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1 we have repaired onr Court House at a cofct of
$3,671.09 and have bilt a bridge acrossiTar
river at ajost of $5,367.46, and we have con
tracted f"r nnd are now preparing to build a
new i ut which will cost some $7,000 or $7500.
The county levy for taxation since 1874 has
been as low as any county in the State, for
the Jast three y Hr it being only 25 cents on
the $100 valuation.
";-"-" V;;:: r' ALEX. l. blow.
O. fS.0. and lots Register of Deeds and Clerk
--is. ' ...... " v - i . U ;, . --...
The Radical papersy'so far as we have seen,
make no reports of CoL Dockery's speeches.
From notices in Democratio -papers printed
where he has Spoken,; and , from gentlemen
also entirely Tfehle ;w1iohave heard htm,
we leahi thkt etdogy of the Constitution of
1868, the Canby ConstitutionVtis. the feature
of his. speech. ' Col. Dockery's language on
this subject la. what i sometimes -called elo
quent, and Bohetimes 'designated highialu-
ting.: Thr Canby Cbnatitutloh,' Col,' Bockery
says. " was the grandest production of human
irisdpm that ever emanated.frohi the braju of
man , pecause. it, first la;j North- Carolina;
made rproylsloaiXfoiP B;6mesteaa f Lawcand
personal property exemptions for laborers
and mechanics' lien : for the rights of mar
ried women'; fcr the abolishment of Imprison
ment for debt for the election nf magistrates
by the people for free' suffrago In placo of
the ;Mriprop1irty,''qu required for
SenatfflOtSrs. ' The Colp'rQtf ioOr
that is to say.'whaTwe plain 'North Carolina
people might call the Jtefle'end; liil la'spridn
eagle, is to the effect that all the1 good J ever
accomplished for the Statet was accomplished
by this Constitution ' and : the'party . which
made it, and that the Democrats 'have'"hever
done " one single thing ?.'. ior the people that
resulted in good.""':
Skipping1 the peroration,' as ' that etid of f a
spread-eaghi tevaUowed t
will,' lei us look into the statements 'made- as
facts, and we will take them backwards from
. the peroration; as that1 beingi;last ' has been
' flrstteferred ioi'Tj V'Y'i-Z-
1, " Free Suffrage ! was established in 1S541
fourteen years before theCanby Constitution'
was thought of.5 "The Oonstitutioii Was amend
ed in that year the result of. the'!Jtnovement
begun in 1843 by Oov.' DavidS. Beid, the first
Ejemocrafelected Govehia? NdrthXJaw'
linai- j Colonel Dockery was quite old "enough
in 1843 to take ah Relive interest Ut defeating
5ov. Beid and" his ' proposed . constUutional
change.' 'V;:, l'';
' 2. The-election of magfeteates wa' taken'
from the LegUlature by tiierCanby; Conven
tion. We need not discuss the results hefet
Some of them are noted-elsewhere in the
official 'ciranty1 statements, and few .'people
have fofgotteil' the, evil "days "pi negro and
scallawagrale. . . .:. . .
3. Imprisonment-fordebt abolished. ' Most
readers Of this paper j4anfrad in theif neigh-
oornooa a copy oi; toe .liaws ot l85a.767.iJI
they will turo to page 85y they will find "An
- act to abolfeh imprisonment for 'debt ;' and
this act,isprecfeely what was put.iu.the Con
titution of 1863 by the Canby Convention. In
1866, negroes" did , hot vote and 5 white men
then, as white men are now, were Democrats;
The Legtsrature waswhijfe of coinfthe'
: IJegisUture .was almost unanimdosly Demo
craticJnThe bill to abolish! imprisonment for
debt waJntrodcjced into the House on Jani
-jiary ,24thi. 1867f by - .Ttf r Dargaa-X)f A.nsonv
Democrat i as, referred on the 29th to a spe-T
cial eommlttee.'Of 1 tlrree(Democratsj 'Mesarsi
Moore,;Daiiga;aua rJSS&k i'was'teported
from committee oa; the 30th an
day passedlts thiee readings by 8Xlto It
came up :lncith Senate 'on -February 12 tb, J
passing Its iecphdreading; 24to I2,t and oa 'the
20th passed Its third readings 26 to 19, and be
came tne-iiaw, jit; fjvi j,yKsT-c.t !?if-dX-Kt
4. The Homestead and Exemption law, jEhe'
lien jaw,l;nd tte'maied.iBman law.1 The;
reader; who laok? as abov& idvisedf ib to the
lSeTm'aifrha agg'SiAn
act estaljlistifreeM
which , law, 'rtafled and abridged in valae of
homestead and amount of personal' property
exemp tlori s,3 Ijnt'onchariged ' as M J liens and
married woman's rights, was .transferred to
the Canby. ConstituticJU of 186& and forms Ar-
ticle X cf that instrument, as( any one may
see who will "take-rthe iwixbte to. examine.
The bill which, was. made la w by this Legisla
tare of 1866-'67f composed as above stated Of
white 'meni whe were of course Deuldcrats,
was introduced, int rth; Senate by thai bid
fashioned Democ'tiMrf Berry of Orange
and passed by a votef S8o 6. The House
passed it without dissent as imported from a
committee of conference on some. points of
disagreement. A ' SZZ,l '.
We havet said above that instead of invents
ing the Homestead ! Law, She Badicals ia the
Canby Constitution '.curtailed and abridged
the Homestead and xe and
' theretofore existing.; CoL Dockesy Toaay say
that this is matter Of legal construction and
may intimate that we know", no more of law
than the evidently little known to him , So we
will cite authority that he will not venture td
dispute. . In the 69th volume, Bepdrts'of the
North Carolina Supreme Court, pages 396-
jinx 1' - ' ai ' - . .
