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. .. "1 ct la tbc Standard" baHdicz, East side of Fjrttejll! Street. MAKCUH ERVIT, . LEWIS IIAiTCS, Editor. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14,. 1871. The editor op The Sentinel, has achieved tho grandest triumph of an cient or modern times ho ; has, at length, learned to know himself. In bis paper of 3Ibndayhe characterizes certain gentlemen as "republican scala wags" This Is an admission that there are democratic as well as republican scalawags. And we are obliged to as sume that the editor finds the demon strative proof ofit in his own character and his own paper. That all parties will agree with him in this opinion there can be but little doubt. Vie con gratulate the editor that he has at last found his true level and proclaimed it to the world, ilereafter he will be known as the rmxcE of democratic fcaeawags. and 77 i e Sentinel as the great scalaway paper. The Asiievieee Pioneer takes ground against general amnesty. This .we regret, sis we had hoped the Repub lican party of North Carolina would be unanimously in favor of it. The Keu bernJDaily Times, while sympathizing with The Pioneer InMs reasons oppo sition to tho Ku Klux thinks the time for amnesty has -come. It is for proclaiming general amnesty and leav ing the enemies of the law to the ten der mercies of the Courts. In this view wo most heartily concur. Let the gov ernment remove all causes of complaint that can serve as an axcuse, and then enforce tho laws with a just rigor in the Interest of peace. This is the true pol icy, and we rejoiced to see that the President has recommended it in his message. The Sentinel claims that the Repub licans arc unanimous in their denunci ation of it for having exposed the gi gantic frauds of 1SGS-C9. It is still anx ious to be considered a martyr in the cause of purity and honesty. - But that game is played out. There are thous ands of Republicans who are as anxious to see frauds exposed as the The Sentinel Is, no matter what party may suffer, and T7ie Sentinel very well knows it. They not only donot denounce The Sentinel for . exposing fraud, but they give it all due credit for what it did in that particular. It is! true that they denounce it for Its bitterness, its malig nity, its gross personalities," "its inde cencies, and for having palliated the crimes of the Ku Klux Judgt) Battle said before the Outrage Committee it didthereby giving them aid and com fort."" ' ' " ' " : , Tin: President's Messaue In full will be found in this issue ofTiiEERA. , It has generally been well received by ' the Republican press of the country. Tort ions of it have been criticised, but, upon the whole, it Is pronounced satis factory by all. T7ie Xtw York Tribune, nn nnti-iraiit iacr, finds much more in it to approve than condemn, and -ays that it will be approved a large majority of the American people. 77f Alton y Journal, one of the! :d!ot and most Influential Repub- HauAwpers in the nation, says of it: The I Resident's mowige will strength fii his frieuds and confound- his ndver furies. 1 1 extorts approval and disarms cTitic&in. In every lineament it bears the stronir. marked, vigorous features of Its clear-bended author. Not ela borate in miionincr or pretensions in ntvle, it is crisp, direct, robust and sen jsible. Without aiming at brilliant show or dazzlinir iKilicies. it is fertile ia suggestion, liberal in spirit, sound in urincinle and broad, practical and t A - Kagacious In its general views. From its manly and straightforward tone, the conntrv will derive new confidence in the wiwloni and fidelity of the Presi dent. It furnishes fresh evidence that he is true to the will of the people and that'he honestly seeks what Is plainly right. In its public character it will add to tho cne of security which the mil Ion rla with General Grant at the helm, and will supply another proof or nis iaumui cievonon iu me u.-, lic sentiment. In Its political effect, it will ppike the guns of his critics and adversaries." ' . 1 The Pnblic Printing. The joint Committee of the Legisla ture, to investigate the accounts of the Public Printer reported on Saturday. Oir Monday a wry ehborate and able minority report was presented by Mr. Justice and Gen. Hawkins. For this report Messrs. Justice and Hawkins arc entitled to, and will receive tho thanks of all tho honest people of North Carolina. It presents the case fully and fairly, as shown by the testimony taken before the Committee. "It will convince every candid and impartial mind that a fraud to the amount of several thousand dollars has been ier pstrated upon the State Treasury by same one. And while the majority acquits the parties In -interest of the charge of intentional . fraud, it contradicts in no material fact in that of the minority. : In fact both reports fully hustain The Era In everything i t has said in relation to . tho matter. Both reports will be found. In this issue, and we Intend to publish the testimony as soon as we can find room for It. ti.p nrpscnt wo sliall content WAf m vtu nskin- ' tlio reader to ' rtudTbot!. rcrtsclosclynd py j tKit. nffhi - ttiutonfy. lnour next we we fnmpayonrn-- nSrfilVe I tSOJSiS ZcoZnc A thill pay oar respecwio uio ma. ; The Connojj Schools.? j The duties which, the present General Assembly must meet or decline, are of higher Interest and of graver Import than ordinarily fall to the lot of Legis lative Assemblies. The public debt; the public charities, and the public schools, all present strong claims; each, peculiar claims. Higher demandsliaye never been made upon the statesman ship and patriotism of the day than are now made. 