DISCOURAGING NOTE SOUNDED HERE IN <
AN ARTICLE WRITTE N BY A DIRT FARMER
This Story, Written About Mr. F. Henderson, Might Be Written
About Countless Thousands of Farmers ? ."Something Rad
ically Wrong," Says This Author ? Farm Will Not Pay the
Taxes, Is the Charge Made Here.
Editor's note: The following ar
ticle about Mr. F. Henderson was
presented to The Brevard News with
request for its publication. The re
quest is being granted. Read it.
There is much fp.od for thought, in it,
for hundreds and thousands of citi
zens are facing the ..same .problems
that are brought to light here.
(I}y a Friend of Mr. F. Henderson)
Our neighbor and enterprizing citi
zen, F. Henderson, attended his first
school when eight, years old won a
.class prize for gaining the most head
marks spelling by . heart from the old
Blue Back when only 9 years old.
Won another, prize for working
every example in the Common School
Arithmetic without any assistance
from his teacher -when 13 years old.
Sold a book in this county written by
th* immortal William Jennings Bry
an on the monetary issue entitled
"The First Battle," when 25 years
ol : with such rousing success. he at
tvi.i-t.ed the attention of one G. A.
Sr- h, a member of the nationally
ki:- n firm of C. H. Robinson Co.,
pi ? shers, with the result that he was
.en: ?Joyed by them for one year on a
.def -ite salary and gave such satis
faction he was employed by them
from year to year for about 15 years
with increasing salary.
Hi.s second year with this company
he \\v; a gold watch over about 35
men. . doing the biggest volume of
husines . The third year he won a
?20 gold piece over about the same
number of men for clearing his com
pany the most money.
Unlike most young men he denied
himself most of the pleasure young
men enjoy, and saved his money to
buy a home to take the lady of his
choice to when and if he should find
her. On Dec.. 22, 1903 he made his
last payment, on his farm. Married
on Jan. 14, 1905. Then he went to
work and built one of the best homes
in the Dunn's Rock section. But at
the price of farm products and labor
this was a long drawn out process,
15 years,' and evidences the bulldog
determination and perseverance so
necessary to success.
Then children were ready for col
lege. The oldest, Marion, was sent to
Cullovvhee, and has taught ..in the
county three years. Edna May was
in college in New Orleans, La., one
year and at Mars Hill, N. C., two
years. Eugene has a government job
and is now in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Junior is in the U. S. Navy at Hamp
ton Roads, Va.,
Mr. Henderson was employed as
patrolman on a State Highway for
sewn or eight years without com
plant or criticism from either the
Higtuvay Gcmmisison or the traveling
public,, sp far as he knows, until A1
Smith ran for president. Now he is
in declining years, and finds, like hun
dreds of others, his tax burden is
greater than he can bear; that he
voted for the nine-month school term
and county-wide uniform school tax.
ut that the county debt that has
been piled up in the last fifteen years
, without the consent of the tax pay
ers' consent is nothing less than legal
ized highway robbery and confis
catory. That up tQ 20 years ago the
' farni of which he now owns one
half, had never paid over $20.00 anc
that his taxes at the high peak were
> 00. And he says to cultivate
the farm with his own labor and ex
pense that every bit of the corr
I which is the principal crop, woulc
'not sell for more than one-n'alf thai
amount.
He says there' is something radical
ly wrong with a state and countj
government and officials that woulc
acquiesce in conditions and meas
ures that would result in the forcible
seizure of all the income from a lift
of toil and hardship; and not be con
lent with that* but insist and demanc
all he can make besides. It looks lik(
penalizing thrift and industry. Anc
in violation of the N. C. constitutor
and law, which says specifically thai
in placing the valuation on property
for taxation the assessors shall take
into consideration the income fron
the property, and that if any case oi
;iuch confiscatory tax was carried t(
a court of equity would not be al
owed. I _am a great admirer ol
Governor Gardner, but when he ad
vised our legislature that we had tap
pod every known source of revenue, I
say My God! If such a man has sue!
a limited knowledge and observation
what relief can we expect from oui
little 2x4 representatives.
Tell me, Pray God tell me, where i:
the justice in the confiscation of al
the income or proceeds from a life o:
industry just because it' happens t(
be interested in real estate, and tTiei
confiscate the real estate if he doei
not surrender all he can make by in
dustry and frugality besides.
