The Carlisle independent., 1907-01-17

| | pose as at the common law
 I would suggest that the legislature pass | a law prohibiting man or corporation
 or other association of persons who OVID | stock in one corporation engaged in the l manufacture of any article of trade, rom 1 owning stock in a like corporation engaged
 m the manufacture or the producing for the
 markets a like product. because it tends to | suppress competition at all points where the 1 products of the two corporations could be l sold in the same market. Also corpora i tion should not be allowed to engage in any l business except that provided for by It's i charter and no corporation ought to be al
 lowed to own stock in. another corporation.
 want to call your attention to 1 the fact that at a common law corpora
 tion could not own land except so much ! as was absolutely necessary for it's corpo- i rate purpose. but under our law they can | become landed aristocrats, the landed artS~ i tocracy of this country. Therefore l ask 1 you to pass a law absolutely prohibiting
 corporation from owning any land except i such as is absolutely necessary for its cor
 porate purpose merely. do not mean ! to take from corporations the lands they
 already have. but to prevent further ac-
 quisition of lands by them except for
 purely corporate purposes.
 ALIEN OWNERSHIP OF LAND.
 One of the most important subjects to i
 is the ownership of the landed interests
 of our State.
 As a resume and recapitulation of this | subject gentlemen, I insist that it is your i duty first. to absolutely prohibit by law l any nonresident or nonresident corpora
 tion from hereafter owning one foot of i land in Arkansas. except for corporate pur- poses. Second. submit an amendment to 1 the Constitution by which a non-occupa- I ton tax may be placed upon all land which 1 is not actually occupied by its owner. Third. 1 pass law to prohibit land grabbing. | Fourth. amend the Constitution as to absolutely exempt the homestead from taxa i ton except for road purposes, and make 1t l impossible for the owner to cucumber 1t
 with any kind of lien except for improve
 ments or the purchase money. Give to
 every man the opportunity to acquire
 home. and exempt that from any kind 1 of liability other than these which l have
 suggested
 A PROBABLE DEFICIT.
 A great deal has been recently said by
 the Arkansas Gazette as to a probable def
 cit in the general revenues of this State on i July 1st. 1907. in criticism of speeches
 made by me in the recent campaign. | The general revenue fund is the fund in
 which it is insisted that there will appear
 deficit of S106,o00 on the first of next
 July. As I do not expect to exercise the
 powers of the Governors office after this l day, I shall not be responsible for tht l course of events after tnfs time; but
 have this to say that if any deficiency is
 made to appear in the general revenue 1 fund of the State on the 1st of July or
 at any other time, it will be the result of 1 carelessness and mismanagement. not to i employ a stronger term When 1 recon
 mended a reduction in the general revenue l tax rate levy l knew exactly what l was C,f l the true condition of the finances of the 1 State. nor with a reckless disregard of
 the claims of her honest creditors l knew | that if the assessing officers of the State 1 did their duty, as I had tried to do mine. i in the mater of assessing the railroads, l there would be a largely increased taxing
 basis from which to raise funds to supply
 in some degree the reduced amount result
 ing from the smaller rate levied. Then l
 took notice of the fact that many of the more recent appropriations were for the i erection of permanent State buildings.
 which would not be made again for many ] years to come Tn addition to this,
 there are many ether items temporary in
 character, which do not constitute a perma
 nent charge against the general revenue
 fund. Now. gentlemen. there is no
 occasion for a deficiency the 1st of next ] July or at any other time: nor is there
 the slightest excuse for seeking at the i hands of this legislature increase in
 the tax rate back to the old rate repealed
 by her last legislature. The tax ought 1 not to be increased. If fairly tested, and 1 it appears that the amount of money raised ! by existing levies will not meet all the
 present liabilities provided for by law. l then it will be the part of wisdom for my successor to do what I did-go oveg i the several items of liability and determine i where. in the light of present day necessf- ties. the same be reduced without i'm i pairing the effectiveness of the State gov 1 ernment.
 desire to call your attention to the ! further fact that when I assumed the i duties of the Governors office on the 18th i day of January, 1901. we had in the State i treasury to the credit of the general rev i enue fund-money turned to my ad- ! ministration by my predeceSsor-S221. l .9S. which is but $50. .5S6.09 in excess 1 of the amount we have on hand now. Now 1 gentlemen, taking into consideration that | within the last two years we have spent | upon public buildings of permanent char i acter s1IS000 which will not again be 1 tax upon the general revenue fund and 1 but for the erection of these buildings this
 money would have been in the treasury to i the credit of this fund feel that l can ! truly say that l have turned over to my i successor larger amount of ready cash 1 and permanent Improvements than was 1 turned over to me, and at the same time ! taxation upon the people of the State has | been reduced. And assuming that the ex- l penses of this legislature and ordinary run | ming expenses of the State government will ! not exceed what has been usual and GUS ! tomary heretofore with wise and economi- cal administration of public affairs I see | no reason for alarm about the question of
 a deficit in our public revenue: at least.
 gentlemen, I lack only S30000 in round
 numbers of turning over to my successor
 as much cash in the general revenue fund
 as was turned over to me, and I also turn
 over to you these splendid permanent i'm provements, which you will not again be