North Carolina Newspapers

1 ?. M . .1 . Si SUBSCRIPTION $1.00 A YEAR. WILSON, N. C. FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 1911. VOL. 17 NO. 116L r t-r - Wilson HE SAYS HE HAS GIVEN DDE WEIGHT TO TESTIMONY-REPORT OF C0M.--THE ARGUMENTS - HIS SPEECH FOLLOWS Washington, D. C, March 2. Sena tor Simmons in voting for Senator Lorimer to retain his seat in the United States Senate declares that he would violate his oath if he did otherwise. The speech of Senator Simmons follows: "Mr. President: I have read the re port of the committee appointed to investigate the charges against the Senator from Illinois, exonerating him of those charges. That report is. sign ed hy his. of the seven Republicans and four of the five Democrats on this committee. The ten Senators sign ing this report are all lawyers, some of them have been judges, trained and educated in weighing and applying testimony, and they are as pure and able men as sit in this body. I have read practically all the evidence ad duced before this committee. I have heard nearly all of the speeches that have been delivered on both sides of this controversy. I heard the speech of the junior Senator from Illinois in his own defense, a' spech which, in logical symmetry and force, in inher ent evidences of sincerity and truth, in simple and unconscious pathos, will ever live in the memory of all who heard it as one of the most remark able deliverances ever uttered in this chamber. When that speech was con cluded my inner consciousness said to me, as many people who heard it have since said to me, if the Senator from Illinois had been guilty he could not have conceived that speech and delivered it as it was delivered by him. "Mr. President: It is said in some sources that the Senator from Illinois is a bad man and unfit for a seat ir this body. His speech to which I have just referred answers conclu sively the charge of mental fitness for the high ofiice he now fills. That speech shows that intellectually he i? the peer of any Senator here. The evidence of people of his own State and city, who have known him all his life, who have known him in his business, political and social life; known him in all the walks of life ; the evidence of his associates in the House of Representatives, where he served for more than thirteen years, all answer the charge that he is p bad man and show that -so far from being a bad man, in purity of his life and character he is the peer of any man here. "Giving due. weight to the report of the committee, the evidence and the arguments, under my oath. I do not feel that the evidence is sufficient to justify me in voting that the Sena tor is not entitled to the seat in this body to which the certificate of the great State of Illinois, under the com mon seal of that commonwealth, de clares he is elected. "That various fraudulent schemes to promote and defeat legislation were organized in the Illinois legislature which elected the Senator, organized when the Senator was at his home sick nigh unto death, organized long before he became a candidate for the Senate and when he was supporting another candidate, I have no doubt ; but that the Senator from Illinois bribed any one to vote for him or had knowledge of any one's being bribed to vote for him, I do not be lieve, and I do not think there are many who do believe it, nor do I be lieve the evidence satisfactorily proves that anybody was bribed to vote for him. "Mr. President:1 1 cannot vote to de prive this man of his property and destroy his character upon the evi dence of four men, three of whom were offered immunity from prosecur tion for high crimes and misdemean-. ors and who accepted that offer upon condition that they would recant their statement denying that they had been bribed and swear that they had been bribed, and one man who admit ted that he sold his story of confes sion to an inveterate enemy of the Senator for $3,500. I can not accept the testimony of men of this charac ter, especially when the three mem bers of the legislature who they say bribed them have each sworn that tberf jwas not a word of truth in their statements and that they have never paid them, or either of them, any money for their votes for the Senator from Illinois. I cannot accept as a basis for my vote to destroy the char acter of a man who has always main tained an irreproachable character, evidence of men of the character of these men, especially when the three members of the legislature who, they say corrupted them and who under oath flatly contradicted these state ments, have been victoriously re-elected to the legislature of Illinois and now hold seats - in that honorable body, one of them having been elect ed Speaker of the House of Represen tatives. , "Air. President: We must decide this question on the evidence and law. Every Senator must apply evidence for himself. Upon this question we must act as jurors. For myself I do not question the act of any honorable man who acts upon his oath. With my views of this evidence, if . I should yield to the clamor of newspapers, in