Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1910-06-30
The SPECIAL School Tax In Watnuga

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Mr.. EDITOR:-The Hon. Smith
Hagaman made a speech | a t
spring at he close Of the Cove
Creek school and chose for his
subject "a new phase of country
life" Mr.. Hagaman showed in a
very practical and common sense
way the Importance OF the coun-
try people, the farmers, going
forward.
First, of course, he emphasized
Observation-Disclosures in agricul
ture, in scientific farming, as we'll
as in literary way, and advoca
ted strongly as a means of edu-
cation the betterment ef tn e
public schools. This writer wants
to say here that hei awfullys sor-
ry that there is q backward step
in Watauga regarding the local
tax. One district has voted it
out and another will, perhaps,
very soon. Ii this, my country
brother, going forward? | think
not. Counties east OF the Blue
Ridge, many of them, such as
Mecklenburg and Guilford, that
are in easy touch with Charlotte
aud Greensboro, whose educa.
tional facilities are hardly, sur
passed in the Sonth, have a large
number of local tax districts, be.
lieving the public school the most
effective way of educating be.
cause il reaches all classes of
people And i'll had 1t in my power
l would convince every tax.pay-
er in -Watauga that the best
money he has ever spent in his
life wonld be in educating t h e
che children-lhe youths upon
whose shoulders the affairs Of
state and country vii! soon
fall and, as l see it, it is eminent.
ly our duty as parents to pre-
pare the next generation for USE
fulness. Useful Reader, tax.pay-
er, have you ever tried or had q
desiIp to be useful, and do you
want your children to be broad
minded, liberal-hparted, o b | e.
thinking men and women? Then
go out of your way to bring
them In tn,ich with good litera-
ture and lives OF Gr-a and good
men-ptlucate them and do it by
voting a special tax on yourself
Tor that purpose, as it is the
best thing we can do at present.
Again, Mr.. Haeaman said the
country folk should beautify
their homes-make them attrac-
tiye, 80 that our children would
not want to go to town. Now we
are up against it; we must tax
ourselves to EDUCATE and then
spend money to keep these cdu-
cuated boys and girls from 60.
ing to town. Yes, pretty tough,
but if we do It they will bring
thugs to pass and we will be
proud of them and they will call
us blessed. OF course we m u 8 t
have money with which to do
these things. Where shall we get
| it? First. by increasing our ear
nings by close application OF our
time to business and organiza-
ton. Organization is highly i'm.
portant. We let the mannlactur-
pr do all the pricing, that OF the
raw material and also the manu-
factured article. Take for an ex-
ample wool. We are getting this
year 23 cents the pound for wool
and if we buy any yarn it. costs
US 60 cents the pound. Here
there is too much difference in
the raw material and the manu-
factured goods. Let every man
who has the wool off of one sheep
and up, not in Watauga alone,
but throughout the country, ell
ter and be governed by an Or
ganization and we can get what
we ought to have for our wool.
! Let US organize in Wataugn for
a forward movement in every
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