Established 1899
Commission Form
HIK IBS THIN DEATH OF IES INTELLIGENT
EiT ZEIS WOULD CAUSE TUATCirc TO CO
BACK TO 010 COVQUIIOEIIT
Tax Rate Same as Under Old Form of Government-
City's Conduct Same as that of Any Successful
C >ryoration— Expenses of Goveuunent Are No
Greater than Before, while Waste and Loss Prac
tically Nothing, Whereas Under Old Conditions
They were a Large but Unknown Amount—Com- j
missions Paid to Previous Tax Collectors No*
Pay Salary of one Commissioner, who Does Fivt>
or Six Times the Work of Previous Tax Collec
tors—Purchases for City Made in a Systematic
Manner— Nothing to Condemn but Everything to
Commend Commission Fo.m of Government.
Greensboro, N. (\,Feb. 25,1913.
M-. A. K. Joy,
Hickory, N. C.
Dear Sir:-Replying to your es
teemed favor of the 24th inst.,
be* to thank you for your ac
tion. in handling the resolution
in regard to freight discrimina
tion and also to further state in
regard to the working of the
commission foim of govern
ment in Greensbcr# that it has
more than met our most san
guine hopes. It is almost sick
ening to ccntemp'a-e the old
slip shod methods of handling
the city's affairs. Committees
were appointed ad libitum which
usually did nothing; aldermanic
meetings were held about one
night every two weeks; responsi
bility for failure to perform any
thing could never be placed up
on anyone in particular, and if
so, the plea was that one's own
business could not be neglected,
in order to give gratuitous ser
vice to the city, and all the other
ills to which an impracticable
system of so-called government
is subject.
The city's business is now con
ducted as is that of any of our
successful corporations by mer
who are paid to on the j>b
and do nothing else. They holu
a public meeting every day at
half-past two and each of the
three commissioners has certain
specific duties for which he and
he alone is held responsible. The
expenses of the city are n > great
er than before and tne waste
and loss uirectiy are practically
nothing, where under previous
conditions they amounted to a
large but unkonwn amount. We
have paved more streets and
with better paving in the last
two years than in all our pre
vious history. We have added
to and improved our water sys
tem until we probably have the
best in the state, certainly as
good as any. The 20-acre park
within six blocks of the Court
House, which had previously been
neglected, hat> by the expend)
ture of a very small amount of
money and proper attention add
ed at least $75,000 00 to the tax
va\ue. We have built in the
last twelve months new and
modern school houses, thereby
enabling us to vacate some of
the antiquated ones. The tax
rate is identically the same as it
was before, The assessed values
nave not been changed except
where new properties have come I
mto existence, but the taxes]
hav •» been collected for a very
[much smaller expense than be
*°re; in fact, the commissions
paid to the previous tax collector,
now pay the full salary of one
commissioner, who by giving his
Jml t.me to the city is able to
Ju! ' K a fter a large amount of
other business, in addition to
collecting taxes; in fact, he does
probably five or six times as
much work as the tax collector
u^ lo do. What we formerly
P"'Q the water commissioner,
we now pay the commissioner
Who iooks aiter all strtets and
street-woik and sewer, as well
as ihe water works.
ihe purchases for the city are
in a systematic and proper
manner, whereas, before each
u var ment nnde its own pur
cnasts at such prices as a hap-haz
r|, method happened to obtain.
+ bookkeeping is done in a bet
-7 ®anner and the books are
cviiHrly audited and a state
™ '.tot the city's condition and
il 'i's is published in the news
p-u rs at frequent intervals.
• o'merly obtained no inter
> tn« ciiy's deoosit, but the
■in: t obtained each twelve
"I'l* will now more than pay
_ friary of one of the coin
doners,
taiV ,h f ut into further d e _
' 1 wU simply state that
THE HICKORY DEMOCRAT
at Greensboro
WORKING MEN WAKE UP.
We Have Been Fooled Long Enough
—Gei Busy Now and Fall in
Line for the New Charter.