'No disparagement is in tended when it is asserted, that howev er great other interests may be, the ed ucational Interests of the State are first. If the present General Assembly should do nothing more than inaugurate a wise and efficient system of free schools, It would creato a memorial for itself which would be imperishable. I ) The principle of free schools' is so well settled and fortified, by the ex periments of the most enlightened communities of Europe and -of this country, that Jt cannot now be ques tioned or doubted. There are, howev er, many honest and intelligent men, who are opposed to supporting free schools by taxation, on the ground that it is agrarian In tendency, and unjust In principle. -They are therefore op posed not only to the present system, but to any that could be devised upon itmlviuta nf -rat Inn. Tr. is timnPT to consider the system upon its own mey - its, nnd to weigh fairly the arguments in support of it, and the objections which may be urged against it. j . The character of a State depends upon the. individuals who compose it. The idea of a great and prosperous State can only be predicated upon the idea of an honest, Intelligent and enlightened peo ple. We are so much the creatures of outward Influences so formed and moulded by the education which we receive, that if wo knew what would be done for education in the State dur ing the next half century, we could predict what the State itself would be come at the end of that time. If (education is to be promoted, if a wise and efficient system of. Public In struction is to be built up and main . : i tained, so that the moral and intellect- 1 . . ual powers of the children and youth of tho State may be developed and edi or the btate may oe ae eiopeci ana ea ucated ; then we may predict that the and that it will be composed of intcllij trrnt vlrtnniis ' rrlnratpd mpn find wo- b"-"-"t 1 I men. If, however, education is to be neglected, except so far as individual enterprise may sustain it, then we can look forward to no such cheering pros4 pect. Instead of -an educated, indus-s trious, thrifty population, proud of their State, proud of their educational institutions, we could foresee a large and not denied, that education is a vi tal, controlling element in the civiliza tion and prosTCSs of the age in which w. we live. It cannot oe negieciea wiin- out disaster to the nearest and dearest dependent on public or private chari- i ii.. .... ... public and private Interests. , It will not be safe to leave so vital a nubile interest to private enterprise. This, it is true, has accomplished, and f may yet accomplish a great work j in ! , , ' : education. But it is uncertain and al together inadequate. Public aid is es-j scntial. AU parents , do not compre hend their obligations to educate their. UlUUIUi) UUU .a i ucv nuuuu) tui: in many aises, unable to meet them.' The duty of educating children devolves upon parents, in company with so many other duties that they are rarely able to discharge it. In cases where from five to ten ciiiiaren are to oe iea, cioin- ed and educated at the same timej many parents are compelled to neglect the last named duty, for the simple reason, that they are unable to meet it. If free schools should be supported by taxation, the burden of educating; children would-be taken away from the most burdened parts, and distribu ted over tho entire life-time of parents. This wouldenablo them in many cases to educate their children, when other wise they could not. When it is objected that an efficient system of Public Instruction is costly, the answer is, that it is more costsly to do without it.' Education costs less than ignorance, pauperism and crime. Schools and colleges cost less than Criminal Courts, jails and poor houses. Statis tics show tliat new inventions and skilled labor are in proportion to the number , and character of schools and colleges the world over. Criminal Re cords, on the other hand, show that cririie is in proportion to ignorance. It might be inferred, that the culti vation and development of the Intel- lectual and mora powers, tend to the subordination and control of the sensu al parts of our nature, In which vice and crime have their source and ali ment. But we are not left to specula tion upon this matter. Facts are be fore us. Who are the men and women that people our jails, throng our crimi nal Courts and fill our poor houses? Do they come from the ranks of the educated, or from the masses of the ig- noran t ? Our own observation answers the question, but let us recur to statis-1 tics upon this point. "Out of 252,541 persons committed for crime in England and ales, dur ing a scries of years, 22900, or more than 90 per cent, are reported as uned ucated ; either entirely unable to read and write, or able to do so very imper- engaged in agricultural and mechani fectly ; 22,150 could read and write but cal pursuits. Much has been said and not fluently: and only 10S5 less than written about improvement in these one half f per cent of the whole) were what we call educated persons. ." "In nine consecutive years, begin- ninsr with the