Newspapers / The Roanoke Beacon and … / Jan. 19, 1917, edition 1 / Page 3
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GDI.T.W.BICKETT'S INAUGURALADDRESS Raleigh. Thomas Walter Eiekett, Governor ot North Carolina, delivered l is inaugural address to the Assembly as follows: Gentlemen of the General Assembly: I have no genius for destruction. Sense and poetry agree that a man must follow his natural bent. It re sults that the activities of this ad ministration must be exerted along constructive lines. If there be a man in North Carolina who desires to drain a swamp or terrace a hillside; if there be a farmer who is struggling to escape from the crop lien's deadly clutch; if there be a tenant who hun gers for a vine and fig tree he may call his own, I want all such to know that the Governor of the State will count it honor and joy to rise up at midnight and lend a helping hand. If there be man or combination of men who want to build factories that will multiply the value of our raw pro ducts; to harness our streams and re deem the Bad waste of the waters; to construct or equip railroads that will insure adequate transportation for our growing commerce; to form or main tain insurance companies that will keep at home the Niagara of gold that has been flowing out of the State, I want these men to feel that the State recognizes their wisdom and their worth, and places no discount on their patriotism. If there be physicians whom with that divire self forgetfulness that is the birthmark of their calling, are willing to trace disease to its most hidden lair, and plant the banners of life in the very stronghold of death, I want them to know that the State sees a new salvation in their sacrificial labors, and stands ready to clothe them with all needful authority, and place an unlimited armamentarium at their command. For four years I want labor and cap ital, learning and art, and the life and letter of the law to be devoted to making every acre and every stream, every human and every mechanical unit in the Commonwealth be and do its level best. I doubt not that with the wheat will spring up the tares, and to some suc cessor of mine who glories in crema tion, I shall bequeath the joy of gathering the tares into bundles and burning them In unquechable fire. To me the call is definite and despotic, to toil and tire not that all the fields may came white to the harvest. Such are my hopes and high re solves. BiH in civic life aspirations and ideals are without value save as they inspire measures that make for the common good. Living problems confront us. Ills that hurt require remedies that heal. The hour calls for action and "Faith without works is dead." The Transaltion of a Tenant Into a Landlord. The first and dearest work of this administration will be a supreme ef . fort to translate the tenants of the State into landlords. Here and now. in the presence of God and these witnesses, I consecrate myself, and all the power and prestige of my office to this endeavor. I shall neither rest . nor permit the State to rest, until every honest, industrious and frugal man who tills the soil, has a decent chance to own it. I am driven to this undertaking by the tyranny of a con viction that such a work is essential not alone to the wholesome develop ment, but to the enduring safety of the State. That wizard of the northwest, James J. Hill, once said, "Land without population is a wilder ness, population without land is a n.ob." Today eighty-four per cent of the people of Mexico are without, land, and riots and revolutions result as the spark3 fly upward. Th?re can he no government lor the many while the lands belong to the few, for the history of the world teaches that the men who own the land will rule it. A Crusade Against the Crop Lien. The crop lien is the boll weevil of North Carolina. It is "the pestilence that walketh in darkness." It is "the destruction that wasteth at noon day." How a man can carry a crop lien and escape both the poor house and the penitentiary "passeth all understand . ing." The merchant is no more to blame for this evil than the farmer. Both are victims of a system that rewards laziness and .extravagance, and pun ishes industry and economy. The man who pays at all pays twice, for him self and for his neighbor who does not pay. The moment this ceases to Dankruptcy. Time prices are not fix ed with reference to a reasonable prof it on the article sold, but are based , upon a speculation as to how many customers will fall to pay up. There is In the system more of tin elements of a lottery than of a leg) .mate bus iness. I fully recognize the evil, but I am not persuaded that a statute making it unlawful to give a mortgage on a grow ing crop is the appropriate