And let a nondescript who ha:
spent his all in riotious living, bu
who manages to land the best paying
offices and positions paying fron
one to five thousand a year nay ni
tax just because he owns no rea
estate, and say the only just am
equitable tax law would be to tax al
men. on the basis of income whethe
from real estate, stocks, bonds, salar;
or wages. And the burden will bi
light and the yoke easy on all. Thi
very idea that you can't get intag
ible property on the tax list is ab
surd. If it can't be clone under exist
ing laws, pass a law to conficate one
.fourth or one-half or all if necessary
found not on the tax books, and yoi
\yilj bring out the intanglible an<
double the valuation in the state anc
county, and reduce the rate on all ?
and you will hear no more of thi
burden of taxes.
Life of Thomas Paine
In ail the history of the America!
Revolution no other man, perhaps, oc
cupies So singular a position as thai
held by Thoma ; Paine, prolific pam
phleteer of the War of Independence
During the years of that bitter strug
gle, no pen in this country was more
potent than his and none more defin
itely crystallized popular feeling be
hind the American leaders in the
conflict. He has been credited with
supplying the impetus to the move
ment toward separate o from Eng
land which wrought i culmination
in the Declaration of - -^dependence
and there can be no ci' jt that tht
. forceful appeal to t: > Americar
people, contained 1n his pamphlets
aroused hope and couras> throughout
the country.
Recognition of this mai.'j contribu
tion to America's independence is
contained in statement . issued by
the" Division ot' Information and Pub
lication of the ' George Washington
Bicentennial Commission ? in com
memoration of the 19-lth anniversary
of Paine's birth. Despite the appro
bruini which later was heaped on him
? most of it occasioned by the rancor
of his enemies? the value of his ser
vices remains in 110 wise diminished,
and he deserves the gratitude of the
republic.- ho. helped to save.
Thomas Paine was born in Thetford,
England on January 29, 1737, the
son of H ..Quaker corseter who taught
him -the art of stay-making. This
trade did not appeal to the youth,
ho.wever, and he soon left home to
enter the excise service. This occupa
tioi likewise failed to hold him, and
he went to sea. But the life of a sailor
was entirely too "unattractive, ;>.nd
Paine soon returned to England, and
orop more became an exciseman. It
was while he was in this service that
he gained the first hand knowledge
of official corruption which made
of him the implacable foe of privil
eged officialdom.
Paine's skill as a writer early came
into evidence, and he was selected by
his associates to prepare a criticism
of tht British excise system and sug
gestions for its improvement. This
paper attracted the attention of
Franklin who immediately recognized
the ability of its author and sug
gested that Paine might find Ameri
ca a more desirable field for his
writings. Accordingly, Paine came to
this country with letters from Frank
lin and soon became connected with
Pennsylvania publications. Shortly
after his arrival here in 1774, the
"Pennsylvania Journal" printed a
?t &u$i'?alavery essay which he J
Paine been so eon- J
!v radical in his criticism of1
i British governmental and politica
" customs that he seemed almost to hati
his native land. In America he con
tinued his attacks on King George
' and early in 1776 was published hi;
j yamphlet, "Common Sense" in whicl
' he. stated with singular clearness anc
| force all the arguments that had beer
' made in favor of the separation of
' fhe colonies from the mother country
The effect this pamphlet had on tht
| Americans was instant and electrify
;ng. It was accorded a stupendous
circulation, both here and in Europe
[ ^vhere it was translated into differeni
iaMguages and eagerly read by re
publicans in all nations. Conteinpor
' ttry Colonial newspapers claimed thai
( -t influenced thousands of dubious
, -Vmericans to embrace the cause oi
independence. Washington himseli
; .vas impressed with the bi-ochure, and
iome have gone so far as to say that
j ;r.e great general became converted
i --u separation from England only
i uiter reading "Common Sense."
| Although Paine was opposed to war
pis attitucit being due in s'orae meas
tsire to his early Quaker training ? he
| celt that America had been driven in
j*o an armed conflict by the tyranny
?*xnd oppression of George III, and the
u-me of Thomas Paine was early en
"!!ed on the roster of the Colonial
"'orces as a protest against the poli
ties of Britain's King. In the army,
1'aine served under General Nathan
pud Greene, another Quaker, and he
proved to be a courageous. soldier and
j alorous patriot. Here the fiery
! \ l iter was an eye witness to the suf
j ? -"ings of the '"ragged Continentals"
j -in fact, he suffered privation and
j V-.rdship with the rest of these heroic
. ?roops.
During the national depression
which became so acute in the winter
?if: 1776, Paine produced his first
i "Crisis." This pamphlet beginning
with the famous words, "These are
the times that try men's souls," was
written by firelight on a drumhead
vhich served as a desk. The demand
upon Paine at this time was great,
for by day he faced the enemy with
"his gun and by night brought into
niay the genius of his pen. He wrote
this first pamphlet of the series on
his own initiative with the purpose of
proving that the Americans were in
reality successfully resisting Gen
eral Howe, and that this country was
entirely too large for the British to
run over.