; iw, ia t iwn,;viiue case . x . warretCr
Cheshire.' : The decision: of ; the Courtwhieh
consisted of the five Badicat Judges Pearson,
Beade, Bodman,f Settle and TJSoyden was
pronounced by JudgeTEdwin G. Beade. It is
all interestingreading,but we have space only
for the paragraphs relating" td the matter in
hand, which show that- the Badical Constitu
tion abridged the. exemptions established by
"the-.Iemocrahi not" only ih iS66, but so far
back as in. 1S56. , Judge 'Beade. says c
"Our act ot 1856, Bev. Code, exembts 'per
sonal property, articles byname, which may
be of the value of .tevafatJisiiiJHSd Hniioi.
more or less,-accordinz to the circamstancea
of the debtor's family. . And in 1866-67, prior
to the existence of the debt iu the case before
us, &h act was passed exempting all neces
sary tanning and mechanical tools, one work
horse, one yoke of - oxen, one cart or wagon,
one milch cow and calf, fifteen head of hogs,
600 lbs of pork or, bacon SO bushels of corn,
, - 20 bushels of wheat household and . kitchen
furniture ." not ' exceeding $200 ' in value ;
the libraries ot attorneys at law,- practising
physicians 'and ministers of the cosnel. and
! the Instruments of sureeonsand dentists, used
In their profession." Acts of lS66-'67, chap
ter 61. . . . . ,,. . - ;
"Itia apparent that an. allotment of those
articles approximate 21.000. uid !n m&nTiaapa
would exceed that sum in value., And
Same act allows, a' homwnrt nf 10
ATithdut restriction as to value, which in many
cases would be worth; wkh the improvemenU.
- many thousands!' r, , -
"In 1868 our cdnstitution -waa adnttfArl
in that our present homestead-law Is ; limited
to $1,000 realty, not in fee simple, but for a J .
limited time, and personaityto tue vaiueoi;
$o00. Can it be said of our homestead laws,
as the learned Judge said of the Georgia law,
that any one in castine his eye over-them,-aS
comparW with former exemptions, would be
struck by the magnitude of the increase ? Our
homestead jaw Is not an tncrease, but a restne
t.on upon former exemptions."
. ; LAND LOUD AND TENANT.
It wag matter of surprise' that the Badical
platform this year, did not. contain the usual
fierce denunciation of the Landlord and Ten
ant, Law. " The: omission can' he accounted
tots';?," ' "
Some two years ago, at the request of the
party managers, the late Major Bichard C.
Badger,1 as able and learned a lawyer" as lived
in North' Carolina in his day, made a thorough
examination of the law. They thought that
the law might be made the ineans-of revolu
tionizing the ' politics 'of 'Jfta, State, and that
his examhiatiooBa;e'xposure of its alleged
Iniquities would furnish the campaign matter
needed, for 'success. Major ' Badger ' himself
was inclined to the same opinion, and he un
dertook the Work :not doubting the result.
His 'conclusion was that the; Landlord and
Tenant Law was not sonlyiminently Just to
all font peculiarly necessary to the prosperity
of ! theitehant class, x Major Badger was an
extreme Judical,' but: he was also a ' sincere
lever of his kind ; and not '! given to the con
cealment of any opinion, he was especially
outspoken on any matter-affecting the inter
ests of those whom he thought liable to suffer
from lack of learning or lack of money to buy
us use of those who had learning. .? The con
clusion reaehed,. in his opinion nearly affected
the wellrbing . of that class of our people
and he announced .it publicly and frequently
here, : and ? again . in his examination under
oatti it Washingtoa, before what was known
as the Senate- "Exodus Committee," In 1880.
His party doubtless 'concluded, therefore that
In their platform silence 'on . this subject was
golden"" - j ' '
rOnthe liusting3"andihthe press, however,
they seem to think that on this subject speech
ia silver, and there" they, tell: us that Judge
Bennett; the' Democratic candidate for Con-grssman-at-targd;
' voted for the tyrannical
Landlord and TenamVAct of 1874." - ; i-f
, .TVe should hot regard Judge Bennett's vote
for that act as any cause of complaint ; on the
contraty.' But h) is w'ell td be accurate about
matters of fact.Ahdas a matter of. fact it
tnaybW statedthat Judge1. Bennett 1 did-not
vote fdrthe law1 It : may be added, also -as
matter of fact, that if he had wished to vote
for it, he could not have done so; for the very
sufficient reason that he was. not a member of
the Legislature which passed it.
U -But we are further told that this: tyrannical
law ot 1874 made laboring men, tenants and
croppers slaves to. the ' landholders." About
this we hold the opinions held by Mr. Badger,
and We propose briefly to give the reasons for
the faith that is inus. ;. -.'i .,:'..
The? principal -agricultural labor of . the
Soutiv was every where destroyed upon the en
forcement of the. Emancipation Proclamation
whichj followed; the sdrrender," The state of
things-was then thi3 i The white people had
the lands, teams, &xi. ; , the" negroes had the
labor :.and' nothing else,; :The problem was
out'of this condition of tbings to find some se
cure foundation upon which to build up anew
the prosperity of the country. .-. . .
The Jand without labor, would be unproduc
tive ; the labor without land would be equally
unproductive. r Being without money to pay
hire the only practicable way was for the land
owner) 4o.inake .compensation to the laborer
ay giving him a share of the crop; or to let
the land2 fo the laborer for a stipulated share
.Of the crop to be paid as rent. -The latter on
account, of Its freedom from vexation and an
noy anceswas; preferable to the land owner;
it was equally so: to the laborer as being in his
opinion more consistent with his dignity as a
free itfahT" BuSi'the'Iand owner could not al
ow the use andfcoccu4tion' pf ; his land with
out secnrlty.f or bis -rent any more than the
-capitalist the use of his money without securi
ty for his'iDterest;--;The Becurity the colored
laborer could not' give.- ' Further, the colored
tenant if put in possession of the land could
do :hothirig:;without team,: tools,; seed, , and
without supplies for himself and- family, .'and
these the' landlord must provide. ? Here again
was ' a necessity v for ' security to be given.
Without' security of some.kind the crop could
be pledged,., sold or; removed,- and ! the land
holder defeated of his just claim for rent and
also for. all his advancements. - If this were
done in violation of ;a positive contract the
landlord had no remedy; if he got a judgment
against the laborer the latter had nothing on
which? to levy - an execution The security
which the -parties themselves were "powerless
to provide, could, however,' be provided by the
Legislature,' and this was done in the Land
lord and Tenant act." It was done by vesting
i'ti the landlord the title- ts and possession of
(he crop grown Upon his' land untn his rent
was paid, and making it a penal offence to
remove the . crop without his consent, i. To
meet this contingency the Badicals passed the
act of 1868.... .
