The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-10-30

Have they not been boasting for two
years of Il ma jOrity OF 60, 900! 1.-THE
people are with them why talk them
to death? Will any OF them tell that
the Fusion Legislature reduced the
rate of interest to six per cent, which
the Democrats refused for twenty
wears to do: and that this caused
manufactures to spring up as never
before in the State, including two
large cotton mills in this town? Will
they tell that the lease of the North
Carolina Railroad in 1872 for twen-
ty-fve years was considered IL great
crime, and that when renewed by Il
Democratic Governor and directors
| for ninety-nne years i'll 1891 no
Democrat complained, but the Flu
! sion Legislature made a vigorous
effort to annul it, receiving no help
but rather opposition from the DEM
ocrats? Will they tell that the Flu
sionists enacted "a fair and honest
election law, and that Democrats
promptly repealed it, enacting one i'll
it's stead, now in force, that vests the
right to register, solely i'll the discre-
ton OF one reoistrarin each precinct?
"No, they will not speak of those
things" said the speaker, ''but they
will talk of 1868 and of the Hancock
scandal and of negro domination,
and the incompetence OF Fusion
Judges-forgetting that some of the
present Democratic Judges decide
cases like it was said old Judge Sam
Watts did: by letting the lawyers
speak till they got broke down and
then decide against the one that gets
hacked first" And they will talk to
you of the liberal appropriations OF
the last Legislature for schools and
for Confederate soldiers and the Asy-
Iums to hide and glaze over the many
bad things it did. They will try to
plead their gifts to school and charity
as excuses for their misconduct, like
the old miller who died and when
asked by st. Peter if he had mot taken
too much toll said yes sir, but the
st ones were dull and the water was
low, and | wanted the toll to give to
the poor, But st. Peter waived him
to the side of the goats
Then the speaker told that the last
Legislature taxed the three hundred
and eight million dollars worth Of
property in this State heavier than
it had ever been befOre-13 cents on
each 800 and 81 20 on each poll-all
for State purposes, leaving not
enough taxes to run many OF the
, Counties, making special taxes neces-
sary for that purpose; that is laid
, heavy taxes on eighty-One profess
sions, trades and franchises, and on
incomes and inheritances, all which
raised more money than the State
ever collected before; and yet Colonel
Odds, the prince of Democratic news
paper reporters for the State, sent
out to his papers on Aug. l, 1902,
that there was Il deficit in the State
Treasury of S435, 100000, or about
, half as much as Il years taxes. We
have had schools and Il university
and asylums and Il penitentiary and
colleges before, said the speaker,
(which were literally maintained by
: the ordinary taxes under previous
| Democratic and Fusion administra-
: tiOns. which latter turned over many
t thousands in cash to the present
) treasurer in January, 1901, then why
T. the deficit? 1t is because the last
| Legislature spent nearly ten thous-
: and dollars in a wicked effort to inn
$ peach two upright living judges and
/ one dead Judge ofthe Supreme Court;
} and created two new judges of the
!, Superior Court to reward its party
, bosses, though the Judges we then
g had did not have to work more than
Y thirty weeks out of fifty-twO and we
e now have enough Judges to hold
Il eight weeks OF court a year in every
n County i'll the State and each judge
/ have four weeks holiday. This i'll
b crease costs So. 800 a year. 1t in
0 creased the Governors salary from
+ $4,000 to $4,000 year and a furn
= ished mansion, though Graham and
t Vance and Scales were proud to live
n on 81, 900, which is 5000, for every
@ day in the year. More indeed than
II the average monthly wages of labor
n ers i'll this State, and they did it whel
h the Constitution said it should no,
d be done, and many other wasteful ex
d penditures the speaker had not time
s to mention.
e The Democratic party claims tC
J. be in favor of education, yet only 6
S few years ago when the Blair bill wa.
81 Offering us millions for education i
lie refused to take them unless it SHOULD
is be distributed and expended through
he State and not National officers. Ane
o in February, 1899, when some Fus
" ionists employed hespeaker to hav'
d the fines paid in that the Constitu
in ton applied to the schools and which
he the towns all over the State had con
Of verted to their own use to the amour
IL of over a million dollars, the Demo
" cratic Legislature of 1899 enaete'
re that it should not be done. Thei
d, act was promptly declared unconst
so tutional by Democratic and Republ
=? can judges and the fines ordered pai