remedy. Such a statute might prove a beau- , tiful operation," but I fear that many of the patients would die on the ta ble. Under this treatment instead of lining a worthy tenant to the place of : landlord, we might reduce him to ! the position of an hireling. The man who gives a crop lien is a prisoner, of this there can be no doubt. But in- ( stead of burning the jail down over the prisoner's head would it not be a saner and safer course to give him a chance to break out? Several avenues of escape are sug gested: 1 1. The one sure way to kill a crop lien is to starve it to death. And the sure way for a farmer to starve a crop lien is to feed himself. Bread, bacon and buttermilk, all produced on the farm, are as fatal to a crop lien as quinine is to malaria. This treatment reaches the cause of the disease; all others deal simply with its effects. We need to hammer home the ever lasting truth that' for the farmer there is no way to financial independence save through full cribs, smokehouses and pastures. If I were the Czar of North Caro lina instead of the Governor, I would issue an edict declaring that from and after five v years from date any man vho imported into North Carolina any corn or meal, wheat or flour, beef or bacon, should be forthwith hanged without trial by jury, and without ben efit of clergy. Of course, in the be ginning, I would be denounced as an infamous tyrant, but after the law had been in effect for ten years the richest state In the Union would build a monument to me as the financial redeemer of my people. 2. But there are some ways in which the General Assembly can lend a helping hand while the farmer , is worMng out his perfect salvation. The formation of credit unions, under ex isting laws, should be encouraged in a substantial way. Today it is no body's particular business to organ ize these unions, and although the Ilw has been on the books for sever al years, comparatively none have been organized. The Agricultural De partment should be equipped with two field men, whose sole business it should be to explain these credit un ions to the people and assist in their j organization. The Bridling of the Waters. An idle stream is just as inexcusa ble as an idle man. Every running brook in 'North Carolina ought to be bridled and made to do its duty. Noth ing adds more to the comfort and the health of the home than running wa ter. At comparatively small expense running water and electric lights can be installed in thousands of country homes. To encourage the use of the water and the power it carries, I rec ommend that the State Highway Com mission be provided with a force of hydraulic and electric engineers, whose duty it will be upon request to examine water powers , and, submit plans and specifications to. citizens who desire to install water and lights in their homes. Expert knowledge is required to pass on these propositions, and our people ought to be protected from those whose only interest is that they have something to sell. The School House the Social Center. The pathos of rural life is its lone liness. Thousands of boys and girls are literally driven from country life because of lack of wholesome diver sions. The wives of many farmers are found in hospitals for the insane be cause their lives are the same yester day, today and forever. By making the schoolhouse the social as well as the educational center of the district much of this monotony can be reliev ed, and this can be done by a series of entertainments as helpful as they are diverting. The Upkeep of the Roads. In every county or road district where bonds have been isued for the construction of roads, the county com missioners should be compelled to levy an annual maintenance tax bearing a certain per cent to the amount of the bonds issued, such per cent to be worked but by the state highway com mision. To spend $100,000 to build roads and then leave them without any provision for maintenance is fol ly equal to that indulged in by the framer who buys $1,()C0 worth of farm machinery, and then refuses to build a shed under which to keep it. All the license fees paid by the owners of automobiles ought to be paid to the state, and disbursed by the State Highway Conimis'mi in the maintenance of state roads, so as to comply with the requirements of the Federal Government for the up keep of roads built under the Federal Good Roads Act. The powers of the State Highway Commission should be enlarged so as to give it supervision over all con tracts made for road or bridge build ing, and it should be supplied with an adequate force of engineers for this purpose. Another Chance for the Children. The Constitutional Amendment re quiring a six months' school for every child in the state ought to be resub