Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1897-07-08
CELEBRATION AT THE ASY.
LUM.
President McIyef's Address Not
Well Received.
Oxford Public Ledger.

Oxford Publ Ledger.
The oath of June was celebrat-
ed at the Orphan Asylum, and
like it's predecessors was a grand
success. The crowd was estimate
ed to number three or four
thousand, and was composed of as
nice a body of people as the editor
ever saw assembled there.
The programme Of the day
was well carried out, and the
Orphans looked happy, and &C
quilted themselves in a highly
creditable manner.
The orator of the day was
Prof. c. D. McIver, president
of the State Normal School at
Greensboro. He was introduced
in exceedingly handsome style
by Mayor Crawford Biggs.
We do not hesitate to pro
nounce DR.. McIver one Of the
great educators of the State. Nc
one is more ready to concede his
learning, intelligence and abili~
ties than we are, and We are sure
he presides over the Normal
School with unsurpassed useful
ness and efficiency, still candor
compels us to criticize his adj
dress.
We are not alone in our view
that his speech is justly amena-
BILE to criticism. There were
many people present who, like
the editor, thought he went be-
yond the limits of proprietY in
availing himself of the occasion
to promulgate a campaign
speech in favor of the proposed
triple school tax which is to be
voted on the 10th of August.
Had DR.. McIver known how uu-
popular his speech was on this
head we feel sure that he would
not haye been justified in advoa
eating the tax at that time with
so much earnestness of manner.
Had it been a meeting for the
discussion of the triple tax
question no one could have OBJ
jected to his course Of remarks.
We are sure that he did not
convince two persons present of
the correctness of his position, as
he did not elicit any applause in
argueing to place more burdens
upon the people; in fact, a large
number left the stand and did not
hear him through.
Our people in the paesent inns
poverished condition of the
country, with panicky times,
hard times upon US in all their
virulence, we think and believe
are opposed to the tax. Under
Mckinley. so far, times are get.
ting worse. Is this the reform so
ardently advocated?
There is no prospect of better
times until we get an old time
Democrat in the Presidential
chair, and a Congress to back
him. With this condition of ats
fairs staring US in the face it is
idle to tax the people beyond the
present heavy burden of taxa-
ton they already have to pay for
education when even under the
present system SC few of the
children comparatively avail
themselves of its advantages.
We detract not from the ability
of DR.. MoIver's speech. That has
nothing to do with our criticism.
We do not think he should have
used St. Johns Day at the Or
phan Asylum to air his views OF
the subject. There were plenty
of appropriate topics he might
have selected which would have
proved agreeable and entertaining
without trying to prove that we
ought to vote the proposed school
tax on an already tax burdened
people.
We think there is one difficulty
that cannot be successfully met by
the friends of the tax, as the great
expense of holding the election out
of the time for voting a tax when
the election is so enormously high
under the new reform election
law, which seems to be a money
trap fixed up by the politicians to
take hard-earned cash out of the
pockets of the laboring classes of
the people, including the farmers,
mechanics, merchants, and other
occupations, excepting the busy
pie-hunting politicians who scream
for silver and at the same time
help the gold bugs, who claim to
be the friends of the people, while
crushing their backs with the
weight of unjust and iniquitous
taxes.
An estimate has been made
which shows that the cost of
holding these elections will
amount to the enormous sum of
fifty thousand dollars. This sum
will go into the pockets of of
fcers who conduct the election
without being worth one single
cent towards keeping up the
school system.
This, to our mind, in the long
run, is a triple tax:.aud we believe
the people will repudiate it with
such unanimity that has never
been witnessed before.
It looks to Us that this elec>
ton was established as a spoil
system. as the cost of the election
has to be taken out of school