The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1913-02-06

The Fusion Administration Left Mon.
~ In the Treasury-Who Has Hun
the state Into Debt To a sun,
Amounting TO More Than $500
10000?
The Clinton News-Dispa;ch. speak
ing OF the States large Indebtedness,
and the responsibility for the debts,
says:
IF one should believe what the
Democratic press and stump speakers
say during the campaign they would
think that every Republican admins
tration this State ever had was COM
posed OF thieves. highway robbers,
and carpet-baggers But let's look
into the matter and see If We can get
at the real truth and compare the
Republican administrations with the
recent Democratic administrations.
The Legislature OF 1868 and 1869
during the Reconstruction period of
which we all have heard so much.
was composed OF carpet-baggers from
the North. together with their North
Carolina associates whose soma are
the leading men in the Democratic
party to-day. and when many of these
stump speakers and certain editors
are abusing the Legislature of '6S
and so they are heaping abuse upon
their own fathers. But that Legisla-
ture as mean as Ii was did not hurt
the State much, 1t Ia true they issued
lots of bonds but the Democrats re-
pudiated them and they have not
been paid until this day. So North
Carolina Is not in debt one penny by
so.
But in 1896 the Republicans car
ried the State an dof course found an
empty Treasury. Governor Russell
and his administration found the
State institutions in awful bad condi-
ton, the buildings in bad repair, with
but little furniture fit for use. At
the State Hospital they found many
of the poor insane patients lying up
on the floor for the lack of beds.
They went to work, repaired and fur
nished this institution, took the pa
tients off the floor and gave them nice
clean beds. They repaired and built
other institutions. In fact, the Re-
publican Legislatures of 1895 and
1897 appropriated so much money for
buildings, repairs, and maintenance
for the different institutions of the
State that the Democratic editors
liked to have had commissions because
the Republican administration had
spent so much money.
But it must be remembered that
Governor Russell and his administra-
ton did not sell single bond in or
der to get money to run the State
Government, that they contracted no
debts but paid every penny of the ap-
preparations that they made and left
in the State Treasury more than one
hundred and eighty-five thousand
dollars which the Democrats fell heir
to. There can be no doubt of this
amount being turned over to the
Democrats because legislative COM
mittee composed of three Democrats
the late Dr. B. F. Dixon, J. w. At
water, and w. P. Ormsby-counted
the money and said it was there. 1t
must be remembered that the Repub-
licans did not collect half the taxes
out of the people of North Carolina
that Governor Kitchin and his admin
istration collected out of the people
during the year 1912.
But in January, 1899, a Democrat
ic Legislature met and began to write
the laws and spend the money. 1t
was only a very short time before
this money had vanished and Cover
nor Aycock and Treasurer Lacy hik-
ed off to New York and borrowed two
hundred thousand dollars to tide
them over until the next Legislature
met and issued bonds to pay it, and
they have continued to issue bonds.
run in debt and raise taxes until the
people cannot stand it much longer
Only two years ago they almost dou-
bled the taxes, and now they are in
the hole SIS, 100000, and say that
our taxes must be raised still high
er. But if they keep it up at this
rate our property will soon be taken
away from us in taxes and the people
reduced to paupers.
AS we see it, there is only one rem
edy that can save our property from
confiscation in the name of taxes, and
that is for a large majority of the
people to quit voting the Democratic
ticket"