The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-07-29
MR. GORE TALKS OF NEEDED LEGlsLA.
TON. -,
The Reformatory -TaxatiOn-rhe Interest
Law cOrpOrations-ToO Many Young
Lawyer Legislators.

old ones changed. We need a reform
atory for the criminal boy and girl.
Let us have some place to put all
criminals who are not over sixteen.
years old, and put them on probation,
and while trying to make them better,
learn them a trade by which they can.
make an honest living. Pennsylvania
has an act known as 'the Juvenile
Court Act" which would be a good
enc for u State. They have the re-
formatory, also this Juvenile Court
Act, and the Judge has a right to put
the youthful criminal in charge of the
probationer, q think that is the name
of the oRcer), who is generally a
good m who gets no salary for
this work, but does it as a loving duty,
and most of these youthful criminals
are reformed even without a reform
atory.
We should have three of the best,
common sense, honorable men in each
county to go around and see all the
property. both real and personal, and
assess it. IF the present interest law
stands on our statute books, we should
not be taxed on money loaned. The
law now is, if you loan money for
more than 6 per cent per annum the
lender must lose double the amount
of the whole of the interest charged,
but we have no such law against the
horse-trader who may charge so per
cent or more on the horse he sells for
cash or on time, and no law against
the man who sells goods on crop time
and makes % to so per cent, as is
sometimes done. 1t would be cheaper
for the farmer and mechanic to Dor
row money at - per cent and pay cash
for his goods rather than buy on long
time. Let 6 per cent be the legal rate
where no rate is understood, but if /
or any one else signs a note in pres
ence of a witness to pay Z per cent or
more, then let it be legal. If this is
made a law, that money is free like
merchandise, then have a law that no
note is collectable b. law unless it is
Endorsed by the tax collector "taxes
paid" and the date Endorsed, and the
tax must be paid yearly or it should
not be c~ollectable.
If the interest laws are not changed,
then I think no tax should be charged
on money loaned when the law Says
you should not be allowed to charge
but 6 per. cent interest on money
loaned, and our State and county and
city laws here charge 212 per cent
tax, leaving only 312' per cent net to.
the lender. This either makes most
men not list it, or move away where
they can have more equal rights with
other property owners.
Let corporations be treated like in
dividuals-no better, no worse. Have
cotton factories and other manufactur-
ing plants taxed Just like farm lands
and city real estate. Don't tax shares
in corporations in or out of the State
when the real estate and visible per-
sonal property~is taxed. That is all
that should be taxed outside. of a priv
ilege or franchise tax. 1872 .
Let us have, common sense, laws, and
to do that we should elect common
sense men who are as near proof
against bribery as possible, and men
who will not take railroad passes, or
presents in any other way from cor
porations or individuals; We should
have some merchants. some lawyers,
some farmers, and some of all the
other walks of life in our legislative
halls. I think too many young law
yers go to the Legislature. What are
we thinking about! As a rule a man
twenty-five years old has not arrived
at the mature legislative age that more
years and experience will bring. Most
men who fill our legislative halls mean
we'll, but they need some one to ex-
plain what the people want in a short
common sense way, and lawyers, if
they know what we want, do not al
ways explain it in a short common
sense speech. 60
The law of taxing people who live
in North Carolina, on shares of cor
porations in South Carolina, looks
wrong. and further looks Ike Il nerar