The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-05-02
By CAPUS M. WAYNlCk
State Senator and Director Ma
t:onal Unemployment Service
for North Carolina

t.OnaI
for North Carolina
RALEIGH, May 2.-In the
campaign in which the ITO men,
bers of the 1885 general assem-
bly, will be chosen. much will be
heard in denunciation of the pres
ent fiscal policy Of the state, me
sales tax will be condemned am an;
its repeal demanded. Appeals Will
be made to the self-interest OF
those bearing heavy tax loaaH'
There will be more speakers Plo-
claiming that injustice and neon
petence rule, than there Will De
speakers giving tn" voters ue
pendable dispassionate facts aoout
the states affairs. Yet When the
tumult dies, | am comment hiCn
will be in office who will do their
dutv bv North Carolina. There IS
saving sanity in this old state.
TAX LOAD is INEVITABLE
Taxation is the issue obscurirg
all others in the campaign. | be-
lieve the people are convinced the
costs of state government have
been reduced to low level, that
compensation for officers and
teachers is too low for the most
constituencies campalgner to get
far in advocacy of further reduc.
tons. Yet by queer power OF
self-mesmerism, some say they are
still convinced the tax load lnl-
posed by the state can be greatly
reduced in 1885. Others do not
foresee reduction but advocate
relief for the distressed taxpayer
by transferring the load to the
other fellow. Reduction is made
further more unlikely by the fact
that the trend of the day is to-
ward greater social service by
the state, and consequent great
err outlay by the common treas
The problem, Their, is not so
much one of reducing the eXper-
ditures of the state as it Is the
elimination of waste. the promo
ton of efficiency in government,
and the proper distribution of the
casts.
WHY THE SALES TAX?
Propagandists charge the gov.
ernor and general assembly OF
1888 with grossly laundering IN
the enactment of the sales tax
They say it was foisted upon the
people by representatives incom-
petent in their trust and intiu-
enced by predatory interests.
Consider the plight of the state
government when the last general
assembly met. A deficit had ar
cumulated for three years 10
mount to $14,O0O,000 in June,
1888. The people were groanin;g
under the tax load and demand
ing relief. Property taxpayers IN
thousands of cases had thrown up
their hands in despair and quit
irving to meet the levies. Outside
creditors were reluctantly renew
ing the states notes and demand
inc the highest legal rate of IN,
terest. General industrial and
commercial conditions were ex-
tremely bad. Before the revenue
plan was adopted, all the banks
turnout the country had closed,
When the issue was drawn, the
legislator had to decide whether
to vote for a measure which held
out some reasonable hope to re-
store the states credit and pre-
serve its essential public services.
or whether to cling to an old sys7
tenn under which the state was
plunging further and further to-
wards financial chaos. That was
the issue the governor and gen.
eral assembly faced and resolved:
It was only after long weeks OF
arduous search for another way
out. that the assembly became
convinced of the memorable char