The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1913-01-16

III, ., the condition in which inc
c.ate finds itself financially says:
"since the discovery that tue
c.o.n "a in debt, we hear the
same old talk OF assessih'o
nronerty being too low; Iha'
aoagars are responsible, etc.
~ Doubt this Is true and VIII
continue to be true. It's as o'o
90 tho hills. Meantime we are
collecting much more III 'H
than ever before, but we are ai'o
enending more. 1t occurs 10 o'
.ha.,bere is romo for Topping
off expenditures without uo'A
t,i,rv At the same time a pet
cor n1an of assessing properly
should be devised. we ousn' ~
cot IN more money and we ought
IN spend less. Both can be oohe'
hut it's going to be 1oD.
Certinlv the Legislature can iop
or some expenses without doing IN
,urv and after doing this the Legs
1ature might proceed to vote the nee
essary appropriations for the state 3
institutions and schools and walt I'LL
I'll this ia done before thinking OF IN
creasing salaries and creating he"
oRooc At former sessions the saia-
u,os vera raised and new offices Gre
o+ad the first thing, and when IL CAME
time to make appropriations Tor the
public institutions and schools 'heS
found it necessary to either porro"
money or issue bonds, but IL they
will attend to these matters hrst theS
won't then dare to issue bonds or
borrow money to pay for Increased
salaries or for any new JOBS tney
might wish to create to reward party
pets.
Some of the Democratic papers
claim that the State is growing SO
fast that it naturally takes more
money to meet the necessary eA-
penses. True, the State is growing
and it costs more to operate the
government now than it did several
wears ago; but at the same time
hasn't the tax valuation of property
increased several million dollars, and
isn't the State collecting more In
taxes now than ever before. 1t would
seem that the penitentiary surplus
of which we hear so much during the
campaigns should pay off lot of the
indebtedness of the other depart
mentsO The Insurance Commission
er reports that he is turning over
many thousand dollars into the treas
ury each year, and this department
paid practically nothing twelve or fif-
teen years ago. Every corporation
is now required to pay the Secretary
of State one dollar for filing report;
every automobile owner must pay
the State a license tax. These are
sources of revenue the State did not
have few years ago. In fact, every
thing visible, and most of the things
invisible, are taxed, and still the State
continues to run into debt under
Democratic good government"
~ lot
ing that property is not assessed at
it's true value, and that a new assess
ment is necessary in order to get all
the property put on the tax books at
it's true value.
Now, this might do if the State
would reduce the tax rate to about
half the present rate, but they should
be sure to reduce the tax rate before
increasing the assessment of proper
ty, otherwise no one could afford to
own property in the State. OF
course, where there are inequalities
in the tax valuation Of property it
should be remedied and the automo-
biles should see that all property, per-
sonal and real is listed for taxation.
But one essential lesson the Demo-
Gratis should learn is economy. When
they have learned that lesson it will
not then be necessary to keep in
creasing the burdens of the tax-pay-
ers every two years.
Senator Stubs, of Martin County,
has introduced q bill in the Legisla-