The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1905-01-12
INTRODUCTION


Important secdons are givon below:
INTRODUCTION.
me Honorable the General Assembly.
congratulate you as you enter upon
."" dia"harEe ci your duties that you
l:Hr IN the State an excellent condi-
jTI. Her citizens Of ali caIlings are
.EosUer0us ana the revenues Of the
State are adequate for all tho neefe
hat you will be called upon TO supD,V
~ the close OF the last fiscal year Oh
p" 3Hn OF November there WAS in the
~ta'" Treasury for general PURPOSES
h. SUM nf 3S,6S3. 30. The revnue aud
5t,Hgn.h"Ty acts passed by the last Gcq-
cal Assembly have worked admirably
.'3 havc brought into tn" State Treas
Vs5 sufficient suIns fUr all purposes OF
government economically administer
'i- f"u will therefore enter upon the
Is narE@ nj yOIT duties unhamnrrod
.'' f"h'it and Unt"m2ted bv an. ,aFg,,
-i'l5't@ 80 make cXtravagant epDruDri-
-.tign-
"fiain taxes levied by the last Gen
':aI A@Sembiy have been declared by
1nc 'oHrts unconstitutional TDns,..
iaAra are adyerted to in the report OF
-" State Treasurer and | concur in
"'5 recommendations concerning tac:n.
.Hl'h changes ought 10 he made in law
1- viii enable the collection of these
axes for the future anl likewise for
@"" rast two years. Tho taxes so levied
-'eit pl0peE, but of course they must
- i".is!' in a constitutional manner
WIN III" few ,hanges suggested, the
.'d'nlHeTy ana revenue acts are uer-
jdps as good as We can make them un-
-irr our CDNSti tuition
1h' whole subject of taxation is Oiie
welt worthy yoUr profrIoundest consid-
'Ea'iuh. me burdens ot government
'.'"dN@ Vn"roua are made more so by
. wrong ui&tilhUttrn Of them. The tax
|''"H Ill nalV OF our towns and cities
N"et c"l1 1inCd with the State, county
:'"H SPECIAL taxes, is fC0nd IL ~ very
fdfG"nSOme and results in great loss
o' revenue by reason Of the refusal Of
-" taxpayer TO fully list his property
when the tax rate is so high as 10
amount tn something like confisc3tiCn.
rnmMend to your most careful cGn-
~i"cra'iOn the able discussion of this
matter by the State Tax Commissicn
rms commission has given much and
hrotouud study to the question OF tax
anon and its opinion is worthy Of The
H4't serious consideration.
! ne assessment or rd1ilOau properly
I'r taxation in 1898 was $33. .fI9 500: in
':"b this assessment was made So
".>.'25, this mere than doubling the
rsse&sm"nt in q period of five years.
This Increased assessment of railroad
property nj first glance might appear
80 he unjust but when il is considered
that Within the time named the gross
earnings cf the railroads of this State
HiEc increased from Sll .543 ,566 to S1S,-
'''Hi', Tie appearance CT injustice
passes away ami leaves one in doubt
whether She railroads are even now as
-eH'ei at anything like their true value.
IN. Corporation Commission has MAJ
"SEd the assessment OF railroad prop
efty and the collection OF taxeS out CT
the railroads with great wisdom aud
without creating any seriOns friction
bei|een these great corporations and
the State.
EDUCATION
l commend to the earnest cOnsidera
Lion Of Your honorable body the re-
port Of the Superintendent Of. Public
instruction and recommend the adop
ton Of the suggestion contained ther,-
ill., This State is extremely fortunate
III having as Superintendent. ;f Public
instruction a broad-minGed cultured
Sni able man. who is 1ushing Ecr cGr;
cat,onal interests forward a. a pace
which commands the admiration OF
our sister State. He has given much
study TO the subject upon which his
report IS based and ! cannot do better
than 70 declare that | concur in his
reasoning and his conclusions. ] great
y deprecate any attempt TO raise the
race issue on the question OF educa-
uon. There is absolutely 30 tustiflca-
ION for stirring up our people Oh this
subject. The small sum which the
white people are contributing to the
support Of the negro schools cannot
iof one moment justify the continued
agitation of the question Of dividing
the school fund according 90 the sum
PAID by each race. Having divestei
the negro OF power it is manifeStly our
DUTY to make Of him the best citizen of
which he is capable and this we can
certainly never do by leaving him to
ms Own devices. nor by Withdrawing
from LIN the small amount OF taxes
which We devote 10 his education.
mere are three courses open with Ie-
ference to the negro. The first is to let
alm 20 without any training and lneY-
l'aoly drop back into saYaseTy. When
We make Up our minds TO do this the
setcnd plan will at once be put ipto
eIect and that is for philanthroplc reo-
Pie throughout the world to take
tla-ge Of his education and train him
up cut 0. harmony and il enmlty to
me people among whom be lives. Ihe
lii.d plan is for US TO train him our