The "Crisis," written in Paine's
characteristic; plain, forceful style,
accomplished much of the purpose for
which its author prepared it. His ar
gument* ware stated clearfv and to
the point George Washington and
the rest of the Revolutionary leaders
23 NEW BODY TYP1
PUT FORTH BY FOi
I Twenty-three new body types, I
signed to meet the -specialized nl
'.of various classes of
Transportation, have been addedi
the standard line of 1 ord trucks
j light delivery cars, the Ford Mo
; Company announced.
! Several of the new trucks and c<
mercial cars already are in prod.
, tion. The others will be placed onl
production basis within the next 1
months. 1
; The addition of the score of
; body types, ranging from a sn
town car delivery for the use of
. elusive shops to police patrols j
. coal and coke trucks, wab made in
i cordance.with the Ford Motor c
. pany's policy of offering a comp
I line of commercial vehicles to meet
, sorts of transportation requiviw
> There are now more than fifty FJ
commercial body types available
t the Model A and Model AA ch
I Furthermore the truck chassis
; be had in either 131.5 inch wheelb
or 157 inch wheelbase, with or w
out dual rear wheels, and withl
' choice of gear ratios.
1 Included in the new offerij
mounted on the Model AA 131^
, truck chassis are four coal an$
; bodies, two garbage bodies, icer
[ standard police patrol, de luxe;,
j patrol, panel body, ambulance,!, -I
, eral coach, service car for gi
j stock rack body, express trucl _
, or without canopy top, de luxe '
t cry, and heavy duty express. ( i
, 157-inch Model A A wheelbase J
s are a stock rack body, panel boj.
, express body with or without 'jj
: ^p. w
) Three of the new Fords are ;
. ed on the Model A passeng?n
[ chassis. They are the town vii
. livery, drop floor panel and nt
. delivery (natural wood). m
, recognized the value of iru
Paine's powerful pen, and t^o
' little writer became the officia
agandist of the revolt. At regv
, tervals other pamphlets appear
I it is certain that they went
j. create the public morale whic
3 ported the Revolutionary soldi^J
! Throughout the entire war al
3 proved to be one of the mosttf
. and devoted of all the patriots.
orous and active always, his g?
3 contribution to American Indepe
t ence cannot be questioned. Even
? hope seemed dim, he never gav
i despair. He continually assai!
3 George and the policies of his
1 ment. In one of his pamphk ___
j rected at the English monarch, Paint
1 used the expression "United States oi
r America" supposedly the first time
1 this appellation was ever employed
b His services were appreciated by the
a country, and New York gavje him a
. large tract of land and Congress vot
. ed him $3000.00. The Congressional
. bequest was largely a result of th.
. efforts of Washington who had al
ways admired Paine. Previously, the
j legislature of Pennsylvania had vot
J ed the author 500 nounds.
I
J After the Revolution, Paine turned
- ^his attention to science, for his e\|:
e active mind could not allow him to he
? idle. He invented an iron bridge
" which he tried to have adopted in
this country. Meeting only with dis
couragement here, lie took his model
to Europe with the hope of greater
success. But he had barely arrived
in England when he became engaged
, in a verbal duel with Burke, to whose
"Reflections on the French Revolu
- lion" he replied with his "Rights of
? Man." It created a stir among the
, government officials who considered
; the book seditious, and Paine was con
? victed of treason. But he escaped to
I France a few minutes before the of
1 ficers sent to arrest him arrived on
: the scene.
In France, Paine found a situation
! which seemed to have been made ex
? jiressly for him. Here were people
> struggling for their' rights, and the
! champion of human liberty immedi
: ately plunged into the fight whole
? heartedly. - Ha'w^s very popular with
? the Revolutionists in France, and sev
: eral departments would have olocted
1 liim to the national convention. He
[ chose: to represent Calais, and as a
? deputy from that place he opposed
I the execution of Louis XVI. This ac
tion aroused the distrust of the
1 extremist in the Revolutionist party
when Robespierre came into powp r he
had- Paine thrown into . tHe Luxem
bourg prison where he was held for
eleven months.
During this time Gouev. Morris,
the American minister to France, re
fused to claim Paine as an American
citizen, although the latter had be
come naturalized soon after coming
to the United States. This unfortim
ate experience so embittered Pain?
that he was. never able to forget it.
When Monroe' succeeded Morris, one
of his first, acts was to request his
countryman's freedom. Paine was svf
free, but was forced by the hostility
of the British to remain in France,
until he was given protected passage
to this country on an American gun
boat.