By the Badical act of 1868 the lien attached
when there -waa n agreement in writing to
pay a share'-of the' crop as rent, or when a
Hen was expressly given on the crop, or any
part of it, to secure the performance of any
stipulation contained in the lease." By subse
quent acts the lien attaches , when lands are
rented or leased by agreement written or ver-r
bal for agricultural purposes, or shall be cul
tivated by a cropper. The lien obtains wheth
er the agreement be a writteh or verbal one,
and extends to a cropper as well as a tenant.
To meet the exigencies of the situation the
change made by th subsequent acts was in
dispensable. 1 All ithese cases were embraced
in the policy of the act, and the security af
forded by, the lien was equally needed in
each.: . ' . .. .. . . -1
Theact as It now stands is wise in the high
est sense of that word.' : It grew out Of the ne
cessities of the situation, and all its provisions
were framed in exact conformity to the re
quirements of the situation. It established a
sound foundation for the revival of our wrecked
industries ; nor, with the light Of many yeirs'
experience, can any other be seen upon which
it could have been established.;
i It was perfectly eauitable in its principle :
the
for the claim -of the landlord to control the
crop on account ot .his land, team, tools and
advancements was, to say the least, equal to
wat ox tne tenant on .r1T,t of his personal
&n1
care and industry"?5' The divisioitthjj crop,
Cent ,It pQf ,n p083es6ion 6f those
t- . t i
means prosperity whichordinarily only
wealth can purchaseItrdid BoJuryto his
self respect ; .f or it gave him control of his
own time and his own actions, which as a la
borer for hire he could not have hadand one
r the otherjhe was compelled to be,
It is a law which no honest man' canv com
plain of, since it simply requires that the ten
ant should reimburse the .land owner for the
means of making the crop before the crop It
self be disposed, of and its proceeds beyond
reach. ,
In short, it solved the labor problem, laid a
secure foundation for the re-establishment of
agricultural industries and opened a bound
less field fop the -energies of men without
means.' - , , ,
SOME PEMTE3JTIAEY 5 MATTEBS. J
Badical talkers and Badical writers are just
now making the usual moan about the wick
edness of putting penitentiary convict labor
in competition with honest labor, andabout
Democratic 4 taking away the chance of the
mechanic to earn an honest penny by doing
all contrac: Work with convict labor."
V Now in our opinion, two of the most effi
cient agents of civilization were the whipping
post and the gallows. They were the surest
preventives of criae, and to prevent not to
punish was their object Badical mock hu
manity, Northern Badical humanity, - has
greatly lessened the value" of the last and . has
done away with the first. The penitentiary
which was invented as a substitute is but a
school for the higher education of criminals in
their profession."; Indeed, so far as : our ob
servation goes, it would seem that if, as some
times happens, an honest man should have the
ill luck to be sent there, the end of his term of
service would find him a thief ; and if a man
went there with some regard for truth, he
would be graduated an accomplished liar.
It will be seen that we do not hold the pen
itentiary system in high esteem. . How came
there to be a Penitentiary In North Carolina?
Turn to Article XI, Canby Constitution of
1868, and read. : ? . w '
- " Section 3. The General Assembly shall,
at its first- meeting, make provision for the
erection and conduct of a State's Prison or
Penitentiary.";. . , ;;
The Legislature of 1868-'69 obeyed orders,
for a marvel and not only provided for build
ing a penitentiary, but provided also for fill
ing it, by wasting or stealing the moneys set
aside for schools, another of civilization's most
effective agents. . Once filled, and kept filled
the question was what to do with the convicts
We cannot think with patience of convict
labor being made ' to ' compete' with honest
labor in any measure; and by employing it
on Bailroad work the Democratic party has
avoided1 that competition as far as possible,
But why does it ever, in the smallest particu
lar, Compete v.'V-i t'p labor of honest men?
Turn once more to Article XI, Cauby Consti
tution of 1868; and read :
" Section 11. It shall be steadily kept In
view j by the Legislature,' and the Board of
Public Charities, that all penal and charitable
institutions should be made as nearly self-,
supporting as is consistent with the purposes
of their creation." , :
; Taxes Must Come, or Homesteads Go !
: The Constitution does not protect the
Homestead fvoni the SiterilFs haoimerl. -Taxes
must come, or Homesteads must; go;. And
they came very near going once. . t r r? . f "''
The Badical Legislature of 1808-'69 issued
s pecial tax bonds to the amount of $23,6S0,000.
That was a pretty big sum, almost too big for
us poor people of North Carolina to under
stand without stating what it was. It was
very nearly one-third of alVthe real property
in North Carolina. Two more Badical Legis
latures would have taken the' whole of It, but
the taxes collected for that one' Legislature's
waste 'nearly bankrupted the people,and did
bankrupt the Badical party. It has never had
another Legislature.
' Since then' men's lives, liberties and ' prop',
erty have been safe; peace, quiet, plenty and
prosperity have -'once 'more - gladdened ' their
heartsf-and they have felt the State Govern
ment rather through the blessings it bestows
than through the Injuries it did inflict. ''
- Look to the .Legislature 1 Dishonesty,' in
competency, extravagant and ; wasteful . ex
penditure of the people's money will result
now as in 1868, and now as then render high
taxes Inevitable. ,
And taxes must come, or Homesteads must
go! ; '
- PEBSOXAL IIBEETY; V '
Colonel Dockery talks much and with many
high-sounding words of what' his party has
done to secure ' men's - person al righ ts. ' ; His
party ; has talked 1 just as Colonel - Dockery
talks, but we 1 do not recall much that has
been done to that end by either CoL Dockery
or his party. . - i
We recollect, Indeed, that it is declared.in
section 18, Article 1,' of the Canby Constitu
tion of 1868, that " every person restrained
of his liberty is entitled to a remedy to inquire
into the -lawfulness thereof." And that
in section 21 of the same, article it is declared
that ' the privileges of the writ of habeas cot-
pvs shall not 'be suspended."