The fellows that are trying to down
the new Chaiter have had us all fooled
for some time with the yarns they have
been telling about how it will increase
our poll tax and make every mother's
son of us have to pay a special license
tax. Gus Self is the boy th»t made u&
straight. We know he b honest and
has no axe to grind, so when he let us
know that the taxes don't have to be as
high under the new charter as made
under the old, and that the special
license tax is the same under' the old
charter as under the new, and are even
provided for under the State Law, why
then WE began to look for some othei
reason than the dope they have been
handing out to us. And what do you
think we have settled on as the rea
son? Just the one thing that these
dope artists say the least a'joat-var
FRANCHISE clause.
We working people know that the
only chance we have ot getting any
thing out of any corporation that wants
to get something for nothing from our
city in the way of franchises (and it
is just as much our city as it is the
wealthy Nabob's), is to get them to
pay us as much as we can get for their
franchises.
Thanks to Gus Self and Mr. Harvey
Geitner, we bave finallv got straight
ened out ou the taxing part of the
Charter, and we are juit finding out
the good things for us that are in
what J. D. Elliott calls a ''Dangerous"
Charter. We find upon examination
that it is a dangerous Charter, - but as
we said before .here is no danger in it
for the common Ordinary working man
whose day's wages are eaten up almost
before earned. We have no capital
that we can use to exploit the city
for our selfish interests. However,
undsr this dangerous new charter we
can see that "Jones pays the freight,"
for we know enough to understand that
the freight belongs to every citizen of
Hickory, rich man, poor man, begger
manor thief.
The little talk Thursday night about
Click's editorial on the City Attorney's
salary, and how easy it weald 'iave
been for Click to go to the books and
find out how much he did get every
'year started us going some on page
48 of new charter, and do you know
we are all hungry lot that monthly
itemized statement. We get oar state
ment every month from the grocer and
the butcher, why not from the city,
when we help to pay the bills?
W may be easily gulled sometimes
| but when out eyes begin to open,
why, well they OPEN.
J. E. ABEE.
a •' —-
there is nothing to condemn, but
everything commends the com
mission form of government.
Nothing le s than the death of
practically all of our intelligent
| citizens would ever cause us to
[go back to the old conditions,
and while stating this, I may as j
well state also that Greensboro
probably had as good or a better
local government than any other
town in the state, but even
though good comparatively, it
was poor enough to be condemn
ed and consigned to the scrap
heap. J
I certainly wish vou every
success in your undertaking and
with kindest personal regards,
I beg to remain,
Yours very truly,
R. C. Hood.
P. S. Will say further that
because of the system and its
controlling influence, the same
men will render better service
than under looser methods.
A lezy liver leads to chronic dyspep
sia and constipation,-weakens the
whole system. Doan's Regulets (25c
pe box) act mildly on the liver and
bov.ls. At all drug stores,
HICKORY, N. C.. THURSDAY. MARCH, 6, 1913
Maximum Limit of Taxing Power
» Under New Charter
r! Figures in the first column represent the amount of taxes which may be levied and collect-
'' ed on each one hundred dollars "valuation" of property, and those in second column represent
*
amount of taxes which may be levied and collected on each poll:
For general purposes, Art. XIII, Sec. 9, ___s.9s $2.85
For payment interest, Art. XIII, Sec. 9, .35 1.05
" For schools, Art. XVI, Sec. 8, .40 1.20
Total & $1.70 $5.10
r 1 k. '" """ ' "
. Street exemption, 111 2.00
»| Aggregate poll, or personal, tax, $7.10
Annual license or privilege tax, Art. XIII, Sec. 15, on a number of subjects therein A
named and, generally, on "any business, trade, profession or avocation."
Under Old Charter
For general purposes, old charter, Sec. 29, SI.OO $3.00
For schools, Public Laws 1897, Chap. 179 .20 .60 '
For water, sewerage, light and improvement bonds, SIOO,OOO, Private Laws,
1901, Ch. 171 | .30 .90
For electric lights and street improvement, bonds, $50,000 Private Laws,
1907, Ch. 222.. 1 .30 .90,
For sewerage extension bonds, sll 000, Private Laws 1907, Ch. 223 .15 .45
For schools, additional tax, bonds, $15,000, Private Acts 1909, Ch. 313 .30 .90
For sewerage extension bonds, $7,000, Private Laws 1911, Ch. 6 .10 .30
Total $2.35 $7.05
Street exemption 3.00
Aggregate poll, or personal, tax,._ $10.05 J
c
k
As to License and Special Taxes:
1
The Constitution provides, Art. 5, Sec. 3, that the general assembly may "tax trades, pro" j
fessions, franchises and incomes . . ." ,
The old charter, section 37, provides that taxes may be levied on 44 . . trades, licenses
and other subjects of taxation, as provided in Section 3, Article 5, of the State Constitution." 7 \
f • J
The Supreme Court says, in case of State vs. Worth, 116 M. C., page 1007, that 44 The word ]
'trade' when used in defining the power to tax, includes any employment or business for gain or 1
profit." 'J
March!, A 913 W. A. SELF. 5
THE GERM OF THE
PROPOSED NEW CHARTER.