stigated by the Chicago Tribune, the ancient and relentless enemy of the Senator from Illinois; if I should yield to public clamor aroused and excited by thi3 newspaper agitation based upon articles and editorials writer by menr nine-tenths of whom have never read a line of testimony, in thif case and know nothing about it ex cept what they have read in the news papers, I should purjure my con science and lose my own self-respect Mr. President, I was a man zealous o' my intellectual integrity and earnest ly seeking to preserve in the the in tegrit5T of my conscience as the thing of supremest importance before I wa? a Senator, and, sir, whatever may happen to me, I shall try to maintain that integrity of thought and con science to the last." Liquor May Be Inspected. Raleigh, N. C., March 2. The Leg islature has received favorable repor from the committee on the bill to re quire an inspection of all liquors shipped into this prohibition State (the bulk of which comes from Vir ginia, and largely . from Richmond and as far as New York and Louis ville). This means a tax by which the State hopes to acquire consider able revenue. The loss of the liquor tax in the last two years has caused a deficit of $350,000 in the State treas ury, and this Legislature is called on to issue bonds to meet the payment of money borrowed by the State Treasurer to meet some of the last Legislature's appropriations. COTTON MARKET The New York cotton market open ed today five to eight points lower. March, 14.32 ; May, 14.54 ; July, 14.41 ; August, 13.96;- October, 12.75; Decem ber, 12.61. At twelve o'clock the market stood : March, 14.35 ; May, 14.55; July, 14.40; August, 13.92; Oc tober, 12.77; December, 12.66, The market closed lower. March, 14.25; May, 14.46; July, 14.29; Au gust, 13.83.- Spots in Wilson around 14.25. Receipts in Wilson, 2 bales. Receipts at the ports yesterday, 16, 941 bales against 14,358 last year. For the week 95,000 bales against 108, 045 bales last week and 73,091 bales last year. Yesterday "s receipts at New . Orleans, nothing, against 1.02 bales last year, and at Houston 2,514 bales against 1,926 bales last year. ARRETED ANOTHER OF WEST GANG IN THE TOILS-WOMAN GAVE HIM AWAY CAPTURED IN RICHMOND Betrayed by a woman with whom he had -entrusted his secret, Matthew Mebane, alias Kid Johnson, a desper ate negro wanted as an accomplice in the murder of Deputy Sheriff George Mumfof d, was captured yesterday morning in Richmond by Detective Sergeant Forrest Bailey. The detective was assisted by sev eral policemen.- They surprised their man and covered him with revolvers before he could offer resistance. Me bane, seeing that the officers had the drop on him, surrendered and was taken to the Second Police Station and locked up. - Sheriff Sharp went to Richmond. Requisition papers have been execut ed and the negro brought here. The negro had been in Richmond but a short time before Sergeant Bailey caught him. Chief of Police Werner Monday night received a tele gram from North Carolina advisinr him that Mebane was there or on his way. The detective, however, had already been at work on the case,' and expected but little difficulty in finding his man. ' When he saw that there was no hope, of escape Mebane told the of ficers? that he wras the man wanted The detective had uncovered a letter which the negro had written to-the chief of his gang. This letter men tioned the crime of which Mebane is charged. Mebane admitted that- he had written the letter. To cover his tracks Mebane, since the killing of Deputy-Mumford, has assumed many aliases. He first call ed himself William Smith. This he later -changed to "Big Boy" Smith. He came here under the cognomen of Kid Johnson. , The ' above is in substance the re port of Mebane's capture as given in the Richmond Journal, but of course is incorrect as -to the cause of the arrest as will appear in this article. Although Mebane is identified as being seen in Wilson on the day of the tragedy and members of the West gange implicate him, he denies all. Deputy Sheriff J. JMcD. Monoghan, of Fayetteville, arrived in Wilson. this morning. He started from Fayette ville to Richmond in connection with the arrest of Mebane alias Brodie, etc., but learning that Sheriff Sharp had left Richmond this morning with the prisoner, for Wilson he stopped here. : Sheriff Sharpe left Wilson for Rich mond on Monday. Sheriff Sharp left Richmond this morning at 8:15 with the prisoner and arrived in Wilson on the after noon train, when Mebane was locked up. A large crowd was at the depot to see the notrious criminal. Matthew Mebane alias Brodie, alias Kid Johnson, etc., on his arrival here from Richmond this afternoon with Sheriff Sharpe, was carried to the office of Daniels & Swindell for ex amination before F. D. Swindell, Esq., but as Mr. Swindell was out of the city this afternoon, no deposition was taken this afternoon but probably will be taken tomorrow. , Mebane denies, however, that he was here on the day Mr. Mumford was killed xind he also denies knowing Louis West or ever seeing Deputy Mumford. He admitted that he knew Gray Barnes and that he knew , people in Fayetteville. . He said he was here the last time in Au gust " . . A letter Brodie alias Mebane-wrote Gray Barnes led to hit? arrest." Barne !