And yet, we also recollect that just two
years after these solemn injunctions were put
in the Constitution, in the dark days of 1870,
there was extreme danger to person as well as
to property.. The . land was overrun with
spies, cut-throats and assassins; the writ of
habeas corpus was defied ; hundreds of good
citizens were driven into exile, and other hun
dreds, unable to fly, dragged to Baleigh, hun
dreds -of miles from their " homes, charged
with violations of the whisky laws, the ku
klux laws, the tobacco laws.
Well do we recollect that when Kirk and
his "rude" Eoldiery broke into Caswell, they
laid lawless hands' upon many of the most em
inent citizens in that county or in the State
So far as we know or have heard, there was
not one of those subjected to unlawful vio
lence and shameful imprisonment whrv wis
not above suspicion even of evil of any kind.
AmonsMhem was John Kerr. tht
closefof a long life distinguished by brilliant
talents, marked by conspicuous public servi
ces, and adding to other claims to considera
tion that ot having been from early manhood
an active, useful, zealous member of the Bap
tist Church. There was William B. Bowe,
long a presiding magistrate of the County
Court, foremost in setting an example of ebe-
as he was ever zealous in enforc-
It was more Uari equitabk, it was benefl-
- vnjeuee to law
nff It. - DOT a quariier vu ucuyuij "
held high official position in the Methodist
Church. ' -There was Dr. N-.' M. lioan, wnose
eminence as a citizen had been recognizetl hy i
his election as one of the Council of State;
whose professional position for half aJWs-time
had been of the highest In the State ; ana woo
for full as long a space had been an Elder in
the Prefbyteriau Charch. To'thcss men, and
such as tbese, tfie , Badical judges denied the
commonest privilege of our law, the writ cf
habeas corpus, when their highest rights; had
heen invaded wish every circumstance of In-
ury. , . - . - j
: We have cited the cases of these excellent
gentlemen by name for the-purpose qf, show
ing the spirit of Eadicalism ; , to show; tha1-
neither public service, character, nor religion
had in its eyes any olaim to the most ordinary
right in law. But the character of the appli"
cant is wholly immateriaL Were he the worst
man in North Carolina, and accused of the
grossest felony, he is entitled to the writ.
Why then was it not granted toN those who
applied t Because In North Carolina' under
aws as stringent as; lliy 'crn bf rr'V.-with
judges bound by the most solemn ostft, tire
most sacred rights of citizenship were, in the
persons of her own sons, treated by the Badi
cal rulers and the. Badical Judges with a
contemptuous disreg&rg tiat - was- unknown
eighteen hundred years ago on the uttermost
frontiers of the BomanEmpire, as theTeader
of the New Testament may see, and which
England, as he who reads the history of the
War between "the States will find, would not
tolerate even in the persons of foreigners tern
porarily protected by her flag. -.
Personal liberty, indeed ! Who wants any
more such liberty ? Let .him who, ddes, call
himself a Liberal and vote the Badical ticket.
He will soon get it , r
A CONTRAST!
For the support of the State Government
the people of North Carolina pay a tax of
about 33 cents a head. For the support of
town, eounty and State Administratlonb, all,
they pay but Httle more than $1 a bead, and
they know that-they get the worth of their
money. The cost of the United States Gov
ernment- this year Is $401,000,000 a sum so
big that one can only get an Idea of it by re
flecting that it is four times the value of all
the land in North Carolina ; that if in silver
dollars there would be enough to lay five rows
of them aroimd the whole State, and if in
paper, dollars,' enough to cover Its entire sur
face ; that it is $8 taken from the comforts or
necessities of every man, woman and child,
white and black,' in the United States!. ' North
Carolina's share of this tax is, at $8 a head,'
tbout twelve millions of dollars. . ' , '
The Home Governments dispense Justice,
support the public charities, make the public
improvements, educate our children, protect
ns in our labor by day and while we sleep by
night; in short, do for us all that men msti
Uite governments to do, and cost us one dol
lar a head. The United States Government
collects from us eight dollars a head, twelve
million dollars, and comes in 'direct contact
with us or our interests only in the ugly shape
of an Internal Eevrnue Tax Collector, or the
ualicr form Of an Internal Revenue Baidcr.
To no maiT, woman or child, white or black,
in North Carolina Is there ordinarily any di
rect return for this enormous taxation save
only to the Federal office-holder, the tax col
lector or the raider. , - - 1 i . : 1
The Home 'Governments take : the small
sums required for their beneficent administra
tion by direct taxes, taxing each man accord
ing to the value of Ms property, .imposing the
public burden in exact proportion to the share
which eacn individual receives oi pu one pro
tection. The enormous taxes collected by the
United States Government are indirect, are
paid by consumers. Hence, each individual
pays, not according-to the benefit which he
receives from government, but according to
the amount of production which he consumes
in living or in making his living. The mil
lionaire, if he consume no more than the day
laborer, will pay no larger share of the public
burden. ' ' .. ' '". - :
Yet, as men doubtless feel direct taxes more
sensibly, that is to say, know when they pay
them and how much they pay, the Radicals
would persuade them that the dollar paid for
the government that protects them is a bur
den, and the eight dollars paid to the Federal
officials a blessing. The Badicals say- so
that is to say,' the Federal officials,, the In
ternal Bevenue tax collectors, and the In
ternal Eevenue Baiders say so. Exactly V'
The Home Governments are in the hands of
" Bourbon " Democrats. The Washington
Government in the hands of Radicals,' :
It is a characteristic Of "Bourbon Demo
crats to insist on economy; with efficiency in
the administration of the government,' and
the " Bourbon, 'f makes no distinction, in his
own mind, between the person wo1 wastes
public money and the : parson s who robs a
bant or breaks into a barn." In old fashioned
honesty and fidelity to public trusts, the "Bour
bon" has nothing to forget and nothing to learn.
And when in each House of Congress there
is a good working Bourbon " majority,
Federal expenses will be reduced. Federal
taxation lightened, and the Federal Govern
ment as beneficent as our Home Government. :
Let North Carolina see to it that her full
duty is done towards securing that majority.
