The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-08-18

there wo. on deposit In
the bank, n part OF the
amount and turned
over 10 Secretary
Thompson e.. $3.50 IA
| Totai -. $62,JIi ..
DIR. Thomp>on's books show that
he collected during the first year o!
his administration, that l.. up TO
January lst., 1895 as follows:
For Commission tax $.59,v5. ol
For License Tax 2J,S63.6.
Total So on. .6a
So ii will be seen tnat the collec-
tions in 1896 Ander the Coke ad-
ministratioH exceed the collections
of 1893, the last year OF the Cooke
administration, by $l1 ,0UJ.iJ. The
increase in 1896 over 1895 would
be accounted for by the increase In
the number OF insurance compan-
les and the extension OF the busi-
ness and the increase OF Secretary
ThOmpson's administration for
1891 over 1896 would be accounted
for by the increase on the amount
OF the license tax because OF the
higher rate. This alone would
amount to something over $1,000.
There has also been slight in
crease in the number OF cons panies,
and the increase OF the commission
tax on account of extension OF the
business has been much. Those
who have not Investigated the de-
velOpment OF the insurance busi-
ness Of North Carolina haze no idea
to what extent and how rapidly il
has continually grown i'm recent
years. A reference to the annual
statements OF Secretary Cooke
made in 1896 and to that OF Secre.
tary ThOmpso made in 1897 shows
that in one year this increase
amounted to over quarter OF a
million dollars for sixteen life
companies, and the increase in the
commission tax thereon to more
than five thousand dollars.
The license year OF insurance
Companies is from April to April.
Some of the taxes-aggregating
over two thousand dOllars-due
for the year commencing first OF
April 1896, and ending first OF April
| 1897, which were cOllectible under
the Cooke administration were col
lected by Secretary Thompson af
ter he came into Office. Some ol
these were from old companies
which had been doing business in
the State for some time and who
had made their reports regularly
and their sOlvency approved, but
the tax had not been paid mol
new licenses issued to the com.
panies. The other companies were
doing business without license
and without the knowledge Of the
Secretary of State, who had nc
means OF detecting them in so do
ing. When these companies filed
reports at the beginning OF 1897
their reports showed that they
had been doing business in North
Carolina in 1896 and Secretary
Thompson, as was always the rule
Of the Office, collected the full
amount OftaXes which they should
have paid i'm 1S96-befOre author
izing them to do business for 1897
1t appears from the report oi
Capt. Coke that the collection from
the first of April, 1891, to April
1895, amounted to $l66 ,995. 60 an av.
erage of $4l, 1856. Now the fac,
that the amounts collected per yeaI
by Secretary Coke were less thar
the amounts collected by Secretary
Cooke and Secretary Thomspor
ought not to be considered as any
evidence Of unfaithfulness on the
part Of Secretary Coke for the reas
Ons: that it is accounted for by tn,
increase of the license tax and tn,
large extension of the insurance
And this applies also to the col
lectiOns made under Col. Saunders
administration. During the earl,
years Of his administration the i'm.
surance business was insignifican
as compared with what it Is now
and during the last six years o
his administration the license Ia,
was only $500 a year for all com
panies, whereas during Secre
tary ThompsOn's administrator
it is $4,000 a year for lif
companies and $4,000 a yea
or Fire Companies. Durin
these six years the annua
amount Of license tax could nc
have been more than about $500
t A greater injustice could not b
, done TO the memory of the brav
3 and honorable man than to suf
, gest this as ground for impeachin
: his character either for integrit
} or faithfnlness.
On the day Of DIR. Thompson
= qualification as Secretary Of Stat
!, l presented to him a balance shet
9 showing a balance on deposit I
/, the credit Of Secretary Of State O
9 all accounts of $9.766.64, whic
: amount l Immediately turned owe
t to him. l at the same time turne
e over te him the books Of the ofil
e including two ledgers, which col
e tanned a full account Of my admin
e istration of the office. l beliey
i VI. AAoHipoOA 10 OH luSc1i
i gent and efficient officer.
!. he did not call my attel
s tion to any error foundlin tt
e office am obliged to concluG
= that he has given out no stat
l ment to any one which reflects
t any way upon my administratio
g of the Office, and that he
s in no way responsible for the pul
l. lication referred to in the begi
q ming of this communication.
III G. N. COOKE.
9 Louisburg, n. c., Aug. 8, '96.
II THE CAUCASIAN was requeste
r TO publish the foregoing, and v
+ gladly comply with the reques
d but do not see that it explain
j. away the discrepancy in the I