The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1858-11-23

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TEN. This, with simpler and more direct and
easy manner of vacating the Offices of Generals of
divisions and brigades, and causing new elections to
be held to fill such vacancies where the holders of
such Offices failed to equip themselves and review
their respective commands, required by law.
would, belle, restore the organization which
has been lost and open the way for further improve
meuts. 1t is also believed by many, and in that
opinion | concur. that serious blow was struck to
! our militia system, by exemptng from ordinary
military duty all above the age of thirty five instead
/ of forty five years.
| submit these views with the utmost Difference
The subject is an important one, and l recommend
! it your attention. Unless something is done the
whole system had well be abandoned
In this connexinn beg to renew tho recammen-
Gatiun made by me to the last General Assembly
that the Governor of the State be empowered to
furnish arms from the State Arsenal for the of
such schools in the State may apply for then
bonds being given for their safe keeping and return
IA required "f Volunteer Companies.
| transmit herewith the Report of the Directors
of the Insane Asylum. The Report contains i'm
p"rtunt suggestions and recommendations which
wilIno doubs receive. as they deserve, your careful
con<ide ration.
The last Legislature repealed the law imposing
tax of one and three fuurts cents every hundred
dollars worth Of land, and FIVE and efourth cents
every taxable poll, for the support of the Asy-
lum; and. for that purpose, appropriated twenty
thousand dollars for each of the years. 1857 and
1853, be paid out of the treasury. No provision
made to raise the forty thousand dollars appro
priated, that the several counties having pa
I tents in the Asylum required as they had
been before, through their County Courts, to levy
the amounts charged and due for their support and
cause them to be collected and paid into the public
treasury with other public taxes
| On the first Of July last, the Superintendent of
| the Asylum reported to the public treasurer the
counties having patients at the institution, and the
sum respectively due by them, amounting in the
aggregate to the sum of 1854 81, of which the
Sheriffs paid in with the public taxes before tho
end of the last fiscal year, the sum of $7,lO9 G2.
showing that the counties yet in arrears for pa
tents the institution, to the first July last, $i0,
! 044 IS, without including any thing for sup
port of the patients since that time. This fact fully
proves that under the existing law, the counties
cannot be safely relied upon reimburse the Treas
ury iii such cases.
1t is that the law provides that if the tax shall
not be paid 10y any county within twelve months
after it is due, the President and Directors of the
Literary Fund shall deduct the amount thereof from
the share of such county. in the common school
fond next TO be distributed and pay the to the
public Treasurer.
This; itself would be q serious evil. as it would
deprive the common schools of part of the very in
| adequate set apart for their support
And besides. should Il county fail to pay, it will be
| at least eighteen months after patient is sent to
tho Asylum, before the State realize any thing
in this way for his support.
As the acts of the last session limited to two
years in its operation, further Legislation will be re-
CURED at this session If the Legislature be dsin-
v
lum charge upon the State large then. it seems
to me, that more efficient should be
adopted to enforce prompt payment by the coun-
ties-otherwse the support of the institution will
seriously embarrass the operations of the Treasury.
l apprrhend that it will be found difficult, in prac-
tico t" have State tax, in county levied and col
lected. promptly through the agency of the County
Courts. Such mode of levyng and collecting Stute
tax would seem to be anomaly. / can see no
means of enrctng prompt collection of such a tax
countless except through the direct intervention
of the officers of the State.
Should the tax be continued on land and polls
the means would be furnished in the Comptrnllers
Office of aseertaing what per upon the lands
and polls of any county. would raise the amount due
to the STATE by that county. BY the law, as it now
is, the Superintendent of the Asylum is required to
notify the Public Treasurer Of the amounts due by
the several counties 1t seems to that a law may
be framed to have the rate of tax aScertained
land and polls, (bring always sufficient to cover
any loss for iuSolvrnts and that being reported to
the Public Treasurer, it may be made his duty to
issue warrant tn the sheriff of the county, whose
duty i: may be made to collect the tax.
| submit these suggestions for your consideration
Of course the details should be such as to protect
the counties well the State requiring the Shcr-
IFS pay t" the State only the amount due and to
account for amy "ver us collected to the counties.
The reports of the Superintendent of Common
Schools for the last and present year will be laid be-
fore you to which refer you for information as to
the schools That officer, with lis usual industry
soon after the rise of the last Legislature, made
digest of the laws the subject OF Common SciIauls
large edition of which, : well Is of the laws in
full published by the Literary Board and gen
orally disseminated hruug il the State. With much
skill and care he also prepared Common School
Register, which was published by order of the Board
il sufficient numbers to furnish one copy to each
school in the State. The of this publication
considerable but the Register will last for six
eight years and will tend greatly to promote or
der in the schools and uniformity in the system
throughout the State. | have every reason to be-
ieve that the - stem is improving one and that
we shall realize from it the most beneficial results
Experience has shown from time to time wherein
our Common School laws were defective. The leg
lsation of the last session, am iHfurmel had sal
utary effect in curing abuses, and some further
legislation may be necessary. But prefer to make
no particular recommendations the subject AS |
the Superintendent, f. on his knowledge of the prac-
teal working of the system, is better qualified than
| am to suggest such amendments as are necessary |
the amoamt distributed by the Literary Board for
same that for several proceeding years: that is to
say about the sum of 81 S),S50 per annum.
transmit herewith Il certified copy of law pass |
cd by the Legislature Of the State Of Virginia. pro-
posing Joint commission to and mark the diyiL
ing line between that State and the State of North
Carolina, from the point where the dividing line be-
tween pitt<y vaniu and Henry Counties in the State
of Virginia, ner>ccts with the North Carolina line
to the Western limits of this State.
1t will be by reference to the map of this
State, that the proposed starting point is in the
northern boundary of the county of Rockigham