-s in jail and received a letter frpr' Mebane at Richmond which the of- SENATE BY VOTE OF 46 TO 40 SAYS ILLINQIAN WAS LE GALLY ELECTED AN IMPORTANT OFFICE W ashington, March 2. William Lorimer retains his seat in the United States Senate. By a vote of 46 to 40 that body defeated the resolution in troduced by Senator Beveridge declar ing that the junior Senator from Illi nois had not legally been elected. The end to the case that for so many months had been before the .Senate and which had provoked one of the most bitter fights in that body for years a fight in which the per sonal equation served to heighten and intensify, the feeling came short ly after 1:30 o'clock. Promptly at that hour the Vice-President brought his gavel down sharply upon his desk and called for a vote on the resolution. The agreement entered into by the members called for the shutting off of all debate at that hour under the settlement of the issue by vote. Senator La Folle'te had the floor at the time and the rap of the gavel forced him to an abrupt termination of his anti-Lorimer speech. The ayeK and noes were sounded, and the crowded floor and galleries followed the roll call with interest most in-tensr-v. ; j Upon the conclusion of the roll call and the announcement of the result applause was heard from the galleries while on the floor Senator Lorimer'? friends hastened to tender their con gratulations. . Senator Simmons voted for Lorimer retaing his seat and Senator Over man against. PRINTERS ON STRIKE. All Chicago Papers Print in Abbre viated Form To-Day. Chicago, 111., March 2. Because of a strike of the compositors on the Chicago Examiner and Chicago Am erican, al! newspapers in the city are miblishiiur in abbreviated form. The strike was called yesterday afternoon over a difference in wages, and the reduction of the size of the other pa pers was in conformity with the Chi cago Publishers' agreement to sup port the two newspapers affected.' . James M. Lynch, president of the International Typographical Union, sent a telegram to the American and Examiner declaring that the strikehe Oak Level section, was united in was unauthorized. His telegram reads: "American and Examiner, Chicago Strike unauthor ized, illegal and without warning. You are authorized to publish this dis patch. (Signed) James M. Lynch. The trouble was over the demand of the printers to be paid on a larger basis than they worked following the! installation of a new wage scale. THE WEATHER Washington, D. C, March 2. For North Carolina: Fair tonight and Fri day; frost tonight;., ; moderate wester ly winds. - cers got hold of and which gave Me bane's address in Richmond, and caused his arrest. 'In Mebane's letter to Barnes he wanted to know how things were here and referred to the tragedy. Mebane was very innocent today and knew or appeared to know little or. nothing in connection with the crime, but as his connection with the tragedy is already established and his connection was - an important one, a aard road evidently lies before hira SOUTHERNS ARE NOT PLEASED. Appointment of Negro Lewis As As sistant Attorney General Bring Cri ticism Office An Important One. Washington, D. C, March 2. The appointment of William H. Lewis, a negro of Boston, as Assistant Attor ney General of the United States, has already brought down a storm of cri ticism on the head of President Taf t from Southern members of Congress and social and official sets of the capital. From members of official and social sets objections were raised at the first mention of Lewris' name. The bit terest protest comes, however, from the Democrats in the Senate and the House. It was bad enough that the Republican party should stand sponsor for the Sutherland amend ment to the direct elections resolu tions which was meant to protect the negro, but now the Republican party is preparing to elevate the negro to the highest office ever conferred on that race. This is the argument of the Democrats. "It is all very well," said one of the Senators from a Southern State, "for high officials to tell us that Lewis will not attend the White House re ceptions, and that his appointment will not embarrass anybody. No mat ter how reserved he may be there is bound to be feeling against Lewis." The official status of an Assistant Attorney General corresponds with that of an Assistant Secretary of an executive department. Mr. Hunting ton Wilson, of the State Department, and Mr. William H. Lewis would rank side by side. Ordinarily the rank of an Assistant Attorney General gives him prece dence socially over Brigadier Gen erals, Captains of the Navy, the Dis trict Commissioners, the Justices o' the i-Dis t rict.. Courts, the - Director ot the Bureau of American Republics the Secretary of the Smithsonian In stitution and numerous other officials Nashville Items. The little daughter