year 1837, only 23 educa-1 ted females were brought to the bar of ftimin.,1 justi In EnSlandand Wate, .,f r fi rw,nnia UvrirxTtn nf f 7 (T7?t Kin fprniilr then living in that part of the United Kingdom : and in thVyear 1841f out cTthe same popu-1 4i,af rf Anh TTnUrf iriniMom anrl latlon, not one educated .fcBiald . VvSS committed for trial ; -J " "In a special commission held In 1842 to try those who; had been guilty of rioting and disturbance in the manu facturing districts, but of 667 thus tried 154 could neither ' read nor write, 155 could read only, 184 could read and write imperfectly, 73 could read and write "well, and only one had recei ved superior instruction. l - ' 4Jn 1840, . In 20 counties of England and Wales, with a population of 8,724,- 338, there were convicted of crime only . " ... 59 educated persons, or one for every 147,870 inhabitants. In 32 other coun ties,' with a population of 7,182,491, the records furnished not one convict who had received more than the merest ele ments of instruction. ",v "In 184f In 15 English counties with a population of 9,509,004, there were convicted only 74 instructed persons, or one to every 129,311 Inhabitants, while the 25 remaining counties and the whole of Wales, with a population of 7,342.601, did not furnish one single conviction of a person who had received more than the mere elements of educa tion. " In 1845, oxt of a total of 59,123 per sons taken into custody, 15,203 could neither read nor write, 39,059 could barely read, and could write very im- 1 jA Inthe four best taught counties of England, the number of schools being one for every 700 inhabitants, the num of criminal convictions was one a year for every 1,108 inhabitants. In the four worst taught counties, the number of schools being one for every 1,501 in habitants, the number of convictions was one for every 550 inhabitants. That is, in one et of counties, the people were about twice as well educated as in the other, and one half as much addict- ed to crime, in otner woras, in pro portion as tho people" were educated, they were free from crime. ' Thrift : and good morals usually keep pace with the spread of intelli gence among the people. This has been the result in all those countries of Europe where good schools are main I ixiiucvi, vs iu uciaiiu. iiuinniiMirutcw, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and most I -A o, s m tained, as In Iceland, Norway, Sweden, onneiermanuues. raupensra.wnn its attendant evils and crimes, is almost unkll0wn in these countries; while in Eneland. where the common peOpleare testant nation in the world, pauperism has become an evil which her wisest statemen have given upas unmanagea ble. In 1848, in addition to hundreds of persons assisted by charitable indi viduals, no less than 1,8 ,. paupers were relieved by the boards of guar dians of the poor, at an expense from the purse of nearly thirty millions of dollars. That is about one-eicrhth of the entire population were paupers." It is stated In an article in The North American Review, for July 1809, that England supports not less than one twentieth of. her entire population as paupers; and that not less than one tenth of her population are so near the II, J ? A II A. XI. uounuaries oi pauperism, mai mey ure ties for a parr of their living every year ; and that one fourth of the entire Enerlish people are at some period of their lives dependent for subsistence . " upon public or private charity. The statistics of our own country point the same way. We will only add here, those furnished by our own State Penitentiary. We had the honor to re ceive, a few days ago, a statement from Deputy Warden, Everard Hall, from which it appears, that of the 38U per sons, who were prisoners, at any time during the year ending Nov. 1st, 1871, 204 could neither read nor write, C2 could barely read. 59 could read and write, only 4. had received a liberal education. Thus it appears that every 'where, there is an established relation between ignorance, pauperism and crime. We think thatthe statistics, which we have eriven. furnish a complete an- swerito the objection, that the system of free schools is agrarian in tendency, and "therefore wrong in principle. When it is said that it is wrongr to tax A's property to educate B's children, we -answer, that A's property must be taxed to support Criminal Courts, prisons and poor houses. It has been ascertained by a great number of ex periments, that, if free schools are sup ported by taxation, taxes for other pur poses will be lessened by an amount greater than the amount necessary to support the.free schools. So that school taxes, in the long run, add nothing to the public burdens, but rather : lessen them. It is therefore to As advantage to pay taxes to educate BV children, because he is thereby relieved of . pay ing a larger tax for other purposes. The tax payer will also understand that free schools directly enhance the value of his property, by affording to all the means of edification. A good school house will add to the value of all the land in its neighborhood. Free schools remotely enhance the value of property, by strengthening its security. It is not denied, that the property hol der should pav for the security of his property. Neither can it be denied, that the safest and cheapest security is fopnd in the intelligence and virture.of the people, lie is short