The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1860-07-24
From tie Salisbury Banner.
THE CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR
AT NEWTON
Triumphant Speech Of Coz. ~


We attended the discussion between Gov. Ellis
and Mr. Pool, at Newton, Catawba county, on Fri
day 18th, and heard the candidates for the first
time. The attendance quite large and the
speeches were listened to with much attention
Gov. Ellis opened the debate. He thanked the
people of Catawba for the large majority with
which they had honored him in the last election,
and said that the best manner in which he could
show his gratitude was by faithful impartial and
laborious performance of his duty. He had heard
no complaints of his administration In whatever
of error he had committed, nothing would be
found but what had sprung from upright intention
and purity of motive, and he believed that he
would get credit for his efforts in promoting the
welfare and honor of the State and the osperity
of the people.
He stood before them as the representative OF
the great Democratic party of North Carolina, not
as an individual seeking his own advancement or
the empty compliment of respectable vote. Gov
f. then spoke of the principles of the Democratic
party at some length, and then reached the new
scheme of taxation brought forward in this year
Of our Lord, 1860. 1t not unusual, he said,
to be opposed by issue. The Know-No-
things never come before the people without one
And Gov f. proceeded to sketch some of these
hobbies Dockery came with his SHEER Of the
public lands, but the people did not agree with
him, and he retired to the shades of private life
Then came Gilmer with his dctestible Know
NOthingisnI, and that secuted and repudlated
by the intelligent masses Of the people And now,
continued he we have ad rGlOrenl. He charged
that this political humbug COTTON up for
personal advancement They say it is designed
to benefit the poor exclaimed Gov. e., but he
would show how that was before be was done
Gov Ellis now proceeded to dissect the hunrbug
in merciless manner. The X. Ms say that slave
Ettla
the position that slave property considered with
other property paid its full and fair share of taxes
lie showed from the Gomptrolers Report that
slave property, constituting about one-fOurth Of
the property Of the State, paid about oncfourth Of
the taxes Of the State for State and county pur-
poses He showed by figures that slaves now pay
nearly two and-half times more taxes than whites.
Slaves were taxed from II to Sos years.
Whites from II to 45-24 years-14 years less
than slaves. Slaves taxed both male and
female-white males only were taxed. By this
computation 80 bl1cks paid, during their full tax
time of So years, 81 500; whilst 80 whites paid
only $3.50 during their full taxtime of "A years
81 04O less than the blacks, and yet i was pro-
posed to tax the slaves higher.
And now, said Gov Ellis, let us examine lit
tie further into this proposed change. The advo-
Gates of this thing bitterly deny that they propose
% tax other property than is now taxed. He read
their platform which goes for taxing all and ercry
species Of property according to its value In that
document they declare that all property should
bear its equal proportion of taxes. If you ask
them, he continued, what they are going to tax
If they mean to tax horses cows, sheep hogs, &c?
80, no." they exclaim. What then will you tax?
DO you propose to tax as much as you have laid
down in your platform? No, they reply, we are
for taxing the nigger Now, said Gov f., you
will observe, citizens, that the word nigger
is not anywhere to he found in their platform, no,
nor any word that be made to signify it. Al
and erery species IF property is in the PLATFORM
] admit, continued the Governor, that that includes
the niggers, but 1t also includes horses, cows. /
sheep, hogs, farming tools and implements, house
hold and kitchen furniture, and your ducks and
chickens, and even your tin cups They cant get
out of this, dodge and wriggle as they may. If
all and every species of property means niger, it
means also every other article of property worth
bearing the name This is so, and they can't they /
shant get away from it. If it be not their intcn-
ton to tax all property. why hold out the promise
IN their platform to the people? The truth is,
they started out with system to carry them
through to office, and finding the people will not
stand it, they dodgc 1t. They propose merely, in
going after al the property, to discriminate
to make difference in favor of the native pro-
ducts of the State and the industrial pursuits of
the citizens. That is, said Gov. f., they arc for
making difference between what is brought into |
the State and that which is raised or produced in !
1t. 1t was intended to make this difference and .
none other; and it intended to tax every part-
Gle of property in the State subject only to this
difference. Again he would ask if this was not
the fair meaning of the platform, what kind of
property do they mean to tax at Uaiorenl2 His .
Mr. Pool, says he would tax land. ne
groes and money. Well, that at ten cents on the /
hundred dollars would not raise near enough reve-
nue-not near enough And if the system OF a1
r0Iorem be good for one species of property why .
not good for aiI2 Why stop short and not carry
out this good principle to the fullest? Fellow-citi-
zens, exclaimed Gov. Ellis, this lodging wont
do-this deception shall not be practiced upon
you. Gov. L. proceeded to read Know Nothing /
to show that the broad application of
the system was intended. He read from the Raj .
eish Register, Greensboro Patriot, Albemarle ,
Southron and other know-Nothing prints to show
that the race horse and the pow horse were to be |
taxed alike according to their value and that they
claim and boast Of the right to be taxed even
upon their tin cups He also referred to tbe.rro- /
ceedngs in their State Convention to show that .
this to prove how far the system was intended to
go. The excuse they set up in explanation +.
Of these things an after thought. He pointed |
to the Greensboro Patriot which gave the posi-
ton Of Mr. Pool and his party, after just having ,
consultation with Mr. Pool in Raleigh-that the
intention was that "every species of property is to
be taxed according to its value, not only land and
negroes, but horses, cocs, sheep and hogs; and it
adds, "this is precisely the position Of No, Pool,
he position which he has taken in the East, and
h., har will ~.