The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-09-05

urpluS IN THESE InTee years or fusion
rule amounting TO $50, 1852.
1t is a little curious that Senator
Pritchard should Ia begun with the
year 1896, and it Is only explained on
the ground tha- the senator IL an
adroit politician II he had eschewed
all Juggling and manipulating Of fig
ures and had begun with the year 1895.
the beginning Of fusion rule, and read
from the report of Mr.. William II.
Worth, the fusion treasurer of the
state, he would nave u and would
have been Obliged TO have informed
the people OF North Carolina, that for
the year 1895 there was al excess OF ex-
penditures over receipts amounting to
S212, 233.74, and that for the four years
1895, 1896, 1897 and 1898. during which
time the f~usionists held the legislature
ar through it the purse strings OF the
state, there was a deficit Of expendi-
lures over receipts amounting to $158,-
1892. According TO Senator Pritch-
ards own figures the excess Of expen-
ditures over receipts for the years 1899
1900 and 1901 amounted to s154, S38.02. So
We see that the republican defiecit for
1895 alone was more than $4,000 great
er than his alleged democratic defecit
for the three years he describes as
democratic rule.
Senator Prftchard's figures for the
year 1896 show a surplus of revenue
over expenditures. 1t may be that he
is correct, but the report of Treasurer
Worth to the legislature Of 1897 shows
that instead of a surplus there was al
actual deficit of s2,O57.27 for the fiscal
year 1896. This same report shows that
at the beginning of the fiscal year 1895
the democrats had left in the state
treasury and that there came into the
hands of fusionist Treasurer Worth
the sum of 1903, 239. SO, and that on No
vember 30th, the end of the fiscal a
1896, he had on hand only $S8,353.O3, and
he turned over to Treasurer Lacy the
next year, according to Senator Pr1tch-
ards own figures. the sum OF S3i,ozS.5o'
If he had been able at that time to
have turned over the funds which had
been stolen by his clerk, Major w. H.
Martin. he would hae turned over to
Treasurer Lacy o3,5SS.40.
And yet, in the fac of these figures,
Senator Pritchard, h great leader or
the republican party of North caro-
lima, who dictates its policies and
names it's candidates. attempts to
claim that during the republican re-
gime the receipts of the government
were greater than the expenditures.
Senator Pritchard states that it Will
he observed from the table of figures
which he published with his speech
that in three years Of democratic rule
which we have just had. they collected
in taxes from the people SSSO,4l9.i.
more than the republicans collected
under the fusion rule for the same
length of time.
If the senator had mad such a thor
ough investigation into the affalrs Oh
state government, as a great leader
should make before stating facts to the
people he would have known that TINS
declaration is in direct conflict with the
i'm the case. The amount OF mon
ey collector from the people by public
taxes during his three years OF fusion
rule amounted to $1,6I1, 39O.1o. while the
democrats collected by pupIc taxes
the people for the three years
which he holds them responsible for
sum of ST. 66, O17.36, or s194,627.2l
more thar was collected by the repup-
licans. So that the senator's statement
that our axe have been increased
within three years in the sum or SsSO,-
419. 97'' is to say the least exceedingly
Lit is true that Il AUDITOR
report shows that S80,419.77 mole money
passed through the ~treasurers hands
during the three years which he calls
democratic yea than the three years
which he calls fusion years. but $711,-
SS3. 10 came from sources other imam
taxes; such as $21S,52i.Oi from
insurance companies, earnings of the
p~enitentiary, taxes on railroads, tele-
graph and telephone companies. fertl-
lizer taxes and taxes for organizing cor
porations; $120, POP from the sale OF bonds
they issued to pay fo- the DEBTS
of the pe~nitentiary contracted under
the rule of Senator Pr1tchardS friends
(And right here I will remark that the
face value of the bonds SOLD was only
s11O, OOO); s144, 800. OF for the sale Of the
bonds by Senator Pritchard's treasurer,
Mr.. w. II. Worth, in order to meet these
same old debts brought over to the
democratic legislature from republican
misrule and mismanagement; 4 O,354.63
from the receipts of h shell fish COM
mission; S65,25O.O 90 from the sale Of the
bonds issued to raise money with which
to pay for the state farm purchased for
the use of the penitentiary under the
management Of Captain w. H. Day;
S39, 499. IL was paid by the United States
on a count of claims growing out Of the
Spanish war. To this should be added
S39, 2O5.47 the increase IN the special tax
for confederate soldiers. Tie remand
er of the difference in n receipts be-
tween the democrats and the republic
cans is made UP of numerous small
items, including the earnings OF the
charitable institutions, the deaf and
dumb and blind and the like. or in
stance, DR.. Cyrus Thompson, secretary
of state, turned into tina state treasury
as taxes on the seals Tor the year 1895.
Sos. "A; while last year Colonel Grimes,
from the same office. paid into the
treasury on seals S636.90 {. During the
same year Rev. Baylus Cade, who is
now a republican candidate for judge,
turned into the treasury ds fees from
his office as private secretary $629.S5,
while Colonel Pearsall, the private sec
rotary to Governor Aycock, turne in
fees last year amounting to S1,179.90.
1t is a fact which any n can see by
turning to the public laws OF the state
and reading the revenue acts for the
several years, that the rate of taxation
for state purposes is less under the act
of 1901 than any years since the civil
war. The rate fixed py the democrats
is twenty-one cents on the n hundred
dollars valuation of property. The rate
fixed by the fusionistS was twenty-five
and two-thirds cents On the n hun
dred dollars. but their act was so glar-
ingly violative OF the state constitution
that the republican supreme court de-
clared it to be void and the Old tax of
twenty-one and ~two-thirds cents was
collected.
The senator declares that for the year
1899 the expenditures exceeded the re-
ceipts by the sum of S49.0iS, or. This is