The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-10-12
TAX ON LAUGHTER
A Law THAT NEEDS REPEAIIN0
SPEEDILY.
/ nat Placing as Excessive Tax Upon
SHOWS and Mirth-provokingA muse
ments OF all kinds-Bad Enough to
lax Luxuries But Laughter is a
Necessity.

VIC" beInt journal
The average small boy or girl
whose life needs he tonic of a daily
hearty laugh, is ever open to i'm
pressions which shall provoke this
laughter
Among children Of large growth.
the laughing man or woman is by the
many regarded as frivolous, for your
practical person will say continually
''life is no joke" and so put into
daily practice the theory, thereby
making his surroundings partake of a
sOmber hue.
''Care to our coffin adds a nail, no
doubt; And every Grin, so merry,
draws one out" but how extract or
attempt to extract these coffin nails
by Grins, many preferring to take
"something" for that tired feeling.-
when instead good merry grin, with
laughter added, would accomplish
more than physicians prescription or
a bottle of patent medicine, or a ker
full of pills.
And yet the people of North Caro-
lima to-day are laboring under q tax
on laughter, a really more serious
matter than the tax on tea which the
good folks on the lower Cape Fear
raised so successfully over a hundred
years ago.
The people of the State send repre-
tatives to Raleigh every two wears
who make laws with the intention Of
benefiting the people. These law
makers on the stump are usually
jovial fellows, with plenty of fun in
their speeches, and they would be
thought to he the last persons to
legislate against laughter.
And yet such is the case, for the
laws to-day in this State are nearly
prohibitive on amusements. such as
theatres, circuses, small shows and
baseball games.
An instance of this tax on laughter,
and every one will grant circus to
be a laugh producer, is seen in the
soon to exhibit in a near by city in
this State, was as follows, quoted
from an exchange:
"Mr. Blanks show will be here
soon and he is in the city to make
the necessary arrangements. The
first thing he inquired about naturally
was the taxes. He was surprised at
the magnitude of the amount which
has to be planked down before show
can exhibit here The State taxes
5000, the county 5000, and the city
$40. This makes over $500, whereas
at Richmond, Mr.. Blank states, the
tax is only $50. He mentioned a
number of other places which place
the tax at a small figure, among them
Buffalo, Utica. and Syracuse, S25
each: Fort Wayne, Ind, a city of
$4,000 people, only $500"
Here is an exh, bit which shows how
excessive is this tax.
OF course some people will argue
the circus mas to come anyway and it
ought to be taxed, for it draws all
the money out of a country.
Do those who make such state
ments actually know what surplus
there is for the circus owners to take
away after paying expenses? Ii they
did know they would not make use of
any such foolish statement.
Then to take the side of the people
whose money is taken, what of them?
How many times do parents and
children go over what they saw at the
Circus" after returning home, and
many is the laugh re-laughed from
recollections of the clown, the mon
KEYS of some incident or the show.
And how many towns in the State
can afford to pay the excessive
theatre tax made upon them by the
Legislature, the consequence being
the people must do without plays.
And even the baseball game must
pay its tax, thus curling game
which has been regarded as National,
and one which everyone enjoys see
| ing.
Here is a tax, this Laughter Tax,
which needs repeating, and let nails
be driven in the political aspirations
of those would-be- Legislators who
will not favor its repeal.
1t is enough to he taxed on luNu-
ries, but let not laughter be con-
sidered such, but rather necessity
which shall be free to every man,
woman and child in the Old North
State.