The Parisian. (Paris, Tenn.) 1907-1962, 1920-07-23
HENRY COUNTY in
CRABTREE COLUMN
AFTER HIS SPEECH
Reasonably Safe All The Time, Hen
ry County Is Now Securely
Tucked For Crabtree.
CANDIDATE TELLS FOLKS
ABOUT NEW TAX MEASURE
Lauds Former Gov Tom c Rye As
Faithful Servant Without Ma
chine Methods.

nor will carry Henry County over
Gov A H Roberts by large majority
estimated conservatively at more
than 600. That's the conclusion of
those protesting to know the situa-
ton, and was announced following
his speech here on Tuesday night at
the court house, when he made a
most favorable impression on an
audience that well filled the circuit
court room, Notwithstanding the very
late arrival of Col Crabtree from
Big Sandy via automobile.
The colonel was not in the best of
condition physically, following a long
AUTOMOBILE journey over horrible
roads, and his throat was giving him
much trouble, but he aroused APP
plause time and again when he at
tackled the administration of Gov A
Fl Roberts, who he proclaimed the
father of the Farm Tax Law" And
it met with the approval of his au-
dience when lie lauded Tom C Rye
as the best governor Tennessee has
had in ten or fifteen years, and con-
tinuing said that Rye was a governor
that gave the people an honorable
administration of it's affairs without
fear or favor so to speak.
Col Crabtree said that Democratic
simplicity and economy in Office was
the foundation of his platform, and
inspired him to enter the race for
the purpose of serving just one term
without asking for another to en-
dcavor to show the taxpayers of the
state that a business administration
could be made to prevail. He lost
po time in entering upon a discussion
of the new tangled tax laws" which
he heralded as Gov Roberts "fanm
tax laws" and characterized them as
unjust, unfair, undemocratic, and
oppressive measures. He said that
Gov Roberts, the father of this law,
could not explain the same to an
outraged people. He insisted the
laws were viscious because they gave
the power to the governor to APP
point the tax statisticians, and went
on to show how Roberts had used
this to build up a political machine.
He pointed out that further viscious-
ness was evidenced because there
was mo- provision for properly caring
for the personally tax other than as
desired by the governor himself, and
that thus he could use the same to
advantage in lessening the valuation
upon his friends and heaping the
valuation on his enemies. He said
the railroad commission, as now con-
stituted and as given the authority
to determine definitely the property
tax, was not in position to tell the
farmer what his property was worth.
He made pointed and especially i'm
pressed his hearers when he outlined
the phases of the laws that would
result in no increase in assessed val
uation of railroad and public utilities
property while at the same time the
tax on farms and other property was
being increased, and said that thus
the farmer would have to bear the
burden. He evoked much applause
of approval when he time and again
referred to the tax assessment laws
as the "Roberts' Farm Tax Laws"
Col Crabtree opened the ears and
eyes of his audience when he told
them about there being an appropr-
$40, 900 to make the new tax assess
$40, 900 omake the new tax assess
ment laws effective, and many were
thunder struck when he further
produced figures to show that this
appropriation had now been increas-
ed to $4,000 and that ultimately
it would require some 100000 for
the administration and operation of
the same.
The fire prevention department
came in for a threshing, Col Crab
tree producing the names of II
fire prevention appointees additional
over and above the number provided
for in the creation OF that depart
ment by the general assembly-these
additional IL, or many of them, he
said, being used solely for political
purposes, including one who was
writing the Roberts editorials for a
Nashville paper.
He partially dwelt upon the road
conditions throughout the state. and
mentioned that over a million dollars
was laying in the state treasury
cooling off awaiting disbursement
for road purposes, etc. He excited
considerable interest when he told Of
Carroll county road building con-
tract that had been let and forfeited
Jpn the payment of the $500 stipu-
lated forfeit price, and subsequently
relet to the same bidders at $4,000
increase over the original price
showing that head Of the highway
department had a relative connected
with the bidding firm. He asked
what the conclusion could be in such
an instance.
Promising the people that he would
stand on the repeal of the "viscious''
tax laws, and enact only such legis-
lation as was democratic and busi-
ness like, along the lines of least re-
sistance at least expense, Col Crab
tree rounded out a line of action that
left his hearers with a good taste
and Henry County may now be safe
ly marked up in his column with a
nice majority