The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1915-10-29


squipp the roads they have borrowed
money and made mortgages and
bonds; in many cases for the full
value. The burden has become too
heavy; they have defaulted; their
credit is gone. Receiverships and re-
organizations follow. With all that
consequent troubles to labor and traf-
iic.
Honest Elections.
The last Democratic Convention APP
pointed a commission to prepare
primary election law to be presented
to the Genrl Assembly. This was done
but it failed to become law. The
main purposes of the bill are to secure
honest elections, a fair count of the
vote and the right of contest. | was
a member of the commission and gave
the bill my hearty support.
If the Democratic party is true to
its name and expects to control this
state it must see to it that the prln-
ciples of that bill are enacted into
law. If initiated | will support 1t; If
not, and | am elected Governor, | Will
do all in my power to have it passed
by the next General Assembly.
State Wide Prohibition.
j see no place in this campaign for
an issue on this question. The tenn
perance laws of this state have al
ways been among the best Some
good people have believed in local OPP
ton; others have believed that the
question should have been submitted
to the people. This probably would
have been done if an honest election
on the question could have been as
sured.
Whatever may have been the diff
ference of opinion in the past as to
how to deal with this question there
is now no doubt that large majority
of the people want the sale and manu-
facture of liquor in this state stopped.
On that basis the question has been
settled All lawabiding citizens should
cooperate for the enforcement of the
law without rancor or bitter fee ing
against those who disagreed with us.
If elected governor all the power or
that great office will be used to en-
force that law and it will not be re-
pealed unless over my objection.
The Growth of Tax Burden.
One of the causes of BUSINESS and
industrial depression is high taxes
ness. The constant growth of taxes In
the United States shown in table 5 of
the United States Department of Com
merce on Wealth, Debt and Taxation
is alarming. National, state. munich
pal and school debts have seeming
ly reached the danger point. In 1860
the general average annual tax burden
for state, county and municipal by dl-
rect taxation was only $500 per CAPT
ia; in 1912 it had been increased to
nearly $14.00 This is exclusive Of
Federal Taxes and of the enormous
sums expended in towns and cities
Tor special improvements.
The States and other divisions Of
government in the United States hay
ng power to incur debt have bonds
aggregating $3,475, 954 ,353.00 which is
IN increase in ten years of 81, 845, 884,-
1890 or 1l3 per cent.
In Arkansas the municipal, county
md school district debt, the great
n part of which has accrued in the
asst decade, is $12, 100000. | am
lnable to ascertain how much the
hainage improvement and road dis
5rict debts are, but they are very
arge My purpose in calling public
attention to the growth of such indebt-
adness i'm Arkansas is to try to arouse
he people to the necessity of public
economy and retrenchment and for the
exercise of more care and caution on
he part of the officials in the issuance
If bonds and other obligations. These
debts must be met by taxation. They
ut down the value of real estate.
They eat up the earnings as well a
he savings of the wage earners and
make it difficult for people of moder-
ate means to own their homes.
The American Idea.
In t776 there came from those who
made the Declaration of Independence
The announcement of brand new idea
in governmental affairs to the effect
that all men are created equal; that
man by nature is free and is by devel-
0pment capable of government;
that all government to be free must
rest on the consent of the governed,
This involved the denial of the di-
vine right of kings. The King o.
England read it and was enraged :;
the revolution followed; after foui
years of war the idea was indicated.
The idea became known to all of the
world We invited all who believed
in it to come and live with US. From
all parts of the globe they came to
aid in the work of building a repre-
sentative government. The people
have increased from three to one hun
bred million, and the states from Is
to AZ. The union of those states has
survived the Civil War and by the
cementing power of American patriot
ism exhibited on both sides the peo-
Pile and the states have been brought
closer together and now more fully
appreciate their common aspirations
and Their common destiny.
The idea is still at work and is the
hope of humanity; in time it will
free the world. This is the greatest
era in the history of the world, and
ours the best government.
Georgia's eloquent son said Of it:
The SHOWS that fall on Mt, Wash
ington are not purer than the motive,
which begot it. The fresh dew laden
zephyrs from the orange groves OF
the south are not sweeter than thc
hopes it's advent inspires; the flight o