Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1898-08-11
INCREASED TAXATION
Unjustly Imposed Upon the PeOs
pie by the Late Fusion Leg
islature.
The. Facts and Figures

The Fusionists in North Caro-
lima have been driven by their
own extravaganza to devise
means for defraying their reck-
less expenditures. A direct in
crease in taxation would call at
tention to their profigacy and
was, therefore. as FAR as possible
to be avoided. Indirect methods
were preferable. So by the pro.
visions of chapter $40, Laws OF
1897, the Railroad Commission
was constituted a Board of Equal
ization with the power to in
crease the total valuation of any
class of property in any county, }"
with a like power to decrease, so
as to equaljze valuations in any
county. and also with the power
'to add to or deduct from the
aggregate valuation such a per>
centage of such aggregate val
udtion as may be necessary to
establish uniformity and equality
of valuations among the several
counties in the State" This pow
er Of increasing the value of
property in the State is gracious
ly limited so that it caunot exceed
6 per cent.
We have before US as we write
the order of this Board of Equal
ization as it affects Wayne county.
That order directs the Register
of Deeds Of this county to add to
the value of each COW on the tax
list in the county Is per cent. to
each hog 25 per cent; to each
sheep 10 per cent. It will be OBJ
served that this arbitrary act and
this wonderful order add alike to
the valuation of those hogs, cats
tie and sheep, which the owners
had already valued at their true
value as well as to the valuation
of those which had been under
valued This order fuds, in effect,
every man who gave in for taxas
ton cattle, sheep and hogs. sub
stantially guilty of peIjury-ev-
cry farmer ia this county is
found by this august board to
have undervalued under oath all
of his stock and the Register of
Deeds is arbitrarily directed to
increase the valuation and this
was done and the farmer paid his
tax without even knowing that it
had been increased. The particu-
lar order now before us has a
printed blank for adding to the
valuation Of bicycles, but the
blank is not filed and bicyclists
may be understood to have been
acquitted Of perjury by the Board
of Equalization. These orders
changing valuations may be
found in the Offices of the various
r egisters of Deeds and will be
shown any one on application if
the Register is a Democrat, but
if he is a Russellite he may in>
form you that you are a ballot
thief and refuse you the infor-
nation.
Another little scheme to in
crease the revenues without let
ting too many people know it
will be found in chapter 1853. Sec
ton Al of the Laws OF 1897. Un>
der the provision of this Act evs
cry administrator and every x
ecuter is required to pay into the
Office Of the Clerk of the Supe-
rior Court, when the annual re-
ports r fled. 3 of 1 per cent.
upon all legacies and inherits
ances devised or descended to
persons in the direct lines and
II per cent. upon all such legacies
and inheritances devised or de-
scending collaterally Except
such as r for charitable uses.")
Some of the States are resorting
to an Inheritance tax as a means
of checking the accumulation of
large fortunes; but in a poor
State like North Carolina it has
no roper place except in CAGES
where the State being heavily in
debt is compelled to resort to
new methods of taxation. Cons
trast this tax with the tax on bill
lard tables and one sees at a
glance the unftness of Republis
canism to rule the State. Under
the Democratic Revenue Act of
1898 billiard tables run in con-
nection with bar rooms were
taxed $75. 90. and the little estate
which the small farmer left to
his children descended to them
free of tax; in 1895 the Fusion
Legislature reduced the tax on
billiard tables to $50 90 but still
left the little estate free; in 1897
the Legislature which the "Cau-
casian" characteriz ed at the time
as "a damnable disgrace to the
State" reduced the tax on bill
lard tables to $500 and levied a
tax on small estates.
DThe sheep, cattle and hogs of