signtea; to say the least of it.; who hesitates to pay V 1 s A f?Jl taxes lor tne support oiagoou asu 111 of free schools. There is another view of this subjecrt. The, larger -part of our population are great branches of industry. There can be no permanent improvement nere. unless the foundations for it are laid in a wise system of public; schools. ISO the one can have a higher respect for fmne and mechanics of the county th writer of this article: and his f than the writer of this article: and his j x kfatement will be oroperly interpreted f statement will be properly interpreted when hesays, that these pursuits must I bd Qlevfttefl, by being placed in "the. hands of the educated, before there can be any. decided I permanent improve ment;, It is net taxation but ignorance that sits like an incubus upon the prosh perity of the State. When the time comes, as we trust it will, at no distant day, in which the farmers arid mechanics- will take their "plaecs among' the educated classes, we will no longer see the .educated young1, men of-the. State starving in the lirried professions. They will engage in the noble pursuits of agriculture and the mechanic arts, where they may become valuable citi zens and ornaments to the society in which they live. ., The human mind is attracted to respectability, as the needle to the pole. Under; a wise system of free schools, not.only the farmers and mechanics, but the laboring classes generally will be educated. When they are educated they will become more respectable ; their pursuits will be ele vated. honored . and souerht. When the young men pf the country are edu cated ror tne larm ana iqr tne worK shop, they : will look forward to these pursuits with pride and with pleasure. Then permanent prosperity will begin. We may then look forward with con fidence to permament improvement in all of our creat industrial pursuits. If we are to-vait for a prosperous time to tearin a system of education, that time will never come. Individually arid collectively we will grope our way in the dark, and become poorer and poor er every year. So long, as we neglect public education , we neglect the only means within our reach of securing per- manent prosperity. Immigration, has been regarded as one of the means by which the State may be relieved.! Such immigrants as we would desire,1 are men and women who have been brought up under the Inlluences or tree schools, ana unaer- siana me au vantages oi lueui. oum a . Z - .1 :a xi tn t persons will not generally be will ing to select for their homes a State in which these andvantages cannot be en joyed. A good system of public instruction may be costly in One sense, but it is eco- i . . . - .4 T . . . nomical in another. It dries up eniirppa nf lunnpnsm unrl crime: the sources of pauperism and crime: ban ishes vice and immorality; beautifies the earth ; makes: home attractive ; in duces immigration ; gives energy to la bor, and - increases the capital and re sources of the StateC" It has also been ascertained that edu cation under a soodv system of free schools does not cost more than a third or a fourth as much as the same educa- f i'n in o nriirota cnVirvrvl A Vioffoi- rlia. cipline can be maintained, a-sounder moralitv inculcated, more manliness of character developed, ana a more tnor- ough scholarship secured under a well regulated and projperjy conducted sys tem of free schools. "1 There isa reminiscence of our colonial history, which strikingly illustrates the advantages, of an effective system of xiiKl? inoffiivf inii ! Tr 1H7rt f ho TT'nnrlieh In lGTOtheEnglish dressed a series of questions to the gov ernors of the different colonies, and en quiries were made in reference to free schools in the colonies. The answers of only two of the governors have been preserved. The G overnor of Connecti cut answered: Wej apply one-fourth of the entire revenues of the colony to the support of free schools, for the educa tion of our children. The Governor of Vinrinia replied;: I thank God we have no free schools, and trust we shall have none for the next hundred years. The policies indicated in the answers of these two Governors were closely ad hered to, and pursued, in their respec tive colonies and States for two . hun dred years; and he results are now be fore the world. j The Connecticut Governor was at the head of a colony Which possessed few natural advantages. The climate was bleak ; the soil was not fertile. But t he energies of mind, awakened by the sys tem of public schools, overcame these barriers of nature, and Connecticut to- day after having sent her school mas- ters and skilled mechanics all over the continent, is the home of an intelligent, industrious, thrifty and enlightened population.. Theuovernoroi virgmia,on tne other hand, was at the head of a colony which possessed great natural advantages a mild climate ; a son 01 unsurpassea ler- tilitv: fine harbors and' navigable streams, and mineral resources of great value. But with all these aavantages, that policy was wanting which alone can command success. Mind was not sufficiently cultivated and developed. It is true, the few were educated, but the masses were left in ignorance, and what was the result? Bv the census tables qf 1860 we find that the average cash value of land was not quite $12 an acre in Virginia, while it was over $3G an acre in Connecticut ; that Virginia sustained