The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1860-06-26
From the Raleigh Press.
WHAT 1T WILL COST TO WORK THE
ROADS.


public duties; and especially be exempted from
working the public roads. We contend that this
position is a most legitimate deduction from the
proposed system oftaxation ofthe Opposition party
and basing the argument upon it, We shall now
show, by facts and figures, that if an ad valoren,
system of taxation is adopted the white of the
State will be compelled to keep the roads in order
or it will be necessary to levy tax to pay hired
hands for that purpose.
AS we stated, yesterday, it was wise provision
in our Constitution to recognise negroes persons
because of the public services they render, and
especially, because they swell our population, in
making up the Federal ratio and enable the South
to bear proportion to the population of the
North But if this provision is to be stricken from
our organic law, then no longer impose
upon negroes a public duty, for, stated,
Yesterday they are at once placed upon equality
with other property. They cannot be made to
work on the public roads, and the consequence will
be, the entire burden will fall upon the white men
of the State.
There are 147,913 black polls in the State.
Surprising one half of that number females,
who are not required under the present constitution
to work the public roads. there would remain
1886 males between the ages of II and go years.
Then supposng that Ii, 600 Of this number are
between the ages Of II and Is years. and therefore,
are not road hands there would still remain so 900
negro men, who, by the proposed al ralorena
system of Mr. Bledsoe and the Opposition party,
would be taken off of the public roads, the labor of
whom would fall upon the shoulders of the poor
white men of the country, while these negroes,
against whom there is such hue and cry, would
be quietly working in their masters fields. But,
great as might be the hardships, the white man
in the country who favors this I'd uoiorem humbug,
now, cannot complain; he Joined in the demagogical
cry of equal taxation, and he should quietly
submit to its consequences, though instead Of five
days he he compelled to work on the roads five
weeks during the year.
Under the present arrangement, we suppose
there are about 125,0C0 road hands in the State;
take away the negroes, as must be done under an
I'D ralorem system, and we leave only $4,000
white men to perform the labors of the l25, 600
Surprising that each works the road FIVE
DAYS in each year, (Which is low estimate for
many overseers work their roads at least four
different times each year and many as two
three days at each time) by taking off the 81, 900
negroes who now work the roads, the labor of the
white men will be doubled and those who now
work only five days in the year must, of necessity
in order to keep the roads in order, work ten days
imposing upon themselves annual tax of five
dollars in the way of public labor, above what they
already perform. The roads must be kept in order,
and that work must then be done exclusively by
white
Mr. Bedsoe, we learn. in his speeches sometimes
tells the poor that under the present system he
1.-THE poor man is Obliged to work the road while
the rich man sends his negroes and he, Ttbe rich
man sets back in the shade The next time Mr
Bedsoe and the Opposition allude to this matter,
they should be asked this question: (which is the
more oppressive to the poor man, for few rich
men to fail to work the road by paying their fines;
or giving US al valorem, and, thereby taking off
Of the road list upwards of 900 able bodied
negroes and setting them road free?"
Now we contend that AID vALoREM will relieve
every negro in North Carolina from road duties
lust so soon as that species Of property is taxed
to value and the for this conclusion
is most obvious; it is this:-f one mans lands are
taxed according to their value, and another mans
negroes taxed according to their value it would
be the greatest hardship to the owner to require
his negroes to work the roads, for the plain and
simple reason, that, as his neighbor's land which
only taxed according to its value cannot perform
it's corresponding public duty it would be heaping
of burdens upon the Shareholder, who having to
pay tax according to the value of his negroes would
still be obliged to pay additional tax of five
six dollars on each, per annum Then, we regard
the proposition just and fair, that, if al Ualorem
be adopted by which every species of property is
taxed according to value, necessary consequence
This will throw the whole burden of working the
roads upon the white men of the State, else the
people must be taxed to keep up the highways.
70 do this what will 1t cost the State?
To be brief we will say that it takes 100000
men working FIVE days each to keep them up now.
Surprising that it would require the same labor
then as now and allowing each man one dollar per
day; it's at once seen that tax of flee hundred
housand do'lors will have to be raised in addition
to the S650,000 we now raise, for the simple
be no lodging of this result unless the friends of
the whole work. ifthat be their object al calorrns
will turn out to be the most oppressive burden the
people Of any State have ever had to bear and the
object of the leaders in this a3 UGlorene humbug
the better it will be for the masses
SINGULAR MARRIAGE OF A NEGRO TO
WHITE GIRL-The following remarkable case
has been already noticed. The Lcwisburg (VaD
Chronicle furnishes the following particulars:
Or rather its vicinity calling himself IIerft, and
has since then worked for numerous gentlemen in
he country, as "a day laborer. Although of rather
lark complexion, no supposed him to be
akin TO the descendants of ham. After living here
sometime, he won the affections Of quite a pretty
white girl, whom he married Things went on
quite prosperOusly for time, two children
sladdened the happy fathers heart, when, alas
his teiicitOus existence was Unexpectedly termin-
lted a negro man in town, seems to have con-
,eived the idea that all was not right with Herif
md that he bore the indications of being more
i II.