The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-27
WHAT HAS GONE WITH THE MONEY!


the present administration has collected
more money ont of the insurance com
panies. the fertilizer companies, the rail
roa DIS. and the banks than any preceding
administration.
What have they done with the money
The last Legislature passed bill in
crpasing the rate of taxation in order
TO keep up with the big appropriations.
The Supreme court knocked the law
ont because the equation between the
property and poll tax had not been pre-
served as required by the Constitution
But for that decision of the Supreme
court. the tax rate would be considerably
higher now than it is.
The Fusion government has all the
regular taXmoney, and boasts of big
collections from insurance companies and
other corporations. 1t didn't stop with
increasing the taxes on the corporations.
When the higher tax rate failed because
it was unconstitutional the Board of
Equalization in Raleigh arbitrarily in
creased the assessment on horses, mules,
and almost everything else raised on q
farm so that the StateTreasury, denied
the increased revenue from the increased
rate. could get as much 10y raising the
assessments on the homes, horses and
implements which farmer must use.
When the railroads began to object to
their increased assessments, State Au-
ditor Aver said in substance that while
the taxation assessment had been raised
a fraction on the railroads and corpora
tions. it had been raised 400 per cent on
the farmer And ut the meeting of the
Sherifl's and State officers ut MoreheAd
in the summer of 1897 in an interview
the same State officials said:
'.The last Legislature appropriated
nearly S1,00O.000. and we have got to
get the money somehow and much of il
ought to come from untaxed property"
What has become of the money raised
by increased assessments and the appll-
cation of the rack to increase the State
revenues? 1t is notorious that the State
Treasurer. without any authority of law,
refused to pay appropriations ordered
by the Legislature because he said he ana
not have the money to pay them.
Where is the money, if this admins
tration has made the insurance companIe
and other corpora tons pay so much more
than they have heretofore paid!
1t is not our purpose to initiate the
Fusion orators by intimating that 1t mas
been stolen by any officer. 1t is not our
habit to deal in insinuations. We name
the man and talk straight from
the shoulder when we charge corrup-
ton, and we have already exposed more
rottenness in high places under this ad-
ministration than had been known in
the State since the carpet baggers were
driven out of the State in 1870.
Let us presume that the money col
lected has been kept for public uses.
Where has all the increase in taxes
gone? The public schools have not been
benefited.
Where is that money? 1t is now either
in the Treasury or has been paid out for
the big appropriations made by the Re-
publican Legislature. That is the only
explanation that has been made from
any source.
In recent speech at Pittsboro, the
Chatham Record says that Hon. c. b.
Aycock showed from the State Audi
tors report that the three years of fusion
rule in North Carolina 0S95, 1896 and
1897 had cost nearly FOUR HUN
DRIED THOUSAND DOLLARS
MORE THAN THE PRECEDING
THREE YEARS UNDER DEMO
CRATIC RULE" Mr.. Aycock is q
very careful man in his statements.
The. country people have long memo
ries. They remember that in 1894 the
Fusion orators demanded that policy
of ''retrenchment and reform" should be
inaugurated, denounced the State Dem
ocratic administration as eXtrayagant
and corrupt, and pledged themselves
when elected to reduce the number Of
Offices and to ''cut down the salaries
so that they will correspond to the de
pressed price of agricultural products"
That was the pledge made to secure
election. What has been the result?
Not salary has been decreased, fees
in some counties are higher, Offices have
been multiplied, and taxation has not
been decreased. What is the sense in
increasing taxation on railroads. insur-
ance companies, and other corporations
if the people do not get the benefit of
it in reduction in their own taxes? If
this administration has collected so much
more from corporations 1t could easily
have reduced taxation on the people, but
instead Of that it squeezes corporations
and farmers alike to keep a horde of