Speech of Mr. John A. Mcßae
Here Two Years Ago.
CHARLOTTE LAWYER'S APPEAL
Splendid Argument for Commission
Government at Chamber of Com
merce Two Years Ago, which
Resulted in the Charter now
Submitted to Hickory voters.
(Speech of Mr. John A. Mcßae at
Chamber of Commerce Banquet, Jan.
In, mi.)
Mr. Mcßae was introduced by
[Judge W. B. Council], who aaid:
I esteem it a source of great
honor to make my first public ut
terance as a private citizen before
the Chamber of Commerce of the
city of Hickory, and an additional
honor was conferred upon me in
having been cfcoaen to present to
j'ou tonight a gentleman who is
here for the purpose of enlighten
ing us upon the question of city
government, who perhaps has
given the subject as much
thought, and I believe is cap
acitated to tell us as much about
how to run a city government as
any man in North Carolina.
We have with us a Scotch-Ir
ishman, a long, lean, lank, rug
ged—and I think a very good
looking young man. You can
judge for yourself when he gets
up. He has been city attorney
i of Charlotte, but I think he haiis
from old Robeson county; Mr.
Jno. A Mcßae, of Charlotte,-
Mecklenburg county:
Mr. Mcßae began his speech
by saying he felt somewhat like
the school teacher who appeared
before an old time school com-
I mittee and in answer to a ques
as to the shape of the earth
said he could teach it "either
round or flat." The speaker
didn't know whether the majori
ty of the banqueters were com
mission or non-com mission m*n.
Continuing he said;
As I look upon the faces of the
strong, stalwart men here to
night, 1 realize that it is a big
fact that Hickory has a commer
' cial organization which is puisat
j jng with energy that will make
i t one of the greatest towns in
North Carolina. (Applause.)
Mr. Mcßae told of the incep
tion of the modern idea of com
mission government at Galveston
after that town was storm-swept
several years ago. In debt and
with sickness prevalent, a better
government was imperative. So
five men were selected and v in a
few years had saved hundreds of
thousands of dollars. '
The city of Houston thought
that if it was good for Galveston,
it would be good for her. She
elected a mayor and four com
missioners. The mayor is paid
$4,000 and the Commissioners
$2,400 each, and devote their en
tire time to the city. Des Moines,
la., has adopted it and other cit
ies. Hundreds and thousands of
dollars have been saved and no
city haa gone back ti the old j
way.
A few years ago in Charlotte,
a committee of 100 men was ap
pointed to draft a charter that
was suitable for Charlotte.- These
100 men were composed of some
of the ablest men in city affairs.
Messrs. J. P. Caldwell, E. T.
Cansler, T. C. Guthrie, and men
of that character, were selected.
They went to work and rec
commended this plan to provide
for a mayor, who should devote
his entire time to the govern
ment of the city. But this mayor
was not to be elected by the peo I
pie but by the Board of Alder-!
men, who should not receive a
salary and should not be required
to devote their entire time to the
city, but should be required to
meet at least once a month and
have as many call meetings as
they chose. Some objected, say
ing that the peoples' liberties
were about to be taken from
them, A few said, you will not
allow the people of this city to
elect their own mayor. With
that hue and cry the measure
was defeated.
Mr. Mcßae dwelt on certain
safeguards. The referendum,
which upon petition, gives the
people the right to vote upon a
measure which the city is about
to adopt; and the initiative,
which, upon petition, allows the
people to pass a law which the
governing body did not favor.
It tends to keep a mayor from
being arbitrary.