mitted to the people on its own mer its, unassociated with any other amendment. The children are entitled to have the voter cast a single ballot declaring whether he Is or is not in favor of a larger opportunity for the child. Every town child has this much schooling already, and no man can look a country boy in the face and deny him the right of an equal start. Incorporation of Rural Communities. Rural communities should be given a right to incorporate by a vote of the people of the community. Such cor porations wisely and conservatively formed will make it possible to do many things for the upbuilding of country life that are impossible so long as the community has no legal author ity. I am profoundly convinced that the welfare of the children of the state would be promoted by the appoint ment of a Central Educational Com mission of not more than seven men, THOMAS W. BICKETT lillll WKsSi immmm ::v:v:::;:::::":;x::vW:::::A.' If jrt? f- fr Governor of North Carolina. chosen by reason of their known in terest in the cause of public educa tion, and clothing this commission with power to name the county boards of education in all the counties in the state, and clothing the county boards with power to name the superintend dent and committeemen. Both on the Central Commislon and the county boards the minority party should be given reasonable representation, and each member of the Central Commis sion, and each member of the county board of education should, upon as suming office, be required to sub scribe to an oath that in all cases he would vote for the men best qualified to serve the educational interests of the state and county, without regard to political considerations. Manufacturing. Next in importance to agriculture is the manufacturing industry of the state. This industry affords employ ment to thousands of our citizens, and creates more than $300,000,000 of wealth every year. An industry of such gigantic proportions is deserv ing of the state's fostering care. I am convinced that in North Cam lina there is less of friction between labor and capital than in any state in the American Union where so large a number of operatives are employed. And this sympathetic relation be tween employer and employee ought to be fostered by laws that will ap peal to the judgement and conscience of those most vitally concerned. I offer these suggestions: 1. The owner of every mill located within reasonable reach of a public watsr supply ought to be required to install running water in the homes leased to operatives. No one con venience would do more to lighten the labors of the women, and preserve the health of the entire family and com munity. 2. Our state anti-trust law should be amended so as to permit the same combinations for the advancement of our trade with foreign lands as are proposed in the Webb Bill now pend ing before Congress. 3. My third suggestion is that a committee composed of representa tives appointed by the North Carolina Manufacturers Association, the Com misioner of Labor, and the State Su perintendent of Public Instruction, shoul prepare a plain, simple course dealing with the science of manufact uring, and this course should be made a part of public school curriculum in every industrial center. Taxation. My views in regard to taxation were embodied in a phamphlet submitted to the Constitutional Commision in 1913, and in a paper read before the North Carolina Press Association in 1914. Since the taxation amendment was rejected by the people, I have had no opportunity to make such further study of the subject as would justi fy the submission of any particular plan at this time. It is my purpose t'c thoroughly investigate the , subject within the next two years, and I sug gest that the General Assembly di rect the Governor, the Chairman of the State Tax Commission, and the State Treasurer to make an extensive investigation, and submit a compre hensive plan of taxation to the next General Assembly. I earnestly urge this Oeneral Assem bly, through its appropriate commit tees to at once make an account of what fixed charges of the State gov ernment will amount to within the next two years and what the income of the state will be from all known sources, and I insist that appropria tions shall not be made until the means for meeting such appropria tions are devised. Health. The State Board of Health should be given ample funds to continue and enlarge its work. The law should re quire a careful examination of every child who enters a public school, at least twice a year. This can he done by whole time County Health Offi cers, or by representatives of the State Board a the conditions war- rant, but the law should compel It iu ue aone. I am in favor of a law making it a felony