom
fort caused by unusual weather con
ditions.
Some sections of topsoil roads
ivhere the traffic is excessive have bo
nne almost impassable during the
recent rains, which were mixed
with a few freezes that also hinder
ed dragging and drainage. This is
but temporary and with the advent
of a few days of sunshine and the
operation of road drags the trouble
should be largely forgotten until next
winter.
A top-soil road is not as good as a
hard road, but under all conditions it
is a long shot ahead of the unim
proved road. Maintenance is the all
important thing about a soil road,
and when weather conditions stop
maintenance the road fares badly for
* while. But there is no other type
r>f road that '.vsponds so quickly to
maintenance does the topsoil
road.
Last January we heard little
ibo lit top-soil road troubles; but
January li>2s ha- >o far been a
lumdinger and nothing short of con
crete or asphalt will resist it fullv
Ex.
Two Cynics Talk
"She's a woman who has the
•ourage of her convictions."
08 «nd she stands up for her
msband."
Hell he s one of her convic
:ions."
"Or should we say—one of her
i-ictims?"
No. 2,755
MAN AND CAR
SEIZED THIS WEEK
Isom Owens Gives Bond For
S3OO After Being Captured
With Two Gallons of Whis
key.
Isom Owens was captured in the
Smithtown section Saturday by of
ficers F. L. Flinehum and W. H.
Ashhurn and when two gallons of
whiskey was found in his car it was
seized. A hearing was given owens
before U. S. Commissioner N. A.
Martin and his bond was fixed at
S3OO, which he furnished on Monday.
When the officers came up on the car
—a Ford roadster another man
with Owens made his escape.
Owens will be tried in Federal
court at Greensboro at the June
term.
M'LEAN OPPOSES
§35,000,000 BONDS
\ x > ill Appear Before General
Assembly Next Week and
Make Recommendations.
Raleigh, Jan. 21.—Governor Mc
-1.-•:!! will probably appear before
th general assembly next week with
a «li"inite recommendation as to the
ar.icui' : the state- should issue in new
bonds and, it i. authorita
-1 anivd, he will express oppo
sition to the proposed sum of
(MfO.OiUt. The exact amount the ex
ecutive will recommend for contin
uing the highway construction pro
gram has not been indicated directly
or indirectly.
Mr. McLean himself authorized
the statement that he probably
would appear before the assembly
next week with a definite recommen
dation concerning road financing.
It is gecrally understood in legisla
tive iirk\s that the budget commis
si> will submit it* report about the
tn:dff!e jf the we k, and that the
state board of as.-.i'.'sments will fol
low with its rev.nuc bill.
130 AUTOS AND 11
HORSES BURNED
In Addition Much Valuable Au
tomobile Equipment De
stroyed In Raleigh.
Raleigh, X. C„ Jan. 22.—One hun
dred and thirty automobiles, eleven
horses and considerable valuable
automobile equipment was destroyed
by fire here early today when the
Raleigh Transfer Company's build
ing was completely destroyed and
the Raleigh Cornice and Reeding
Company's plant adjacent badly
damaged. The second floor of the
transfer company's building was
occupied by Motor Service Branch
where all of the automobiles
are repaired.
I.e.i l'errin Goler, manager of the
ino!f r service company, and \Y. R.
f the transfer company, es
tima*t  1 that the total loss would
run !>(•• ween $22.">,00U and $2.">0.00U,
partially covered by insurance.
NEW GOVERNOR
IS CONSERVATIVE
Wants Highway Program Con
tinued But Advises Caution
In Marketing Bonds.
Governor McLean had the follow
ing to say on the continuation of the
highway construction in his message
lo the legislature last week:
"As stated in my inaugural. I
favor the continuation of highway
construction until the entire system
is completed. 1 am convinced that
our highways are such a necessity
that we cannot afford to wit hold
reasonable annual appropriations
therefor. The only serious question
now i ndented is what funds for ad
ditional construction can be provided
by long term bonds, and this depends,
under the conditions now existing,
i'n our ability to market such bonds
upon a reasonable and safe basis.
I shall, within a very short time,
give this phase of the situation the
most careful consideration and make
such recommendations as in my
judgment will be for the best inter
ests of the state. My natural in
clination is to be as liberal as the
general credit situation of the state
will justify.
'V 1