I Once more in the United States,
Paine found himself alienated from
many of his old friends because of his
"Age of Reason" which he had writ
ten in France and which to many
people, appeared as an atheistic at
tack on all belief in God. He retired
to his farm near New Rochelle, New
York, and there spent the remainder
of his days in seclusion. His life came
to an end on June 8, 1809.
Thomas Paine has been both prais
ed and anathematized by biographers.
Perhaps he never fully deserved the
condemnation which was heaped upon
him during the Jater years of his
life. Whatever his faults and mis
takes, lack of patriotism was not
among them. Most certainly the
United States still is indebted to him
for his great service in moulding pub
lic opinion during the Revolutionary
War. r
?,m 'ijtlflli 'I I'll I U mil ?
? A. aacooufol baa tat?' jona^l* as
sensitive to the votee of his custom
ers as a politician is to the voters.
See Bright Future For South' s Dairying
ftv
u
?y
B>f
is
in
11
is
?>n
e.
P^nis pitiuc.
Roy Frady of Pisgah Forest, was
the guest of Merrill Capps on Sunday.
; i Mrs. Rawleigh Capps, Misses Or
; lena and Bwee Capps, Mrs. Guy New
\ton, Merrill Capps and Jack Fowler
[ attend a social at Pisgah Forest on
Saturday night.
1 Jerry Orr, who is working at
" Glenville, spent the week-end with
his family, here.
The farmers in this section are
j busy turning their land for early
Spring planting.
cm farmers approximately
000 annually. It will serve as the
headquarters for IB other Kraft
Phenix plants in the southeast which
so far in 1930 have bought 42,985,926
pounds of milk for cheese products
which formerly were made in other
sections and imported to the south.
Inset shows James L. Kraft, chair
man of the board of the Kraft
Phenix Cheese Corporation, officially
starting the machinery in the new
plant, while Thomas H. Mclnnerny,
president of National Dairy Products
Blantyre Breezes
Mrs. Flora Pickelsimer visited
friends at Blantyre on Sunday.
Miss Belle Reed' of Candler, has
been visiting her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. John Reed, here the past week.
Mr. and Mrs. Otho Scott and little
daughter, Clara Jane, visited friends
here last Sunday.
Terly Justus called on John Reed
last Saturday.
Rev. Lewis Simpson was a caller
in this .section one day last week.
Mrs. Clannie Justus and little sons
Bruce and Jack, visited Mrs. J. T.
Justus last week.
Miss Doxie Brewer has returned to
her home near Blantyre after spend
ing sometime with her mother, Mrs.
H. C. Baynard of Little River.
Homer Ledbetter was the guest of
J. T. Justus last week.
Our Sunday School seems to be
thriving very much, considering the
bad weather we are having. We ex
tend to all a cordial invitation to at
tend and help in the work.
The captains of industry are elected
to their positions by the votes of
thousands, and sometimes milli?ps of
customers.
Corporation, and John H. Kraft, vic%
president of the Kraft-Phenix C r-|
poration, in charge of sales and ad
vertising, look on. The Atlanta plant
is said to be one of the most modern
food factories in the United States.
Officials of the corporation present at
the opening declared the Southern
made dairy products equal in quality
to those made anywhere in the world,
and announced themselves ready to
expand their southern operations as
fast aa southern farmers would pro
vide additional raw materials.
NEX'
We contribute to your
good looks. You can get
a Vitalis treatment here,
the vegetable oil tonic,
also the Fitch products.
It Pays To Look Well
SMITH'S BARBER SHOP
Want Adi Arc Good Selling AgeoU.
Act Now! Attend |
Pusheirs Record Breaking
SLASHED PRICE SALE
One Lot Ladies Silk
DRESSES
SLASHED TO
$2.99' EA.
One Lot Children's
DRESSES
Values to $1.50
39? EA.
ENNA JETTICK
SHOES
$5.00 and $6.00 val.
$2.99 PR.
MEN'S.
OVERCOATS
SLASHED TO
HALF-PRICE
Men's Fancy
SILK TIES
SLASHED PRICE
39c EA.
One Table Ladies
SLIPPERS
SLASHED PRICE
$1.44 PR.
1 Table Ladies Pure
SILK HOSE
Values to 2.00
99? PR.
One Lot Men's
SUITS
SLASHED TO
$8.88 EA.
Men's Blue Chambray
| WORK SHIRTS
SLASHED PRICE
3 9C EA.
One Lot Boys'
long pants
SLASHED PRICE
$1.00 PR.