for any man to sell, offer for sale or advertise for sale in North Car olina any proprietary or patent medi cine purporting to cure cancer, con sumption, diabetes, paralysis, epilep sy, Bright's disease, or any other dis ease for which the North Carolina Medical Association and the Ameri can Medical Association declare that no cure has been discovered. ' Absentee Voting. The General Assembly should, with out fail, make provision for our citi zens whose work keep or carry them away from home, to participate in our elections. There is no Constitutional difficulty in the way of such a law, and every consideration of justice and expediency favor It. Rotation in Office. The genius of Democracy is as much opposed to monopoly of office as to any other kind of monopoly. In or der to have a government by the peo ple there should be occasional changes in the individuals who administer pub lic affairs. It is written in our State Constitution that a Governor cannot succeed himself, and the refusal of Washington to serve as President more than two terms so appealed to the judgement of the American peo ple that it has become an unwritten law. The Short Ballot. I am thoroughly converted to the wisdom of the short ballot. The State Hospitals. The saying of Wil30n, "Put your eggs in one basket and 'watch that basket" applies to the management of our State Hospitals for the Insane. Under the present arrangement, with a different Board of Directors for each hospital, no directors feels that any great responsibility rests on him. I am of the opinion that the three hospitals for the insane ought to be under the management of a sin gle board of not more than seven men. The Chairman of' the con solidated board, and the Superintend ent of each hospital should be made a purchasing committee, and this com mittee should buy all the supplies for all the institutions. I am deeply convinced that under this sort of management the efficien cy of the institutions would be increas ed, and many thousands of dollars would be saved to the state. Agricultural Department. After a most careful study of the situation I am convinced that in the interest of economy and intelligent work, the Agricultural Department and the North Carolina College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts ought to be under the same manage ment. The College ought to be sim ply a division of the Department. I earnestly urge that the members of the Board of Agriculture be made ex-officio Directors of the College, and that the Department of Agriculture be transferred to the College grounds, and a suitable building, costing not less than $250,000 be erected for its accomodation. This building should be paid for by the state and not out of the funds of the Department. The young men in attendance upon the College could do considerable part of the work of the Department, and in this way numbers of worthy young men could obtain substantial assis tance in getting an education, while the entire student body would acquire considerable knowledge of the work done by the Department, and diffuse this knowledge throughout the state. The State Prison. I am convinced that the only jus tification for the punishment of crime is the protection of the public and the reformation of the criminal. Any thing that savors of vindictiveness is indefensable in the administration of the law. To this end quarters comfortable and sanitary ought to be provided for all prisoners. I urge the enactment of a general law strictly limiting the time a man can be sent to a county chain gang to two years and all other convicts should be sent to the state prisone. I recommend that quarters be built on the State Farm amply sufficient to take care of all convicts, and that the entire administration of the State Prison be conducted from the State Farm, and that the prison at Raleigh be converted into a hospital for the insane. Gentlemen of the Qeneral Assembly, Ladies and Gentremen: .1 have endeavored to visualize my dream of a fairer and finer state. I have outlined the mean3 by which I hope to make the dream come true. And the means all reach out to a sin gle end a larger hope, a wider door for the average man than he has ever known. With a six months' school guaran teed to every child; with the forces of disease routed from their ancient stronghoulds; with the curse of rum lifted from every home; with our fields tilled by the men who own and therefore love thm; with out har vests free from th crop lien's deadly blight; with moder l conveniences and wholesome diversions within reach ct every country, our dear old state, re leased from her bondage to the blood kin of tyrants of gnurance, poverty, disease and crime, will begin to real, ize her finest possibilities in riches and grace; will a sume her rightful place in the march of civilization, and from the blue of the mountains to the blue of the sea tljre will spring up a hardier, holier n ?e. not unlike ihe giants that walked e earth when the sons of God mated with tie daugh ters of men. N. C. ELECTORS CAST BALLOT Morrison Makes Nominating Speech; Alley Seconds Motion D. E. Hen derson to be Messenger. Raleigh.