The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-08-18
High Taxes.

A great hue and cry is raised throughout
the whole country in regard to the high
taxes. A great deal of grumbling is heard
everywhere, but especially in Democratic
circles. They, the Democrats, (so-called)
make, and cause to be made, pretty much all
the noise which is heard on account of heavy
taxation, and they are more responsible than
any other class of men for the present state
of things. Taxation is obliged to be heavy
here for years to come. We have the old
State debt to pay, interest and all. Would
these grumblers have the State to repudiate
this debt which was contracted mostly by
themselves when they had the power2 We
have adopted a Constitution which every
fair minded man will say is liberal in its
provisions, that it is just such an instrument
as will enable people to become prospe-
rous and happy. Itrequires school system
to be kept up four months each year, for all
the children of the children of the State be-
tween the ages of and 81 years. Can this
be done without money? The rebels
squandered the School Fund-now, another
is to be raised, and by taxation. We must
have Penitentiary, which cannot be built
for nothing. True, many of those who have
heretofore been, under the old regime, fed at
the public cost, will now be put to work on
the State prison, thus saving the people
from the expense of keeping them as here
tofore. Besides. if proper management is
had, the State prison can be made to yields
revenue, but not for sometime to come.
Many counties of the State are deeply in
debt,-many of these are old obligations
contracted long before the Republican party
had an existence in North Carolina. Would
these croakers have the county debts wiped
outs Do they actually want reputation
brought about9 If SO, why don't they say
so at once9 Debts can't be paid without
money, and, whatever may become of indi-
vidual obligations, State and county obi
cations have to be paid by taxation. Why
didn't they think of these things in 1861,
when they plunged the countryinto rebellion
and WARE They do not seem to have coun-
ted the cost. Now they are the most noisy
against taxation. 1t has always been their
policy to make high taxes their hobby, in
order to gull the ignorant and ride into
power.
Great complaint is made on account of
the large per diem of the last Legislature.
True, we think it was too high; but why do
the Conservatives howl SO Justify over it,
when the preceding Legislature, which was
not Republican, drew but little less They
got Sc per day, their pressing officer $40,
their clerks $40, (Which is So aday more than
was received by the clerks last winter) Their
milage was the same as that of the present
Legislature. This too, be it remembered,
when there was in existence, at the same
time, convention, the members of which
drew each So day. We are no apol-
ogist for high salaries, but let the people
have the facts Superior Court Judges
get $4,000 year, which being reduced
to gold, makes about $3.50, 5000 less
than Judges got before the war. But
they cry out, "You have twelve Judges
now, whereas we had only seven or eight
then" True, but Judges now have more to
do than formerly. The salaries of all the
State officers, if reduced to gold, would not
amount to much more than they did when
the present croakers were in power.
Many say. this railroad building at pres
emit is bad policy, very bad. Let us see.
The Supreme Court has made the matter of
making appropriations for railroads here
after tolerably clear. What the Legislature
aimed to do in appropriating money to the
old projects was, to enable them to finish
their woodwork that was begun years ago.
Would these would-be economists have these
old roads remain in an unfinished condition
But they say, we are too poor, let us revive
first. Do they not know that the time to
have work done is when wages are love-
Good railroad hands can be had for so cents
per day and board. The country has many
poor men in it who are willing and eager to
work, they have no means of support but
their labor. Then let the State finish its
roads, and at the same time aid its citizens.
We like candor and if the people could
but see and know the facts, as they exist,
less of this grumbling would be heard.