only five in habitants to every; nunarea acres 01 land, while Connecticut sustained 18 inhabitants to every hundred acres of land ; that all the property in Virginia would have averaged $49G to every in habitant, while all the property in Con necticut would have averaged $965 to every inhabitant. (io one can aouoi that this result was due to the wise and efficient system of public schools con stantly maintained in Connecticut. Without her schools Connecticut couia not have keot pace, m general prosper ity and wealth, with the proud mother of Statesmen and of States., But Virginia herself has discovered the mistake which she made in not fostering a judicious system of public schools. Many of her greatest States men advised it. Thomas Jefferson is said to have devised and recommended a scheme of public free schools for the State, but it was never carried into ef fect. About two years ago a system of free schools was established which if properly iosi?rea ana carneu ou wiu secure, w virgium,iu .iwi ui time, what she has lost by her former neglect. i Our own State has had a sj'stem of free schools for about 30 years. There may be differences of opinion as tothe efficiency of the system employed.' It. may or may not have been the wisest and best that could 4 been devised. If there are defects, those defects should ho rompfliwL . The future should taka 1 uu.au lessons from the nast. But the State cannot afford to abandon the system itself. . The State needs educated labor, Ltbor saving machinery, new applian ces ana new mventiQns, to aeveiope her unrivalled . resources of mineral gSSS,-; V n 1 -, 9 - m. r n . Educated mind exhibits itself in L the form of railroads and; telegraph Educated mind exhibits itself in lines, steam engins, cotton gins, sew- ing.machines, reapers and mowers aU over . the country. The single Inven- tion of Eli Whitley has nearly doubled Uhe value of every acre 'of cotton land upon ioe conunenr. -xub siugits mvcu- people tne rig nioi peiinuu. op tion of Watt has more than- donbled - , iitnng m for an investiga- the productive power of the labor of the world. V The application of science -to industrial Pursuits Is every day wit nessed. Gas makinff. soap making, bleaching: dying; the reduction of met als from their ores are all dependent Unori a knowledsre' of - Chemistry. Ag riculture- the noblest of all the arts, is larWl v dependent upon a knowledge of Botany : and ; Chemistry., indeed, mr H a .. -a what the application or steam nasuone fnr thA r,rrtAnrtivA nower of labor! the m 1 - A ? AT A. ofnir RniAnra mnv dn for the pro- dnrtivA:.nowera of the soil.1 In the midst ,.of this progress, tnis career, oi t- r c,Ahra Knf oien fboiliflM fnr hitrhpr prinrcition. To firivel up the educational interests oi tne btate would be a virtual ananqonment oi au hope for the future prosperity and wel- are oi tne estate. : , - I have just received a letter from an intelligent gentleman in the Western part of tne Btate, wnonas oeen con nected with hisrh oflicial and educa ZTCCieU Willi Ulgu Jliia.i uuu tuuv- tional interests, for a quarter of a .cen- turv. I trust he will pardon the pub lication of an extract from it, as it pre sents, to some extent, a representative II. . 1 A. x - l ? L ! A. view oi tne suuiect oi wiiiun ii trtaius " Under the administration of Mr Wiley I was connected to some extent Til 11 ! 1 f il 1 1 n-mm-iM with this branch of the public service, auu ueuuue urwuuuuiv uhcdicu a J T v.ol AHiuiS-r "" conuuiou ui imugs' lue juvgnuumo must be different. But under all the expulsion in; the History oi our legism circumstances the experiment will lei tivo bodies, the conduct of the member made, 'inere can oe no ooudi put inai "Z make the gtar of mind shine, whereso- ever the God of nature has planted it. "As to the African race the results are doubtful : but in this are of the world, the experiment mnst be tried in oood faith. .-.'-While I think that no sys tem of instruction, will ever lift the African to the higher spheres of educa- , s.-ltl Yl XrZr -vT JUw tc - mrnti w:th the demands of I lilt? ACOUAIO OllUUiU lKJ MSJ christian civilization, the error will not be ours." I will venture the suggestion, that the indifference and opposition, which have been manifestea in many places in regard to free schools, are due to the defects of the system, and not to the svstem itself. The tax payer is unwil- lfng to pay taxes to support schools, to which he cannot afford to send his chil dren. That is all. If ho could educate his children free of tuition, then he would cheerfully pay the school tax, whatever it might be. Under the pres ent system, at least under the present management of it, he must pay the school tax, and then pay for the educa tion of his children or allow them to grow up uneducated, i , While the necessity of a system of free schools can no - longer be doubted, yet the highest Legislative -wisdom is essential to the success or the system. It is ; believed : that the present system does i not accomplish as much ' as the money which is used might do, if it were properly expended. A school is frequently taught only one month in a place, u our schools or a month's time each, are taught in four different dis- tricts of a township often by a teacher unfit for his work. Parents believing that their ennaren cannot oe oenenrxea by such schools, neglect to send them. The teacher often has not more than four of five scholars : yet at the end of the month he draws his pay, upon the certificate of the school Committee. If a liberal State fund, could be com bined properly with individual enter- priso, it v might be made to accomplish far better results, than can be expected under the present distribution into small parcels. A mechanical force, which might be. effective if properly concentrated, may be so distributed as to produce no perceptible enect. oo a large school fund may be be so distrib uted into small parcels, that it will merely be wasted, in small parcels. I would also suggest that. some pro vision be made lor educating teachers. There can be no success in any system of education, without competent teach era.