The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-01-20
NOTABLE UTTERANCES BY THE GOVERNOR-ELECT
In Speech Augusta He Discussed Questions of Taxa
ion and Attitude Toward Railroads.
From the Augusta Chronicle.

FROM the aus
That was a notable address de-
livered by Governor-elect Joseph NJ
Brown before an Augusta audience
at the Grand Opera House Friday
night 1t was notable for its prac-
teal common sense, as well as fol-
the fact that it was the governor
elects first public expression since
the recent campaign on those vital is
sues-taXation and the states atti-
tude toward railroads and corpora
tions generally.
There is a distinctly encouraging
note to his address; it is character
lied by broad spirit of justice and
common sense throughout, and can
not fail to add to the general con-
fidence which has been felt ever
since his election. There are many
passages of Mr.. Browns address
which will well bear repeating; but
we will content ourselves with but
a few
In discussing the question of tax
alton Mr.. Brown, who has a Won
derfuI capacity for going to the very
core of things, brought out some
facts and figures not heretofore
known to the public; it, indeed, any
other public man had ever taken
the trouble to acquaint himself with
them For instance, he said:
"The ptroller-generaIs report
shows that in 1907 the total valua-
ton of properties in Georgia was
S699,536,87O, of which $512,14O,-
315 were owned by natural persons
and $187496,564 by corporations.
In other words, discarding fractions,
70 per cent of the total amount was
owned by citizens in their capacity
as natural persons and 27 per cent.
by citizens in their capacity as arti-
fetal persons, j. e., corporations.
Therefore as men and women by
consent and action of law form
themselves into corporations, that
they may by united action accom-
plish results which, singly, they are
too weak to secure, we are brought
face to face with the fact that it is
the natural persons who, after all,
are helped or hurt by the hands of
government And we are faced by
this declaration in the bill of rights
in our state constitutional otec-
ton of persons and property is the
paramount duty of government, and
shall be impartial and complete.
From this Mr.. Brown went on to
show that the employees of corpora
lions are almost unanimously non
producers of food products, and of
nfbor Mi IL
household economy; therefore de-
pendent upon the farmers for their
food supplies and upon the shop
keeper and other statesmen for their
clothing, their coal, their furniture,
etc, and probably at least Is per
cent. of them pay rent for the houses
they live in. He then showed that
in 1905 the total number of officers,
clerks and wage-earners employed
by the industrial corporations was
66,077 capital $115,S52, 565, total
salaries and wages Gables / and ID,
$22,274,744, cost of material used
500, TAP, value of products
$144, 975,572. Based on the multi
pie of only four people to a fami-
ly, he declared that 264,3O8 of our
people are dependent upon the wages
paid by the owners of the industrial
corporations in Georgia for their
means of livelihood.
These, in addition to the 93,10O
people represented by the families of
stockholders, make a grand total of
357, 408 people dependent wholly or
in part for their income in 1905 upon
the industrial corporations of Geor-
gia. In round figures he estimates
that there are 100000 people in
Georgia dependent upon the pros
perity of corporations who must pay
the farmers for food, the stOrekeep-
ers for clothing, etc.
With these pertinent facts and fig
ures before us it is easy to under
stand what happened to the state as
a whole, to farmers and merchants,
and labOrers and clerks alike, when
we stated in, two or three years ago,
to embarrass and hamper and tear
down those great industrial institu-
tiOns which were furnishing employ
ment to thousands and trade for
thousands more.
Governor-elect Brown undertook,
also, to show to the people of Geor-
gia that they are, in reality, far
more interested in building up the
railroads of this state to the highest
degree Of efficiency and service than
they are in some imaginary benefit
to accrue from a general reduction
in freight rates; which seldom, if
ever, are shared in by the consumer
On this point he said:
''The general business men, the
railroad train man and passengers
and the masses of the people OF
Georgia are more interested in hav.
ing the railroad companies to fur
nish such tracks, train service anC
other facilities as will protect life