The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-06
THAT INFAMOUS TAX Law.

Infamous law as to imprisonment for
faxes, and limiting the time to some
day in September. means all taxes
lawyer Lusk, who had probably a
Sand in passing the law If not in franz
sng it, says the law applies to all taxes,
and the imprisonment feature is con-
stitutional. It is certainly under the
circumstances a most extraordinary
enactment. It will greatly embarrass
tens Of thousands Of the sober, indus
frious, honest citizens Of the state. To
make nOn-payment by a given time a
pisdemean at law. with such a
sharp penalty, imprisonment for six
months if the judge 50 elects or a fine
Of $500, is he SO orders. Is a positive
crime against good citizenship. The
state treasurer has decided as Mr..
Lnsk thinks-that is he had given his
view Of the law, and it is in agreement
with that reported as from Mr.. Lusk
IN yesterdays Messenger. Mr.. Worth
says it applies to all sorts Of taxes-in-
cIudes in it's sweeping reach poll tax
and property tax, special tax and III
cense tax. 1t is very general, very
drastic, will prove very oppressive
IF the republican sheriffs. judges and
solicitors do their full duty, without
favor or discrimination, the poll tax
dodgers among their crowd will suf-
FER pains and penalties with better
men who are not ~delinquents from
choice, but may be SD from stern ne
cessity.
We regret the enactment of such an
unfair, ungenerOus, outrageous law in
North Carolina-a state in which the
people have been ever opposed to high
BANDED oppressOrs and prosecuting OPP
pressions. The history Of the colony
showed how unbcarable were tyrants
and bad laws 70 the people. North
CaroIinians are no more in love with
wrong doing, with unjudiciOus legisla-
zion, with vile and oppressive laws in
1897, than they were in "A. -. 17oG. They
will kick high and with all due vigOr
at the attempted outrage upon the
poorer classes, and when they get a
ryhack at the Russell gang they will
whack to some purpose.
HVn0m the gods would destroy they
first make mad. This is an ancient
saving that has come dOwn to this
time. IT ooks as if the incompetent
and vicious ignoramuses had been
made mad that they might work out
their own sure destruction and thus
relieve North Carolina of the great
curse and afIlictiOn under which it has
been resting under the damning dy-
..45ty of Russell Wilson Skinner crowd
Do the people of Wilmington, of
New Hanover, of the Cape Fear sec
ton take in the complete meaning of
lhis bad, detestable lave? 1t means a
very great deal. 1t NEAR to worry, to
affect a class of honest, industrious
tOilers who are hampered by circum-
stances. 1t means that at a time of
monetary s~tringency, of greatly de-
pressed prices, of low wages-not one
half what they were formerly-this
law of the redical and pops-the mod
ern Modes and Persians-that all shall
be compelled to pay all taxes by a GER
tain time in September or some other
time as the court may occur referred
10 in the law.
We see from a communication that
appeared in The Charlotte Observe
from ex-Auditor Robert NJ. Furman,
a man of judgment and experience,
hat the law operates in this way-that
The court is to punish, without dis
erection, as for crime, all who fail to
pay either property or poll tax be
tween the first Monday in September
Iwhen all taxes become duel and the
sitting of the court after that date; and
like punishment to be inflicted by each
court sitting after said first Monday
IN September until the taxes are paid,
or until the property is sold in March
or May, to pay the same. And if the
tax due be only a poll tax, and the
party has no property, we presum the
court must sit on his case at each
term until such tax be paid" SO peo-
pie in some counties nus pay earlier
shan in other counties. If we are not
mistaken taxes must be paid several
weeks earlier in New Hanover than
IN counties in the west. The States
vile Landmark discusses the Wretched
and very bad law, and says:
This law will work untold hardship,
II enforced, and we want the people TO
remember, as they so along, that it is a
pOpulist-republican reform law. Re
member, also, that the fine or impris-
onment of the citizen for failure to
pay taxes will not stop the sale of his
property for taxes, if he has any. That
will go on just the same. Whether this
Law will be enforced or whether it will
hold in the courts is another question.
1t was put on the statute books to be
enforced and if it fails for any reason
81 will not be the fault of those who
=naCted it,"
There is one idea in connection with