- The school can never be better than the teacher; as is the teacher, so will the school be. - The teacher is the great central force : of; the educational svstem. It revolves around him. He gives it its light and its life. If he lails, it must tail. Any system oi Pub lic. Instruction which neglects . to de velop teaching forces, must be inher ently and radically wrons, and must eventually mil. of Public Instruction, in Prussia, the . . . I most successful, perhaps, which has ev er been witnessed in any country, were laid near the beginning of the present century, when Prussia- was wasted by wars of the First. Napoleon. Those foundations were well laid. The pres ent gigantic greatness of Prussia has grown upon them, mat system began with the teacher., It developed the teacher, and the teacher developed the schools. The profession of teaching was made honorable. It was guarded and protected with so .much care that incompetence and un worthiness rarely found their way to it. " 44 To make it professional, and to give it high tone as such, tests were adopted to ascertain the natural aptitudes of candidates for ! this . profession, without which the widest range . of scholarship rrfay be comparatively valueless. Each student i was required to verify his ability to make instructions given available for the uses intended, . any failure to do which usually put an end to further preparation for an office the individual was not likly to - fill acceptably. It should "not be omitted that any dis creditable conduct, any discoverable tendency to moral delinquencies ; any thing but the tone and practice of a christian gentleman, was, in itself, a uisqpumuauou '"nuuuurpr and environed by the combined watch fulness of state, church, and people." It i3 not orooosed or exnected: that in our weak and impoverished condi tion as a State, we shall attempt all that Prussia attempted ' and accom plished in a similarly impoverished condition. It is only proposed that we begin right, and that we begin-liberally. A withholding here and now can tend only to poverty. An educational scheme wisely framed and adapted to the end for which it is designed, will command the mind and the heart or the State, If v n the scheme is well devised and well ex- ecuted, the people vill endorse it, and. sustain it. Our, poverty "may compel us to neglect many things that should not be neglected. Our public ; works, Internal improvements,the public debts, and even the public charities, may suf fer; but if we are vise for ourselves and for the futdre of the States, we will not for the futdre of the Stal cJion, - . -v W on t investigate. - :. Tj Dresent Gerifcral Assembly has V. f Ul H ipnqofthe denied to a portion of the citizens of the State the most sacred of all ngnts xo tion into certain era ve charges against certain members, to the end max saiu members ; might be expelled ; if the charges proved to be true, liavo been rejected, both by the Senate and the TTonse The arounds upon which said petitions were rejected were stated to ho that. ther i were personal in their , . , rtclfi to mpmbers of character and insulting to memoen w the bodv. The Houses, It was saia, 1 wor-'lvinnrl to nrotect their members frntn lnsni- iiv those who claimed to im fA nrnvfl that the real cause was UOl m'in q: fhnv were -opposed to raakinf, the investigation asked lor, . . . r . . . . haan aalrod fnr n the most tSWU kL iiavL uvvuiwuvu r foradal and respectful manner. . . - On Monday, Mr. Justice, of Buther ford. called the attention of the House of Representatives to the charges being; i - . . . ks rr VA made against ; certain members or oe- longing to the infamous and insurrec tionary organization, known as tho In visible Empire, or White Brotherhood, otherwise called the iu liiux ivian. tto inimdnotnl n. resolution to raise a i0int committee to investigate the said TTia tho trai-il ronrse in l i;iiiiijicn. c,i. Tn Almost all the cases of uw ------- which Jead f0 his expulsion has been brought to the attention of the body by some member on its floor, if not by the accused member himself. ; Such was the course in Wilkes' ease, in England, and in some recent cases In the Ameri can Congress. There could be no rea sons urgedagainst the investigation pro- Yosed bv Mr. Justice, except the deter- minaiion Vf the House not to Investigate j under any circumstances. When the resolution came up for Con sideration in the House, Mr. Dunham, Democrat, moved to amend by insert ing the words, "LKyal .Leagues ana other political : societies."