STOP WASTE BEDUCE TAXES!
The tax-payers In the Southern States, the
Democratic white people, demand and are de
termined if possible to have rigid economy in
every department of the Federal Government,
in order that taxation may be reduced. They
wish no niggardly administration of their
Government, but to the profligate expendi
ture of public money, every year becoming
more profligate under Badical rule at Wash
ington, they are opposed. They know that
they pay into the treasury their full share of
what comes out, and they are bitterly opposed
fo throwing away the money that is earned
with much toil and effort. -
The surplus revenue this year, it Is believed,
will amount to $200,000,000, which is equal to
$4 for each: man, woman and child iu th
United States. North Carolina's proportion
s $6,000,000. It needs no argument to prove
that North Carolina will gain more by the
reduction of taxation than by any direct ap
propriation for improvements that is within
the range of probability; Reduce the taxa
tion, stop wasteful expenditure, and put an
-ndto this unnecessary accumulation in the
public treasury of the millions raised by
obliging the people to pay higher prices for
every article they consume in living and Jor
every article they use in making a living. A
Democratic Congress will stop the waste and
reduce the taxes.
v A surplus revenue is a public nuisance. It
gives to the Government a dangerous control
over the monetary affaire of the country, and
a control almost certain to be used for the pro
motion of party purposes It takes productive
capital from the hands of the owners, and
vests it in hands where there is every tempta
tion to spend it uselessly if not viciously.- The
world has never known a government so pure
that it would not become corrupt if a surplus
revenue were permanently placed at its dis
posal. -::!-- . f
Who can estimate, what language could de
scribe, the evils to flow from such a fund at
the disposal of the Washington -Government; '
already, in its youth and strength, as corrupt
and corrupting, as the great empires: of the;
world have been when tottering to their fall ?
H0WTIIE: PEOPLE'S M05ET GOES:
The Democrats of North Carolina have re
duced expenditures and taxes more than one
half. Aud yet by a wise administration of
the sums collected, they have had money to
spnreto build white and colored asylnms at
Morganton, Goldsbdro and Baleigh ; to help
the Western Bailroad as long as it needed
help ; to contribute to. the Cape Fa'r & Yad
kin Vairey BaUroad until tliat tr no louger
needs State aid to seoure its completion; to"
pay the interest on the public debt; in shortl
to restore a ruined State to a condition of
prosperity unexampled in its history, .
: it is a good th?ng to' red tire the people's
taaes atrti to diminieh the public expenditures
when it can be : done without dnra ige to the
people's interests; " bnt after all,' the matter
for th? people' to consider, and which sensible
neoole do consider, is not how; much has been
spetitf but how it has been spent, and whesher
more has beerj-spent tnan was necessary, to
the Drotection aud advancement of the' public
Interests! ' He who employs a mafic and paya
mm i,wu a year co, xuwwa pianiawuun
a t srtA l - ... i a. M n
at the end of the term of service finds - thaH' -
there are no crop returns, that bis lands have
been allowed to go to firulley; that; his fences
are down, hia stoek unfit-. for service, and his
barns and outhouses gone to rack and ruin, is
not likely to "re-employ that man aftei" finding
that a successor makes' good cfopsj keeps" the
lands in trim, the stock in good working order
and the buildings in good repair, even if the
outlay to secure these profitable results were
as great or even greater than that which had
yielded him no returns and brought his farm
to the verge of irreparable ruin." . -,
Twelve years ago, this great " plantation,"
North Carolina, had been- pretty well done
for " by 5 its high-priced t Badical overseers.
Td-day4 It1$ in better'condition than ever be-fore,-yields
bigger and -better returns, , and
costs less tbaa ever to rnn it. " " , . ' , '
; Who- Would "i change (thin state of - things P
Who would re-employ the Badical applicants
for overseers' places ? - . . ; ,, .
I HOW-TO ORGANIZE.
i 1. Let there be a County Committee com
posed of active, working, zealous; intelligent
men,' -.v - v .: : .- ;: ; , -j ': V -. "
- 2. Let there be Town shipu Committees
com
posed of the tery . best , men in the township
Bight here the work is tO.be done, and hence
the absolute-necessity for !the very best men
the party has in the township.
3. Let each township be divided up Into
convenient districts, with known, well defined
boundaries, as far" as possible, such as roads,
creeks, : &c.j each com mittee m an takings one
sub-division under his especial charge. In
each sub-division let there be a sub committee
of three, or four or five, or iss many as need
be, witltlt8 ; proper township committeemiin
at its' head; and appointed by hiniit This sub
committee is to report to its chairman and op
erate under his directions. v i 1 - r
4. Let each' sub-committee, by the 7th of
October, prepare two lists of all voters in its
sub division, one for its own use, the other to
be given to its chairman. " - -
5. Let each Fub-committeeman and each
township com mitt-, eman examine the regis
tration .book! frm time to time, and checkoff
the voters who hae not registered, and then
use everyr effort to get Detnocratio voters to
register ! ' ' ' s -
6. On the ;14th of October, let each sub
committee meet with Its chairman and check
the Democratic voters who have1 not regis-1
tered and make arrangements for inducing
them to register; ( - On 28th October, let them
meet again forame purpose. t ST
Oii; election day' let the township and sub
committees be early at the polling places with
their lists of voters.. , Let the names of voters
be checked off as tbey vote, and at one o'clock
let a list of absent Democratic voters be made
by the' township chairman and given to the
sub-commiiteemen. who will at once proceed
to ascertain if the absentees cannot be induced
to come to the polls and vote. ; For this pur
pose the chairman of the township committee
must have provided suitable conveyances and.
have them constantly ready to hand.
If this simple plan be carried our, onr ma
jority in the coming election: would not be a
vote less than 30,000. .-.': .:
L00K TO THE TOWySHIPS.
If we Would win the victory we must work
for it, and to work to advantage we must
work together '. Systematic persistent effort
is what we must have, and to accomplish this
no better machinery has been found than that
to which we have been accustomed, that is to
say the. sytem of -State Congressional.
County and Township Executive Committees.
