The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-12-06
Vol. XXI. No. 46.
THE FARMERS.
WHAT CAN THE NEXT LEC1SLA-
TUifE Do TO HELP THEM?


tions Before the People.
TTHE- SENTINEL is sincerely desir
Gus Of promoting the prosperity OF al
CLASSES, but more especially of the far
mer as on his success or failure, de
rends the prcsIesity of an We be
lieve that the Legislature can do much
to help him if it knows exactly wha
Leneeds. In order to ascertain wha
would benefit him, THE SENTINEL
sent cut the following list OF questio Is
to many of the prominent farmers o.
Piedmont North Carolina
1. Should the Homestead Law be
changed or abolished? Why?
3. What kind of a Road Law do you
tavor-the present system or tax on
all property for road purposes, or
modification p?
8. Should convicts be used on public
roads 5?
4. Should the State limit the freight
and passenger rates on the railroads?
). Should the State lower the legal
rate Of interest?
6. Should the State tax fertilizer
companies?
I. Who is your choice for our next
U. S. Senator?
The following answers have been re-
ceived and in them is much of good
sense and valuable suggestion j
From Capt s. 3. Taylor, hotelist
aud farmer, Danbury, n. c.:
The farmers as class, have, in the
past, been placed at disadvantage
from other classes if our citizens, ow-
ing to the fact that they have had no
organized system among themselves
until very recently They have here
tofore been at the mercy of every 9th
er class Of our citizens, as general
rule. What they make for sale is
priced by others and what they buy
is always priced to them by the seller.
Then again, the Labor system Is very
bad and uncertain. There are always
certain low whites and blacks, who
are ready to whisper in the ear of the
lahore. that he is not getting enough
for his labor. There ought to be a
law passed to punish such interference
severely, before justice of the peace,
with fine or. imprisonment, or both,
with an award for such damage as the
employer may sustain and in default
of the payment of such award of dam
age, to be imprisoned for term.
Again. the whipping post should be
revived as a protection against lar
ceny of farm products, and string
ent dog law should be passed for the
protection of the farmers sheep.
The Farmers Alliances of the State
should be recognized by suitable law
of the State.
AS to your question as to the modi
fication or repeal of the homestead law,
[ will say that there are various opin
ions in regard to that. I will say that,
as to the personal property part OF the
exemption, that is virtually done
away with by the chattel mortgage.
One or the other Of those laws, is of no
use, whatever, and one or the other
ought to be repealed. l cannot see
that there is any exemption of either
real or personal property under the
present law, only for time. My own
opinion is that whatever the State, by
statute, may set apart as an exemption
from execution, ought to be fee sim
pie title, and not subject to mortgage,
but might be sold by the husband and
wife agreeing. Lands or chattels
never bring their value under mort
gage. With these safeguards, the
homestead might be safely modified.
As to a Road Law, l will say that
the present system is very unequal.
Under the present system, there is a
very large portion of the property and
other taxables, as we'll as large num-
Der of poll payers, that do moth,
ing towards keeping up the public
roads, yet, without the public roads,
their property would be valueless
True, the towns paw a tax to keep up
their streets, but streets would be OF
little service without roads. Let ali
property owners and poll-tax payers
share alike in keeping up the public
roads, for all are interested in them
but let the use of convicts on the roads
be left to the county authorities, with
certain necessary rules and regulations
for the government and treatment O
convicts.
As to question on railroads, l ans
wer that, in my opinion, railroads as s
general thing are great blessing tt
the country at large as well as the
towns and ought to be fostered and en-
couraged so long as they do not con
stitute monopolies for the oppression
OF the people; there should be Law
for the severe punishment of any mono
ply formed for the oppression CT ths
people IN any way or form.
AS to the question of interest. siz
per cent was the law of our fathers
and the property of any person, cor
poration, joint stock company or Other
contracting party's property should be
bound for that much, and for higher
rate let the honor be only bound.
As to the fertilizer tax, the STATE
makes merchants pay tax on theil
purchases and sales and | cannot SCI
why fertil ter merchants should ne
pay fsf1sisA se tax
Asst who should be our next Sen