- This was a tran set to catch the Republicans. . It i was, doubtless, believed that the Re publican members would all vote ae-ainsfc this amendment, and thus the o ; . , - Democrats would have an excuse to refuse to make the investigation. But if such hopes were entertained they were sorely disappointed. The Repub licans, without a single exception, voted for Mr. Dunham's amendment. Here, then, was a resolution perfectly. impartial " proposing an investigation into ; the conduct of ; members of each political party in the House, to the end that if any were proved to the satisfaction of the House to be members of a secret and j 'unlawful, political society of any kind, they j ht bo expelled. The Repub- liean members marched square up, they did not shirk the proposed investiga- tion into their own conduct, nor seek to evade it in any way. But not so with the Democratic r members. ; The resolution was laid upon the table by a vote of 46 to 43, in the House,two-fifths of whose members are Democrats. Every Republican voted for the resolu- tion, as amended by Mr. Dunham Here is the milk in the cocoanut. A majority of the members have deter mined that , no investigation shall be made into these charges. They have refused to say that unworthy members shall be expelled, if. shown to be un worthy. And they have likewise re fused an investigation which was nec essary to the vindication of their fellow members from-charges of the most damaging character. Why all this? No intelligent man can fail to see the reason. Whether there be any justifia ble grounds for the charges against any members ?f either House will appear by reaaing the communication oi our correspondent " C," in another column. Set Free. We learri fror.i The Asheville Lina rri j-mj 1 woa HtuhainrAl - ifvi. Term. kins, colored, --was discharged from Ban- combe county jail, having been confined twenty-three months on a charge of burgla ry., ins case was cauea at nearly, every; term of the court since his arrest, but owing to the absence of witneses was continued from term to term, until last June, -when he was tried, convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary for three years. His coun sel took an appeal to tho Supreme Court, and there the matter rested until the Judge saw proper to order his . release. . Harvey has been a costly prisoner : many such would bankrupt tho country. , A New Oollectob. a dispatch frctn Washington, D. CM to. The Carolinian,- says the Commissioner of Internal Revenue has recommended to the President, the appoint ment of Dr. J. J. Mott, to be Collector of the 6 th District of .this SUite, vice S. If . Wiley, resiirnnd. 1. ! - " ' . Dr. Mott ia a fire-tried Ilepuhlican. "' He is a man of high character. He has execu tive ability requisite for the position. His appointment will meet the approval of the party throughout the ith District. ; . - : : Mr. Wiley is the oldest revenue officer in the South. He has been a faithful, honest officer, and we regret to part with him. Congressional Committees. The mem- oers oi congress irom tnistate. are ar ranged in the Committees as follows : Elec tions, C; K. Thomas ; Pacific Railroad; J. C; Harper ; Revolutionary Pensions. .and War of 1812, C Xu Cobb y Mines and Min ing, F.E. ShoberFreedman's Affairs, C. L. Cobb, (Chairman ;) Itevision pf Laws of the U. S. J. M; Leach ; Expenditures of ! Post Office Department, V E. Shober ; In surrectionary States, A. M. Waddell. , ; ' -i- Judge Nelson, of Tennessee, .has re signed his seat Ion the." Supreme Court ! Bench, and is succeeded by Thomas Shields,a distinguished;" lawyer; of the same section. t-: '; . : :r- -' ' - .. v ;. :-- It was jtf.Ii. McCorkle, Er;q.t of Ca tawba county, who si gnod the petition to remove Judge Logan, aiid not J. M; j McCorkle, Esq., the Reporter. . . :- ; - iliijoritj Report f ; Of the Joint Committee fqf the JsgMa ; tare to investigate the accounts of- the . . State Printer. .i'-j-' " ":l " ' Mr. Jones, of Caldwell, tdbmitttd. tli . following majority report from the Special Committee to inteetigate ?the alleged . frauds by the public printerj - , , " The Special Committee of. the Senate " and IIoa.e,oi"Rcpresentan7.; to who.u iwas referred a Joint resolution ol the Gen eral - Assembly, ratified the , .day t NovemlKjr. 1871, respectfully submit tht ir report with the evidence taken, fjr the consideration and action of the General Assembly. fc ? ' -1 V . ; The rpsoxfClnittmatrrTrhicl Lcittee acted, required a report - j ; 1st. . What was the contract with tho public printer ? : i 2d. Has such contract been riolatcd ! 3d. If violated, by whom! ! 4th. Amount pt funds im pro perlydravn from the.Treasurr, for the public printing. ; In answer, to the first inquiry rntde by the resolution, the Commit: ce respectfully " refer the General Assembly to the original contract feigned ty J nines II. Moore; pub lic printer, and by the Legitlatire Com mi ttee, which o-mtmct is hereby .anaezcil. Your Committee, in order to answ'cr the other inquiries of the resolution; proceeded to summon and examine a large nambor of witnesses, and after thorough examina tion and mature consideration of the evi dence, are ot opinion that tliej contract, n explained by Mr. Moore to the Committee at the time the fame was under considera tion, has not been' violated,- and that iu funds have leen improperly drawn irom tho Treasury by the Public Printer, or any one connected therewith. . j . . 