Mayor Rice, of Houston, Tex.,
who spoke in Charlotte, told Mr.
Mcßae he did not believe in these.
He said it made the people trem
ulous about doing their duty, and
handicapped the commission in
putting its best judgment into
effect.
On the other hand Mayor
Gibbs, of Columbia, S. C., told
Mr. Mcßae that he firmly be
lieved in these safeguards.
Though they were seldom re
quired to be used, yet they were
there and if a few men who had
the absolute governing of the
city should form a ring or clique
for personal benefit, then those
safeguards would enable the peo
ple to put a stop to their author
ity. At first I was opposed to
these safeguards, but I believe
now that they are a wise thing,
certainly to begin with,
I Mr. Mcßae also spoke of the
'recall, whereby upon petition of
say 25 per cent of the registered
vote, an unsatisfactory officer
must stand for re-election, and
give the people a chance to say
whether he shall continue in of
fice.
Mr. Mcßae spoke of Char
lotte's municipal troubles. Our
' Aldermen he said meet once ev
ery month; they have to have
committee meetings almost every
week; nearly every day some
body is in auctioneering with
| them trying to get them to push
I for a certain thing; every few
weeks a special session is held.
They are not paid one penny.
The Mayor does get a gopd sal
ary. All through the week the
Aldenmen are thinking about
their daily work.
A measure is brought up; they
do not kdow anything about it or
what they should do. I have
seen them pass an ordinance at
one meeting and repeal it at the
next; pass an ordinance and re
peal it within the next month —
not because they were not honest
and sincere, but simply because
those men were over-worked and
had not time to consider what
was best. Now instead of that
suppose we had one man who
could give all his time, or say
three or four men give part of
their time to it; suppose we
would have them meet around
the table in the counsel chamber,
they would have more time to
consider a matter; they'd consider
it better; there would not be as
much confusion, and the city and
the people would sret the benefit
of it Some time ago a man had
Democrat and Press, Consolidated 1905
A Brilliant Debate
en New Charter
Messrs. G. H. Geitner and Self Speak for and
J. D. Elliott Against It
ATTORNEY SELF MAKES ABLE ADDRESS
He Takes Up Every Argument Made Against the
Document Since it was Launched and Answers
Them Seriatim—Tax LimitsJWill Be Lowered—
Mr. Elliott Makes Characteristic Speech, Fearing
Danger in Power Given lo City Manager—Mr.
Geitner's Cool Business Judgement Favors the
Charter.
♦ *
+ LOCAL AMD PERSONAL. +
* ♦
Mr. George McCorkle has sold
85 acres of the old Reinhardt
farm to Mr. Miles Thornburg,
says the News.
Grimes' Drug Store has in on
trial the "F. P." gas lighting
-ystem, which is said to be verv
economical. The store is bril
liant underfthis light.
Miss Lillie Heff ner entertained
on Friday evening a pleasant
party at her home near Catawba ]
Springs in honor of the birthday j
of Miss Maude Eckard. Miss
Heffner made a charming host.
The Dutch College School
taught by Misses Bolick and Ara
bella Johnston, has closed. They
taught an excellent schooL They
are among our best teachers and
have the respect of their patrons.
The Democrat Job Dep't. has
just completed printing the price
lists of bull calves of the Dutch
Dairy Farms, H. P. Lutz mana
ger, Newton, Rt. No. 4 out of
their two great bulls, Ora's Sul
tan and Raleigh of Ingleside,
they have nine handsome bull
calves for sale at prices ranging
from S3O to SIOO.
Mr. W. A. Stone, who has been
here for the past year helping
his brother, Mr. J. Lee Stone, in
the Hub Theatre, will leave this
week for Waynesville where he
and nis brother are establishing
a moving picture show, Hickory
regrets to give up Mr, and Mrs.
Stone but wishes them well.
Mr. W. S. Pollard is just back
from Lick Mountain in Caldwell
county where Messrs, K. C. Men
zies and J. L. Cilley have recent
ly purchased some splendid or
chard lands with 400 bearing
trees from 5 to 25 years old. Mr.
Pollard was there to spray the
trees. He is entuhusiastic over
the orchard lands in this sec
tion. He picked up fine apples
under the trees which had never
i been gathered, and they were in
I perfect condition. These orchards
are four miles from Hudson.
