Wilmington journal., 1875-07-23
TANES MUST COME. OR HOMIE
STEADS MUST GO.

The Constitution does not protect
the homestead from the Sheriff's ham
mer. Taxes must come or homesteads
must go. Dishonest, incompetent
officials, and extravagant, wasteful ex-
penditure of the peoples money, rem
der high taxes inevitable. But the
troubles in North Carolina do not arise
merely from incompetent and corrupt
officials. Ii every Office holder in the
State was as pure as a vestal virgin,
the people would still groan under
grevious burdens, for the reason that
the Constitution, the organic law of
the State, is so bad that it is impossi-
BILE to have an economical Government
in accordance with it's provisions.
So long, then, as the present Con-
stitution remains unchanged, high
taxes are inevitable, even when the
laws are administered by good men.
What the result is when administered
by bad men, the people know full we'll
from past experience. The negro par
ty, as the records show, spent in ta00
gears Ss35, III, 81 more of the peoples
moEey than the white mans party
spent in four. Under negro rule it cost
the white people of North
Carolina $3.50, ,576,90 year to run
thsState government, while..under tn
white mans rule, it has cost them on
ly $236, ,342,99 a year. A saving in
one year CT nearly ten times the cost
Of the Convention
taxation, and at least nine-tenths of it
from the hard earnings of the white
man, for every body knows the negro
pays little or no property tax. Sup
pose for a moment that when the
Sheriffs were going through their
counties collecting these taxes, these
hard working white men had not paid
up, where would their homestead be
now ? Taxes must come, or home
steads must GO
Is it not incumbent then, on the peo-
pie to see to it, not only that the Off
GERS in charge of these Governments,
State and County, should be hon st,
competent, and economical, but that
the Constitution which is to be their
rule of action, should not provide
modes of Government. necessarily
complicated, ana expensive in their
operation. And are not the systems Tor
both State and County Governments
provided by the Candy Constitution,
complicated and expensive in their
operation? 1t is safe to say that a
large expenditure of money can not
be avoided under the provisions of the
present Constitution. But although
much money was necessary to carry |
out the Candy Constitution the !
negro party by its wasteful |
and corrupt expenditures far
exceeded that amount. We have then
bad Constitution that make taxes /
high, and with the negro party in pow
er we have bad officers who make tax
es still higher, and taxes must come or
homesteads must go.
What then does it behoove the white
people of Moth Carolina to do if they
would save their homesteads? The
answer is easy. Letthem change their
Constitution as rapidly as possible,
and let them drive from Office every
man who belongs to the negro party.
When this is done we shall have a good
government and good men to admins
ter 1t. Under its benign influence mems
lives. their liberties, and their proper
tx Will be safe, and peace, and quiet,
plenty and prosperity once more glad
den their hearts. Then, and not till
then, will the government be felt
through the blessings it bestows rath-
er than through the injuries it inflicts.
And then and not until then will bome- 8
steads be safe in North Carolina.