1 j Your Committee, with the permission of the General Assembly, will! submit for consideration a brief synopsis of th evi dence in regard to the contract, &c. I . By the concurrent testimony 'of the legis lative committee, heretofore appointed to contract for the public -printing, and the public printer, it is established that;thero were two contracts made, the first of which was changed at the suggestion 61 the com mittee and with the consent ot Mr. Moore, the contractor. While the last contract, ' tinder which thtf public printing has been done was undet consideration and before t lie same had been accepted by M. Moore, ho proposed to accept the terms offered by the committee, provided he was allowed to count by the letter " m, " and- that ho was asked by Mr. Jordan, one of the com-' . mittee, what was meant by counting prin ted "matter by tho letter 'm, i"ancl that ' Mr. Moore explained by actaal demon stration, what his proposition,wasby meas : uring printed matter in the presence of tho committee. The contract was then made and signed by the contracting partiea--Your committee find that the; rarties to the contract did not understand it alike at the very time of executing it ; that the : committee of tho House reported a con tract different from tho one signed, and such an one that no intelligent printer would make.. On the very day of making the contract, Mr. Moore gave instruction to Mr. Marcom, the foreman in tho Sentinel office, to measure by the letter um,V as proposed to the committee. I n Your comnti ttee are satisfied, that ; the legislative committee did not believe when the contract was executed that the mode of computing had been changed but only a reduction of the . pricey and that the said committee were satisfied j that; the mode proposed was the cheapest and most . : favorable to the state. - f j The evidence proves that Mr. Moore Wai only nominal contractor, and that Mr.-Tur-ner of the Sentinel was the real! party in interest ; that he would . not have been benefitted or interested by an increase or re . duction of prices, and that he has not superintended or directed the printing or making out the accounts. ? j Mr. Turner had nothing to do with 't lie terms of the contract, did not know what mode of computating had 'been used, and never in any way controlled or directed his foreman ; that all the accounts for public printing have been, made out by the fore man, Marcom, alone under tho directions given bj Mr. Moore onv the day when tho contract was executed ; that the chief clerk in the auditor's office constituted himself chief examiner of the public printer's ac count, joining with him Mr.' Parish, a A ' that all accounts were examined "ahdi ap proved by them ; that the auditor's ctci k, Mr. Roberts, proceeded entirely without authority ot law, and is now a fugitive from the state. The evidence proves, that the printers who" examined the accounts could have, at any time, discovered j any improper computation of the f printed ...matter. ....-.';!: ' ' , ! Your committee find that no explana tion was made to the legislative commit tee about the modeot computating printed matters by the m",. quadrate,. notwith- . standing that mode is one generally used throughout the United States jand pre scribed by the Typographical Society of the Printer's Union. And that is ftly mbde under which the journeyman prin ters are paid in this city, and that mode would have been more favorable? .the state, and was the one used by thf public printers for the last-five years. "Your com mittee find that none nf the accounts of the public printer have been ; paid since the question of error in his mode of computa- j tion was raised in September last, and your I committee would recommend the passage i ot a resolution directing the auditor to au ; dit his accounts, provided the printed mat. ter is counted by the measurment of " oi ' i , quadrate. This resolution is recommen ded by the committee because they are satisfied that the contiact .made for the. ublic printing by the. committee was be-' ieved to be most favorable to the state, and because no explanation was made of this measurement. The committee execu ted the c;mtract under tlie ltlief that jtho mode proposed by the public printer was the cheapest one in use among -printtis, and that the public .printing would jbo done cheaper than heretofore under the other contracts ot public printers for the V last several years? -. i:y'- The committee think this arrangement wouJd be fair and just to the public prin ter and to the state. ; t .. (Signed ; t J. M, WORTH. 1 Chairman Senate Branch! ' -7; -"'-vr f- E. JONESrl Chairman Honse Branch! - i IL B. WITHERS A"- ' - CONTRACT: .. " j ' ; This paper writing witneseth, that the undersigned, James II.; Moore, ?of the city of Raleigh, hsith agreed, and doth hereby agree with the State of North Ca rot in i to do nd execute the Public Printing,! Bind Ing. &c , for said State, from the" 13th dav of December, A. D. 1870t- until the 13tU day or iecember, A. D.t 1871, at prices and on these terms, to-wit ; these .',.-r.': .. v- rirusTixG.. Fr all plain work, seventy fire cents per thousand ems ; i For all rule and figure work; one dollar K anU fifty cents per thousand ems "" For all press work, seTenty-fiTe ceuts - per . ...token of two hundred and forty luipres sions.. . .... . -. . ; EIXDISO. ; ) ror btoKs, me of laws of 1833 60, in full sheep, 8eyenty-fi?e cents per volume,' J I - 1 I