- The North Carolina elec toral college organized in the Senate chamber and heard Mr. Cameroi Morrison deliver the eulogistic norm nation of Woodrow Wilson for th presidency i of the United States, lis tened while Mr. G. V. Cowper nomi nated Thomas E. Marshall for the vice-presidency, then formally cat the twelve electoral votes of the state for the Democratic choice. The electors selected D. E. Henderson of New Bern , to be messenger and to carry North Carolina's vote to Wash ington, while Mark Squires will be alternate. The Senate recessed for thirty minutes, allowing the formality of the North Carolina vote. N. A. Sinclair wa3 made president of the college and W. M. Wilson,' secretary, after Chief Justice Clark had administered the oath of office to the twelve electors. Mr. Morrison's eulogy of the Presi dent brought frequent applause. He briefly touched upon that time, four years ago, when the people had almost lost confidence in their government then "administered in contempt to righteousness'! and in obedience to greed and cruel selfishness." Their rights had been bartered away. Then came Woodrow Wilson who brought with him a renewed faith In the government, democratically ad ministered, and who, in spite of peril ous, danger-fraught crises, has met the needs of the country and has kept American honor untarnished, bright and glorious. "And yet," he declared, "we are at peace with all the world and we alone of the great nations of the earth. Our flag has written across it in let ters of gold, 'Glory to God in the Highest, Peace on Earth. Good Will to Men.'" Hhe characterized President Wilson as the scholar, the master of the Eng lish language, written or spoken, the most perfect living interpreter of the hi3torial soul of democracy, and the greatest fighting man who has ap peared to fight the battles of right eousness and Justice. "He has taught the world the high est lesson in what is true govern mental honor," he declared. Catawba County Buys Corn. 1 Newton. For the first time in the history of Catawba county, thrifty, progressive, self-supporting farmers have bought corn and had it shipped in for feed. Some of the best farmers in the county who always have cribs bursting with corn are buying, it this winter. The grain is being bought by the association of sweet potato growers, who are able to obtain it for $1.13 the bushel. The reason for their purchaes is the July flood, which owept away the corn from practically all bottom land in the county. Sue Asheville Newspaper. , Aseville. Chairman W. E. Johnsen and the other four members of the Buncombe County Board of Commis sioners filed formal notice a few days ago of their intention to enter suit for libel against the Times Publish ing Company of which United States Marshal Chas. A. Webb is president and chief owner, the suit developing from the recent private sale of county bonds. The notice refers to three is sues, each contained in a separate copy of the paper in question. Child Burned to DeatKi. Aberdeen. While playing around a fire under a washing kettle in the yard, the .two-year-old child of a Mr. Carmichael was so badly burned, when its dress caught gre, it died a few hours later. NORTH CAROLINA BRIEFS. Chairman Heriot Clarkson and Robert Ruark. of special committees from the State Bar Association and State Municipal Council, returning from Raleigh to their homes at Char lotte and Wilmington, said that the committees will return to Raleigh within tc?n days with the perfected bills they will offer to the Legisla ture for enacting the machinery for control of municipal charters and mu nicipal finances under the operation of the constitutional amendment which have just become operative. Rev. Milton Webb, aged 85. father of Congressman E. Y. Webb, and one of the pioneer Baptist ministers in North Carolina, died at the home of his son at Shelby, following a stroke of paralysis. The death was expected, as the attending physicians had an nounced, earlier in the day, it was only a matter of a few hours until Wle end would come. A charter was issued for the Lloyd Cotton Mills, Inc., of Gastonia, capi tal $50,000 for a general cotton mill ing and textile business, including dyeing and bleaching of fabrics. On his arrival at his home in Ashe- j ville Governor Craig was presented with a handsome gold watch by citiz ens of Asheville. The Southern Railway pay roll at Spencer amounts to more than a quar ter million dollars this month for the first time. Many new homes are being erected at Mt. Holly. It was reported in Washington that R. J. Reynolds of Winston-Salem con templated building a paper mill in Washington county, N. C. He has purchased l&nd there for $50,000 about which there is much timber. 