of Mr. and Mrs Mark L. Cook has been sick for the past few days. Master "Willie Bunting, the younj man whQ was stabbed in the bacl by a negro boy several days ago, u getting alone nicely, and, with the exception of a little soreness around the wound, he is almost well. The ring of the hammer and saw are continually heard in various sec tions of the town as new cottage resi dences are being erected for our pro gressive citizenry. At an early date Treasurer Samuel S. Gay will make extensive additions to his already comfortable home. At the residence of 'Squire J. C Harper in. this city last Sunday after noon about 2:00. o'clock, Mr. Leland Dozier, son of Mr. F. M. Dozier, of marriage with Miss Ellie J. Daugh tridge, daughter of Mr. Columbus A. Daughtridge. Quite a number of friends of the contracting parties wit nessed the event. The members of the Methodist Church are congratulating themselves on the fact that they now have a mod ern and very conveniently arranged parsonage or home for their preacher The work of repairing and remodeling was completed this week and the structure is one of the prettiest in that part of the town. . Rev. Mr. Rum ly and his family are moving Into their new home. Our progressive Baptist friend are planning the erection of a hand some brick house of workship, whicr in all probability will be erected on the vacant lot of Dr. T. T. Ross, corner of Washington and Boddie streets This is one of the prettiest building sites in the city and it Is the purpose of the promoters to expend something like $10,000 in erecting, and completing their house of wor- iship. Mr. W. P. Anderson left for Peters burg this morning. Mr. Wm. Carter left for Petersburg this morning.- HOT TIME N SENATE BARNES OF HERTFORD CALLED LDOWN FOR IMPUTATION OVER "" r.nnn nnino nm i xrrrm UUUU IUAUd DILL WMM-.- THORNE SCORES ONE Raleigh, N. C, March 2. Dispatch in the accomplishment of important work characterized the proceedings of both branches of the Legislature today. Before noon the Senate pass ed finally the State primary bill and the House passed the farm life schools bill and then waded further into the legislative deep waters against the protests of some who con tinually clamor for consideration of local bills. What's a "lobbyist?" Senator Barnes, of Hertford, in expressing the opinion that some men high up in . North Carolina, were here today in the interest of the Boyden-Sykes bilL, got himself into the hot air today. Many Senators resented the impu tation that the citizens of the State who feel interested in public measures and come here to consult their Sena tors, should be contemptuously de signated "lobbyist," The Boyden-Sykes Good Roads Highway bill was taken up. It had come back from the House amended and after killing a motion to table it, the friends of the original bill ral lied to its defence and put up a game fight to concur in the House amend ment which restored theboud feature which the Senate had struck out, re taining the highway feature as voted by the House. Stubborn opposition manifested itself - and Pharr anfl Barnes attempted to displace the bill and indirectly postpone it, and Barnes made' some, very impertinent allusions which were hotly resented by Senator Boyden who threw the hooks into any one who would attempt to impute his actions or motives in trying to secure the passage of one of the most im portant and nearest to the whole peo ple of any bill considered during this session. It provides 41-year 4 per cent bonds to be issued-by the State to be exchanged for the bonds of the counties which may apply for them, the county bonds to bear 5 per cent in'erest, the one per cent differ ence to be loaned to the counties. A motion to indefinitely postpone the bill was defeated 28 to 17. It i still being argued. " The House after a lengthy and heated discussion passed the Koonce insurance investigation resolution by a voe of 63 to 29. This provides for a commission to report to the next Legislature and appropriates $1,000 for expenses. No member of the Legislature can' serve on the commit tee, and Ray of Macon, criticized Mr. , Koonce (its author) for favoring that feature. Ray said he had hoped to see Koonce put at the head of this committee so he could "produce the goods." The Senate adjourned after devot ing the balance of the session to the argument of the Boyden-Sykes good roads bonds bill, which finally reach ed a vote on its second reading. Tha result was the bill was defeated by i vote of 23 to 19. f Hartsell opposed the bill because' the bill did not s ipulate that the bonds are not to be sold for less than, par. Thorne, referring to the activity oC certain "public men" and high State officials In efforts to facilitate or block legislation, said they Heroded the Standard Oil Company, the Tobacco Trust and all railroad lobbyists, and apologized to the latter for any criti cism ho ever made of them. Miss Genie Kirby left for Fremont his afternoon, to visit friends ian4 relatives. I' ! f - i: 1 i i I t; ').! 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