And oi ail these the tewuship committees are
the most important, for upon them really de
volves the work and labor neefssary to be
done to insure success. The difficulty we
have had to contend ' with In North Carolina
has .beenrto induce the people to register and
go to the polls. Once there they are sure to
vote right. -To bring out a' full vote, men
musfcbe seen and talked' to specially and in
dividualiy must be warned of the time and
place ot voting, and the danger of not voting.
Provision must be made for securing the at
tendance Of the lame and the halt and the
sick who have no means of .'transportation of
their own. -Indifferent men and careless men
mast be roused to a sense of their duty to
their party and to their State. , Tickets must
be provided and distributed,: challengers must
be appointed, and the registration books must
be thoroughly inspected. - " :: -:'t:, ::
' All these and.other.things too must be done
if we would carry the day, and thev must be
done by .the members of the Township Com
mittees;" JN o organization can be efficient that
does not- rely-upon these local committees,
each one; operating in a small territory, and
consequently iamiuar witn every part of it,
its mem oers Knowing ana Known . to every
quauuea voter in u. r
KEEP IN THE OLD PATHS.
It any additional legislation is needed for
any particular clS3s of the people, or for ail
classes, thd Democratic party offers the, best
and ti surest way to gee it.. - Wht n we trust
to the-Democratio party we know what we
ars doing. We know that we are trusting to
tne party mac . iu tne past rescued : the state
from robber TUle, from carpet-bsg rule, and
from negro rule; to the party that alone in
the future may save it from a return to that
rule. Outside of its ranks we see no proper
place for men who have at heart the good of
the State.-" L't Us stand together now, and in
the future, as in the darkest hours of the past,
to maintain the integrity and perfect the or
ganization of the party that has worked such
great good, not merely for the State bnt for
the South and- the whole country; When we
tread in ihe.old paths we knOw just where we
are going ; but when men Ftray off into inde
pendency or intojiew parties, ihty go at wee
into danger and into darkness, and nothing
but evil can come of it. In the old Demo
cratic paths alone lies safety. '! ". '
Ir there be a ;full and active Executive
Committee in every township, the work of
f rganization ean be done easily and smoothly.
Everyman in a township can be seen and
prevailed upon to go to the polls. Every man
will be registered in due time and illegal reg
istration will be guarded againr. On the
day of election our challengers will have lists
of the registered Democratic voters and will
check off all who vote, and when one o'clock
comes it will be eay enoiijii to send for those
who have nor p'itin an arp?arance. If mat
ters be arranged in this way there' is to uted
for us to !ise a vote unnecessarily. ,
. A good township executive committee is
Worth all the speeches that can be made and
jail the . newspapers that can be circulated in
that township between now and Christmas.
j " With the experience of the past to guide
us, we may lay it down as a safe proposition
that the Democrats will always win when a
full vote is polled, an3 that they will alivars
be in danger of defeat if a small vote is cast.
f Our object then should be to bring out a full
vote, and to oo this requires worn.
' . TARIFF TAXATION.
The "present System UnlawM i
,' A tax is defined; to be a contention of
mmey exacted Ty "government from Individ
al8 for public purposes.? Again and again
it has been decided by the highest courts of
the several States, that this taxan; only be
levied for public purposes. Finally the S
pnme Court of the United States in the great
ccse of vtbe Loan Association M.Topeka, re
ported In 20rh Wallace, affirmed these decis
ions i ana acciared cmohaticalm mac m tne
very -nature of free government irrespective
of constitutional provisions, no tax.couia oe
levied on the citizen except, for public purpo
ses: that taxation for all other -purposes was
essentially despotism, oppression and robbery
under forms otiaw. , : r-ii -h t
I There are two : kinds of taxation ; direct,
such as our tax on polls' and lands ; and indi.
rct, such as-duties levied on foreign goods
coining into our conn try. ; The power of the
Federal government to levy the latter kind of
tates is foand in Article L sec. 8 of. the Con-
at.itlltinnj j W.Swi.r iadenlamul tn ha
given to enable the-government ."to pay the
debts and provide for the .common defence
: .n.M.m.nt Anav th
and general welfare of the United States." If,
therefore, it be exercised for these purposes,
it is laWfal, otherwise It falls within the de
nuriciatioa of our highest judicial tribunal,
' This form of taxation Is by far the most dan
gerous and requires to be watched with most
careful jealousy. Taxation is, in fact, the
most usual and insidious form of destruction
to constitutional rights'. - Direct .taxation is
seen and felt, and like physical pain, instantly
warns us of danger. The indlrectideeds, to
death without notifying the great body of the
people. tA. tax or, tariff .duty oi say ou per
cent, is laid upon a foreign article; the im
porter pays it at the port; of entry, adds that
sum to the first cost of the article; and sells
it to the consumer., who . does not know that
on every hundred dollars worth heuses he
has paid a tax of fit tv dollars. , Sometimes the
tariff duty will 1 be a hundred perl cent.' ofj
more, so high that .the- f oreign manuiacturer
cannot br'mg in his goods at all., iThen.the
American manufacturer adds very nearly the
entire : duty to his oWn products of like
aature, and the consumer pays nearly -the
whole tax : to the manufacturer, and the gov
ernment gets not one eent . This tax then
ceases to be for "public" 'purposes,'! going
into the pockets of private persons instead-of
the public; treasury, and. is, therefore, unlaw
ful and despotic. This system e-l. taxation is
called Protective. 1 There is no escape from the
concltsiorr-that protection -that is, a; tax
levied to help the manufacturers and not -the
government, is ,u robbery under the. forms of
tan.
How the present System 'works. ; -
Let us see how the present tariff, which the
Bepublican State Convention: declared it was
in favor of maintaining, operates, upon the
people. '". : :. V;y.iv 'rfi:
The average of the duties now imposed is
about 60 per cent, ad valorem for the;whole
list.' Many of the most useful articles reach
the prohibitory point of 100 per cent. The
following table will show - the duties on ' quite'
a number of articles grouped according to the
material of which they are composed i .-.' -:
Averag-e duty
; , .-v . -..j. ij .; - ' . C- ad valorem, -
, Articles. , ., . :. v. . " per cent.