1IGESII0II, GAS OR SICK STOMACH Time it! Pape's Diapepsin ends all Stomach misery in five minutes. Do some foods you eat hit back taste good, but work badly; ferment into stubborn lumps and cause a sick, sour, gassy stomach? Now,' Mr. or Mrs. Dyspeptic, jot this down: Pape's Diapepsin digests everything, leaving nothing to sour and upset you. There never was anything so safely quick, so certainly effective. No difference how badly your stomach is disordered you will get happy relief in five minutes, but what pleases you most is that it strengthens and regulates your stom ach so you can eat your favorite foods without fear. You feel different as soon as "Pape's Diapepsin" comes in contact with the stomach distress just vanishes your stomach gets sweet, no gases, no belch ing, no eructations of undigested food. ' Go now, make the best investment you ever made, by getting a large flfty- ', cent case of Pape's Diapepsin from any j Riore. You realize in five minutes how j needless it is to suffer from indlges ' tion, dyspepsia or bad stomach. Adv. Power of Music. "Why do people prefer music to con versation?" "Seems to bo some sort of instinct nbout it. There isn't anybody who wouldn't rather listen to a canary bird than to si parrot." PROVEN SWAMP-ROOT AIDS WEAK KIDNEYS The symptoms of kidney and bladder troubles are often very distressing and leave the system in a run-down condition. The kidneys seem to suffer most, as al most every victim complains of lame back and urinary troubles which should not be neglected, as tluwe danger signals often lead to dangerot-s kidney troubles. Dr. Kilmer's ewamp-Root which soon heuls and strengthens the kidneys is a splendid kidney, liver and bladder rem edy, and, being an herbal compound, hus a gentle healing effect on the kidney, which is almost immediately noticed in moat cases by those who use 't. A trial will convince anyone who may be in need of it. Better get a bottle from your nearest drug store, and start treat ment at once. However, if you wish first to tost this great preparation send ten cents to Dr. Kilmer & Co., Binghamton, N. Y., for a sample bottle. When writing be sure am mention this paper. Adv. Obviously. "Sinithers dressed up that story lit told." "I suppose that is why lie took it to a swallow-tale party." MOTHER'S JOY SALVE for Colds, Croup, Pneumonia and Asthma ; GOOSE GREASE LINIMENT for Neuralgia, Rheumatism and Sprains. For sale by all Druggists. nf1 CREASE COMPANY, MFR'SH Gi Sro, N. C Adv. ) t Consequences. SPe that youujr man is settling V ily vanV iU"' l'1? mun is set i depends upon good diges- trd your digestion and you health. Wright's Indian provide the safeguard. A as a purgative. Adv. to fiirure tl" " . . o Hope, any arch i?l(.t foolish enough. are 0j yjtniik you can drown y n w' u drink V" our sor- "Of course not My wife can swim." SYRUP OF FIGS FOB A GHlLffSJOWELS It is cruel to force nauseating, harsh physic into a sick child. Look back at your childhood days. Remember the "'dose" mother insisted on castor oil, calomel, cathartics. How you hated them, how you fought against taking them. With our children it's different. Mothers who cling to the old form of rhysic Bimply don't realize what they do. The children's revolt is well-founded. Their tender little "insides" are injured by them. If your child's stomach, liver and bowels need cleansing, give only dell clous "California Syrup of Figs." Its action is positive, but gentle. Millions of mothers keep this harmless "fruit larative" handy; they know children love to take it; that it never fails to clean the liver and bowels and sweet en the stomach, and that a teaspoonful given today saves a sick child tomor row. Ask at the store for a 50-cent bottle of "California Syrup of Figs," which has full directions for babies, children of all ages and for grown-ups plainly on each bottle. Adv. Tongs that grip a door frame have been invented for banging babies' chairs or swings in doorways. Only One "BROMO QUININE -To et tta Ktntiin, call for fall name LAXATIVB BHUMO yl'lNla. 1 ,00 k for iuinatare of II. f. U HOY H. Cures Cold In Oao Ua.j. ZM. A strike of undertakers took plac iverpool, England, recently . mm ;on.
The Roanoke Beacon and Washington County News (Plymouth, N.C.)
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Jan. 19, 1917, edition 1
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