The Democrat haa its eye on
an embryonic cartoonist He
probable doesn't know he is that.
His name is Thomas Reep and he
livee in Longview, And goes to
school to Mrs, S. F. Watson. He
brought the Democrat some of
his pictures the other day. and
they are excellent, crnsidering
the little lad never had any
teacher in this art Thomas is a
son of Mrs. Barbara Keep and
some day she will be proud of
her boy.
i
personal property in McDowell
county and he was taxed for it
in Charlotte. I took the position
that the personal property was
taxable only in McDowell He
had paid his taxes there, but it
took me about five months be
fore I could get the matter
straight. I wen* a dozen times
before the board; he went a doz
en times, I called them up over
the 'phone a dozen times. A few
commissioners would dispose of
this at once.
I think in this modern age that
one of the duties of the mayor is
to look after the health of the
town. A mayor canuot do that
if he is not paid a salary. It
might cost $2,600, $3,000, SISOO,
or SI,OOO, yet it may save human
lives and thousands of dollars to
the people of the city,
Mr. Mcßae estimated that in
Charlatte $25,000 worth of time
a year is lost in aimless running
after the aldermen, trying to get
them to do something.
In one of the greatest speech
es of his career, Mr. W. A. Self,
speaking only as a private citi
zen, defended the new charter in
a well attended meeting at the
Thornton Opera House last
Thursday night . Mr. G. H.
Geitner spoke for it, and Mr. J.
D. Elliott twice against it, Mr.
W. J. Shuford presided.
Mr. G. F. Geitner said he was
not "loadeu" but nevertheless
would give his opinion of the
new charter. It was not perfect.
At firathe was inclined to oppose,
but, the more carefully he studied
it, the more he liked it. Tear it
to pieces if you will, and yet
enough good will remain to justi
fy the intelligent voter in sup
porting it. One objection is that
it does not create enough alder
men, yet he believed the fewer
members of the Board, the
better the service. The taxing
power for special license tax re
mains the same as under the old
charter, Mr. Geitner's address
was a cod, judicial review of
the new charter by a clear-head
ed business man who has the
future welfare of the city close
at heart, and as such was very
impressive.
Mr. J. 1). Elliott was next
called upon. Mr. Elliott came to
the front crying out that the
new charter was a dangerous
document, waving it in the air,
and holding it off from him, as
if he fearea it was a stick of
dynamite that might go off in
his hands. He said the thing
mystified him in its very title,
"an act to appeal'' the charter
of Hickory. He didn't know
what that meant [a typographi
cal error for "repeal 'J. The
new charter provides too many
primaries, and the city manager
can hold up any man's nomina
tion if he so chooses by refusing
to issue the nomination blanks
or refusing to certify in time, etc.
It made the city manager a
Czar, giving dangerous power
to one
He heard that the new reve
nue bill in the Legislature woiild
provide for assessing all property
at its full cash value, and this
would increase the tax values
terribly. In a colloquy with to.
W. J. Shuford, he did not deny
that if valuations on property
were increased, the tax rate
would be reduced proportionate
ly.
Mr. Elliott said be had no
criticism of the Chamber of Com
merce, and the charter having
been prepared by it, was now
I out of its bands. He was the
loneSopponent.to speak against the
charter there that night. There
were attorneys ''on his side but
they were afraid to "face the
music."
He held that the franchise
clause would keep out capital
The charter might work all right
for a city of 50,000 people but
not for a small town like ours.
Mr. Elliott spoke in his vigorous,
emphatic way, and in entire
good nature.
Mr. Self said that Mr. Elliott's
criticism of the typographical
errofr "appeal" illustrated a point,
viz: that the opponents of the
charter were hard put to it to
find arguments, and jumped at
anything which gave them a
chance to pick a flaw. It was
being said the new charter was
a reflection on the makers of
the old one. They were able
and true men and did well for
their day. But the world could
not stand still. Time was when
men plowed with a forked stick
and sailed in dug-outs. But is
that an y reason why we should
not have chilled plows and ocean
liners today? This is a glorious
world as it is. It would be better
if sin had never entered it. and
shall we not try to make it better
Isn't it a reflection on the old
(Continued on third page)