Band iron....
64 65
Chains..
us
82
40
CO
Iroa hollow ware....
JJorseghoe nails
Catlery
Screws, hinges, bolts, eta
ur
48 59
Tf it C..... .....
Brass goods
Copper goods..
Tin Koods.
,61 71
. 35
.25 45
22 SO
Glass ware.
3040
Window class
w 8 80
Earthenware and china.
cotton eroods
SS&6S
. '77
Cotton spool thread.
juinen gooas
Bags and baggings
Silk goods... ,.
Woolen extods .
8340
.400 60
Pal nts, varnishes, etc.
&al tj... ............. u. .
..40 64
,2a 92
Sugar and. molasses.
nice
Brooms and brushes.
...35 40
'- Very few of these articles come from abroad:
thev are made at home and the-taiiff-firoea-te
the manuiacturer. The farmers oi the tooum
and West unthinkingly or. helplessly pay this
vast amount oi money to support .Pennsylva
nia and New England manufacturers. ; ' '
Let- us j look ! at it further. . The , wnoie
amount of dutiable articles imported during
the current fiscal year will be about $450,000,-
000, from which there will be realized to-the
Treasury about 1220,000,000. .
.The whole amount of domestic articles oi
manufacture consumed within the same time
is at the very lowest calculation $2,000,000,000.
un this there is no means ox ascertaining ex
actly how i much tariff duty vin . the hape of
protection is paid. Domestic competition does
with many articles prevent the xun amount
of the tariff duty from being added to the first
cost ; vbut i under, no circumstances- will the
tariff duty add less .than . 25 per cent.- to the
proper cost of the article. This "would : make
the enormous sum of $500,000,000 which' the
American people pay as a tax upon the arti
cles they consume which are made at home I vi-
,..' This great tax,""nearly twice the otdlnary
expenses of government, goes into the pocsets
of private capitalists. ' In other; words the
public treasury gets one dollar and the mauu
facturers get nearly three dollars. .: ; J :: T
If this was iawf ul taxation and 'clearly' it
is not it is yet most wasteful and ruinous. It
is hard enough to pay taxes once it is insup
portable to pay them four times, and, to see
three dollars out 'of four enriching private
parties and corporations. ':';' ; " -!'' :cs ij ss
To add J,o the hardships and Inequalities of
this most iniquitous tana law, it will be found
on examination that it is highest on objects of
absolute necessity, as salt, spool cotton, flan
nels and woolen goods, workman's tools, and
medicines, and lowest on many things used by
the ncn as diamonds, jewelry, foreign zriuts
&c , ifec, .whilst nearly everything used in
manufacturing' is either free or at a nominal
rate. a 1 ; ,' ' u . v.7.- ' .
Still worse, in the woollens, dress goods,
knit goods, hosiery, hats, etc., the coarser
qualities mostly used by the poor are taxed
from ten to fifty per cent, higher than, the
finer grades used by those of more means.
: ; ; Wages as Affected by the System."
' The popular pretext for this iniquitous-pro-'
tective system is for the benefit of American
labor. They say, give us this tariff and we
can pay our laborers wages which will place
them tar above tne paupers or Europe.
; This is absolutely false, but if true would
be outrageously unjust- No government on
earth has tie right to tax me to pay my neieh
bor's work hands. Nor, for. equally strong
reasons, is there any justice under heaven
in taxing one workingman to pay better
wages to another workingman. The census
shows that there are at least seven laborers
outside of a manufactory to where there are
three inside : Aud it is not in the power of
human logic to show that the man in the fields
should be taxed for the benefit of the man at
the loom or the forge.: It is rank injustice, s
Besides, all political economists now know
that waue are not fixed by law. , They are
regulated by supply and demand. Manufac
turers avail themselves of the laws of politi
cal economy fully they buy their raw mate
rial in a free market where there is little or
no tariff duty : they buy their labor in a mar
ket where there is no duty whatever: They
then fell their products in a market made ar
tificially dear by a protective tariff, and put
th-j profits in their pockets and do not divide
them with their laborers. : The unquestiona
ble proof of this is that the wages paid to
skilled factory labor in this country, is just
about as much higher than that paid in .Eng
land, as the agricultural and general labor in
tiiU country is higher than similar labor in
England. Further, the wages paid in Eng.,
land for both skilled and unskilled labor are
pearly double those paid oa th continent of
Europe, where protection is universally prac
ticed, whilst England is free trade. It la
clear, therefore, that the price of labor ii de-
leruiiueu oy economic conditions and not bv
statute.1'-,- - -
1 .
i,; A Lawful System's Advantages.
- Paradoxical as it may seem, the way to in
crease the revenue is at the same time the way
to relieve the' people of taxation. ;; By abol- ..
ishing the intern al revenue system, so odWes to
our people by Its oppression,' annoyance and "'
corruption, we would lose about $140,000,000 of
revenue.: By lowering Hhe tariff duties to a
point where they could come in freely, that
amount would be easily supplied by the duty
erf foreign goods, the treasury would get the
money and the people would get the goods
cheaper.. . . .. -. -
1 For instance : Tim year ending Juried lSS0,
the amount of duy: received on iron goods
was about, in round number, $t0,000,000,
Withi an average duty of 411 ver cent. ; the
amount of duty received from w ov-in goods
was, in round numbers, $39,000,00iivi h an -average
duty of 60 percent.,' making abont
$50,000,000. received ?from these, two items. .
