The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1913-03-20
THE WORK OF THE LEGISLA-
TURE.

was criticised by some OF It's own
members and has been generally crit
lied by the Democratic press since
that body adjourned.
The only act of that body which
has met with general approval, was,
as far as we can remember, the act
providing that women should be eli
gible to duty on school committees
and boards of trustees of graded
schools and girls colleges, and also
on the State Textbook Commission.
The Charlotte Observer, in an ed
Legislature, which it heads, Good
Deed; Ugly Face" closes that ed
1.-The Legislature has done good
thing by the State, even if it was I'M
gracious and ill-mannered about it,"
1t is true that the Legislature also
declared in favor of six months
Iublic school term, but no one has
given that body any credit for that
act because it is clear that it was not
done in good faith, inasmuch as the
Legislature di dnot attempt to pro-
vide the means for carrying out this
declaration.
On the other hand, the Legislature
was more extravagant and reckless
in creating offices and voting money
that was not in the Treasury, for
purposes less important than the
public schools, than has been any
other Legislature. So reckless was
the Legislature in this respect that
Governor Craig felt called upon to
send a special message to the Leg
islature protesting against extrava-
CANT and useless appropriation Of
money when there was no money in
the treasury.
The State Treasury was bankrupt,
and worse, when the Legislature
met, to the extent of three-quarters
of a million dollars, due to the eX-
travagance and incomptency of for
mer Democratic Legislatures. In
stead of the Legislature attempting
to economic so as to run the State
on the taxes that are now collected
from the people, it was more extra
CANT than ever before, and to meet
it's extravaganza voted to issue over a
million dollars worth of bonds to be
a burden on this and future genera
tions.
1t will take nearly all of this bond
issue to fill the big gaping hole that
now exists in bankrupt public treas
ury. The Legislature knowing that
another deficit would grow up under
their extravagant policy, as soon as
this hole was filed, then proceeded
of the people. The present tax levy
on each poll is 1929. The Legisla-
ture voted to increase this tax to
SLAB on each head. The present
rate of taxation on a hundred dol
lars worth of property is As cents.
They voted to increase that At 2-3c,
and this in spite of the fact that
only last year the Democratic ma
chine increased the assessed valua
ton of the property of the people OF
the State so as to get more taxes
under the present rates. Thus the
people have been doubly taxed, not
only by having the valuation of their
property increased by the last Legis-
lature, but now again by having an
increased tax rate levied on that in
creased valuation. This will result
in doubling the taxes of many a poor
man.
Senator Cook, the Chairman of the
Finance Committee, called attention
to the fact that the tax burden OF
the State fell upon the poor man and
the man of average means, and that
the tax system should be changed SO
as to make the wealthy pay their
fair share of the burden. In this
Senator Cook failed. He was SO dis
appointed and felt so outraged at
the action of the Legislature in in
creasing taxes and failing to adjust
them in a proper way, so that corpo-
rations and wealthy men would pay
their fair share, that he made a
speech just before the Legislature
adjourned, denouncing it's action and
declaring that the corporations and
trusts were in control Of the Legis-