The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-08-10
DEMOCRATS MADE LAWS TO I'M
PRISON AND ENFORCED
THEM.

The 8 hepuO4LCaA lu1AASA0S
some more evidence against the Demo
cratic party in regard to laws to Inn
prison for non-payment OF taxes, ana
shows that Democrats not only made
laws just as severe as the last legisla-
ture, but they enforced them. The
Republican says:
Certain Democratic papers in the
State have recently been deceiving
themselves and amusing the public. at
their too patent stupidity, by drawing
on their Imagination and writing up IN
sensational headlines sections % ana
So of the Revenue act of 1897 which
provi' es an imprisonment for failure
to pay certain license taxes as they
may fall due.
The people know, and these papers
have known, that it is absurd to say
that under any circumstances there
can be imprisonment Of the person for
failure to pay taxes if the person is a
property owner, because the property
is good for the tax and the tax there
fore will be paid. There can be no
failure of the property owner to pay.
The opinion Of the Attorney General
that Imprisonment under these sec
tions in any case can apply only to
privilege and license taxes should set
this matter at rest.
But let us see what these self same
Democrats, who are SO busy picking
the notes out of other peoples eyes
when they have a whole train load of
beams in their own eyes-let's see what
they have been doing.
"It is not too far back for the people
to remember-these Democratic papers
have very short memories-what the
Democratic Legislature Of 1883 did in
the way of passing a revenue law.
The revenue act Of 1888, chapter 3G3,
section Is, says:
"'Thet any male person SO returned
on the insoDvent list who shall fail to
pay said taxes to the Sheriff for six
months after such return of the insol-
vent list to the county commissioners
shall be guilty OF a misdemeanor, and
upon conviction before a court Of a
Justice of the Peace shall be fined
double the value of the taxes 81 due,
not to exceed in any Al fifty dollars,
and the board of county commissioners
of the county in which any such per
son may be convicted as aforesaid, If
said person be committed to prison for
failure to pay the said fine, may en-
ploy said offender upon the public
highway, and allow such credit per
day to such offender as may to them
seem just
1--WE quote again from the Demo
cratic law Of 1893, chapter S96, section
%, which was copied verbatim in the
law of 1895:
"'All persons who are liable for poll
tax, and who fail to list, etc and all
persons who own property and who
fail to list the same etc, shall be i'm
prisoned thirty Gays or fined fifty
dollars
"CTne Democratic law would i'm
prison a white lady, if enforced y
I'VE distinctly say that this is per
haps a good law if properly enforced
and We shall not criticise the law, but
we as distinctly condemn, as do all
good people, the abuse to which these
self-same Democrats put these, their
own laws. Under this Democratic
law hundreds of voters in North Car
DINA were mahciously imprisoned a
few days previous to the last cleo
"Where was the facile pen of the
Charlotte Observer when citizens of
Meeklenburg coHnty were imprisoned,
in its, own town, for political reasons
the last election, ostsnsibly,
however, for failure to list taxes.
"In the face OF these facts it was the
Charlotte Observer that raised the
howl about the, act of 1897 and set the
whipper snappess to piping it's carefully
pitched tune.
"Whtre we're the Ashevila, Citizen
and Gazette and why were not their
hands raised in holy horror when
Democratic politicians under this
Democratic law, had a hundred or 90
of the honest voters Of fBuncombe,
county arrested and Imprisoned in
Ashevilb Jail under their own surveil-
"CitiNens of Winston remember that
when this order went sorth froaa Dem
Ocratie headquarters, to arrest these
voters and when it was attempted 80
be done here. that Winston and Salem
were spared the fate of AsheviIle and
Fha rlofEn Onlv hooa1ao IL uoS RonnS