This tax was paid by the consumers aud at ?
the same time the tax paid to the manufac
tnrer for domestic articles of the same -ohar- -acter
was at least two to onr; i Now if the tax
on these articles of -wool and iron was reduced
to one-balf,'or 25 per cent., tbe duty received
by the treasury would be quadrupled and the
people wonld be reli -ved to that extent, both ,
of the tax paid hito tlief treasury and into the
private putte of the manufacturer: fj.,
The necessities of the Government arising
from the large public debt compels the levy- !
ing of tariff duties on foreign imports; were
this fixed at cbe point where it would yield the
most revenue, ft would meet three most India- -pensable
conditions : : .. , :
First, it would be constitutional, as it would
raise revenae for public purposes.' "
; 1 Secondly, fit would relieve the -people of
taxation and furnish them the necessaries and
comforts of life at a cheap rate. ; :
j f And thirdly, ; it) would ; necessarily leave a t
margin of profit to our own manufacturers.
equal to the duty on the foreign article, v -'
.To this no reasonable inan could Object; it- .
helps them without hurting us: :- more than
this no just manufacturer could ask; Our.
domestic manufactures constitute a most im- .
portant branch of the national industry, but .
if they are to be supported nly'- by taxatlou
they would prove an unmitigated curge, - - i
f One of the Jforth's " Great Industries.". r , -
About forty ' millieus of dollars are
invested m tbe manufacture of steel rails in -
the United S tates. f More than , five thousand -millions
are invested in railroads. The tariff
duty on English rails is $28, which enables '
American manulacturers to force American ..
railroads to pay rather more .than1 double
prices for the large; quantity of rails annually v
relaid.' The enormity of this tax is apparent;
it affects all classes, for 'though paid by the
railroads at tbe outset, it ' eomes- out of the
people at last; and the question comes up
whether. the railroad owner, the farmer, the
merchant and the traveler ought to pay longer
a tax of one hundred per centum to an inter
est which, as compared with their own, is trivial
and unimportant pay it, also, to a lucrative
industry,' while the $5,000,000,000 invested In
railroads receive annual profits of barely more 1.
than two ; per ' centum. : But steel rails are
only one of more than fourteen hundred pro- "
tected articles .Oh our tariff 'list : Jf so great
an abuse has grown , up in. connection--with '
one commodity what must be the vast total
of abuses in a tariff ; hastily . drawn up years '
ago as a war necessity?, . ' .:" -T v" t
-KA woJiiy1TeitisoT much .
longer - rto" defer: the expurgation of these -'
abuses?' Can the people of North Carolina
afford 'to- have it - postponed ? '-' The tlay has .
passed when there can he any argument about
naving rauroaas; we want an we can get. x no
tax (about $1,200,000) paid on the rails laid in-
North Carolina since the war (about 600 miles) -
would have bought rails enough to lay nearly
another tuu mues.--', r-
And this tax has been paid not to support
the Government or' to pay its debts; but to
build up what Is-'called $ a . f-great industry"
oi the JNorta. . uon't our, emau, industries .
need ." protection from' this : monstrous
wrong? r..
One "of par ITecessities.
' - Sugar is almost as much a necessity tothc .
people as meat and bread.' It has fo be brought -here
from abroad, and the tax on it which the ? '
people pay to the GoTenment is $50,000,000 a
year. ;The .Government does iiot 'need the
tax, for its surplus revenue in 1880 was more ' -Mi
on 41 no nfvvnrw-inTssr-' ftisnnnntwi. - .n ,r
this yearf it fe thonghtt will be $200,000,000.
That is to say, the Government teot last year .
needlessly1 three dollars;' and' iwill 'take this : "
year with as -little need fouf rdollars from the
comforts or necessities of every person, big
and littie,whuj and; black iu the United :
States. fThe" enormous tax on sugary next to
breadstuffsthe most essential article of food,
was levied and ia retained to aecurtf the votes '
of Louisiana Congressmea for the tariff which
protects the North's great 4 industries and
robs the liltoay-'pfi.tbpieitrtd f -
- 'V'
m LOCAL WOEK..,
'J If there be a full and active Executive Com-. .".
mittee in every township' the work of Organi
zation can be 'done easily arid smoothly i" E vc-
ry man. ih.-:a township can be seen s arid pre
vailed upon to go to the polls. Everyman
will be registered ln:due time and Illegal reg
istration. will be guarded iagainst. : On' the
day of election our challengers will have lists
ot the registered Democratte voters and will '
chesk ofr all Who vote, and when one o'clock ,
comes it will be easy enough to send for those
who have sot put in an appearanee If mat-
ters be arranged in this way there hv no need
for us to' lose a vote unnecessarily. Public
speeches are all very well in their way, news
papers are all. very well in their way, and so ,
are -formal ceounty canvasses; ''but they are "
only means to an end and that end is to bring -out
the voters on an election day. .Theysorvo '
a useful and a necessary purpose la furnishing
tbe local committees with the. facts, and argu (
mentsto stir up Indifferent and uninformed
men upon the great issues of the day. i Bnt '
if the work stops with tbe making of speeches
and the circulation of -newspapers, the work
is only half done and the' smaller half at that,
for the great mass of the people, in our spareo-, k
Iv settled country and -'with our limited moil
facilities and our limited means of transporta
tion, will not be reached. .. . : .
FREEDOM OB TTEAMT TTHlClIt ' 1
We cannot afford to destroy or to weaken
the Democratic party." It has rescued the '
State from Badieal misrule ; it has broken the
alliance that existed so long.between power
and crime ; it nas enecfeed the system of pub
lic plunder, which was drawing our people to
bankruptcy and to ruin, and it has finally. re-,
stored the control of tbe government to the
intelligence and virtue of the State. Its de-
feat is Badical rule, and Badical rule is op
pression, plunder bankruptcy. Its success 1
gives assurance of Constitutional Government,.
eniorcemenioi law, ana maintenance of right. -Surelv
the cause ia worthv of nnr tnntvmst -
'efforts. . . : -. " . -. .
j l THE TEUTH FITLY SPOKE '
Under Democratic rule aatd CoU John V
Staples in a speech at t Ashboro. a few dava
ago "under Democratic rule the Govern-',
ment Is administered without bayonets the -Law.
is stronger , than ithe SworrL th Jnd.r, "
greater than the Soldier, and the glory of the -Bepublks
above the glory of the Party."'13
THK IMFBOVEltXjrrs thai A vt. w i "i,
arouna ns, in men. 'mann ii
affairs, had their rise and have made their pro
gress under Democratic rule.; ; . - , -; I .
' Will it be WlfM then-nrfll.lt 1w . ,
for n tt rtiatim tt,tf- t . r . .. -
-lZ.i i ajv. conservative,
liQklnCmea t0afrtho6tate--eonsIdT-
l this question well, . . .