THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 19:j:j
Page 2
THE YVAYNESVILLE MOUNl'AIlNEEK
U,Uv iflmuttatnrrr
Published By
THE WAYNESVILLE PRINTING CO.
Phone 137
Main Street Waynesvilic, X. C.
W. C. KUSS
P. I). DEATON
Managing Editor
General Manaircr
1 .Year
o' Monti!.
3 Month:
( .'Wllcl's
I'libli.-hed Every Thursday
SL BSCRII' I ION UATKS
Sub -a iptions payable in a-ivanee
S2.0U
1.25
,.:
Enteied a; the K-t ollire at Vayne.vi!k N.
'., a.- Second Class Mail Matter, as provided un
der the Act of Ma ''eh :;,1,S7'J, November 20, MM.
Till RSDAV, FEIJIU'ARY 2, 1::J
JUDGE FELIX E. ALLEY
Tlit appointment of Hon. Felix K. Alley
as judge of the 20th district to .succeed the late
Judge Walter E. Moore, did not come as a .sur
prise to Mr. Alley's many friends in the state.
Although the place on the bench .was unsought,
it was the general belief that the appointment
which was made would be, tin- choice of (lover-,
nor Khringhaiis.
For nineteen years Mr. Alley has beeu ac
tive in the civic, business and political lilV or
ilaywot..! County. lie is an orator of note and
a -unlet!; of political affairs beyond measure.
Twi. .y.'.-.r- before coming to Haywood
County ' i'i'i.'iii -la( ks.iii County he leaped into
!,r: tori'ra! pi iminenci 'hen lie noniiiialed Locke
( 'r.-tig Irr,' 'governor. Since t hat time he has
always '.. .ken an act ive part in all stale polit ical
ail air- us well a.s littiional.
He is well fitted for his new- task, and the
people of this state rejoice at . the choice of
Coventor Khringhaus in selecting "from our
midst the man he 'did.
ABOLISHING THE TAX COLLECTOR
Haywood 'County's two members of the
General Assembly, Senator Francis and Rep
resentative. Howell, have gotten their bills pass
ed by the Assembly that abolishes the office of
tax collector in this county and makes the
sheriff tax collector. on a commission basis in
stead of a salary. This becomes effective at
the end of the elective term of the present tax
collector, although the $1000 salary reduction
became effective last Friday, thus making the
salary of the tax collector $;3500 instead of
$4500.;
The present elective term of the tax col
lector does not expire until the fall of 1935, as
he was elected last November to collect the
1933 and 19:54 taxes, and the 1934 tax books will
not be turned over to him before October 1934.
At the end of the present tax collector's
term the tax books will be turned over to the
sheriff of the county who -v ill be tax collector
and Will receive one-half of one percent for the
first $100,000 collected; one percent on the
second $100,000 and two percent on the balance
of the tax that is collected and turned over to
the county. Before selling out property for
taxes he must also exhaust all personal prop
erty. . - -
The first $100,000 is usually paid in with
out solicitation, .as a number of large taxpay
ers take advantage of the discount. The second
$100,000 comes in slower and the remainder'
comes in small payments. According to the
budget passed upon, there was a little over
$312,000 to be collected in this county this year,
and at the commission basis setforth in the
bill it would net the tax collector about $3700
provided he collected all taxes for the year.
Under the new order, Haywood County
will have one less official on the payroll, but
the total cost to the county will remain about
the same provided the sheriff-tax collector goes
after the taxes, and he will, if he gets anything
for himself.
"TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS AND A LIFE"
One of the most startling bits of news,
Bruce Catton said recently, is a little announce
ment that came not long ago from the National
Educational Association.
Someone in the organization did some fig
uring, and found out that while it costs $300
a year to keep a man in prison, it costs only
$100 a year to keep a child in school. The na
tion spends about a billion and a half a year on
its 500,000 prisoners ; while it spends only two
and a half to educate its 36,000,000 school
children.
Money invested in educating children will
bring returns, while money spent on prisoners
usually does little or no good except to keep
them out of trouble while confined to prison,
and sometimes while there they are making
plans and scheming- to do something worse
back
left
and
This
than before as soon as they are released from
prison.
This thought brings to mind an article
written for a magazine published at N.,C. C. W.
at Greensboro recently, which tells the follow
ing story:
"Two years on the roads!" the judge rap
ped out coldly, impersonally.
"But, Your Honor," it was a youth of nine
teen w ho jerked out his answer in surprise a
boy. slim, fair-skinned, blue eyed with long,
slender hands. "But, Your Honor, that's too
much! I only meant to borrow- that car for a
couple of days! Don't you understand? My
mother was sick, and I simply had to go
to New York to see her."
"I .understand that you deliberately
town in your employer's delivery truck
that you remained awav for five davs.
being your first offense, 1 had intended letting
you off with a twenty-five dollar fine, but since
you're not man enough to raise even that
small a sum: "
"Your Honor," the boy broke in desperate
ly, "I'm practically a stranger here. If you'd
give me a little more time, I'm sure I could find
somebody to help
"You've had two days and nights. That
should have given you stiflicient time. But I'm
wasting the court's time in this nonsense! Take
him away." He turned to address the waiting
bailiffs.
As the harsh voice ceased, the boy made
one last despairing motion of protest; then
dropped his hands to his sides. His face as
sumed the blankness of a mask. He .stood
motionless, not heeding the rough hand thai
fell on his shoulder... I'a.-sively he submittee
to. be led back to hi.s cell, Dumbly he sat down
on flie edge of his cot and stared into nothing
ness. His head throbbed; words beat I ofturingly
into his consciousness :, 'twenty-live dollars
two years- ttt-enty-f-ivc dollars- two years.
Six months later, a group of convicts sat.
heavily guarded, around an open tire in a prison
camp. The leaping', flames played over sixty
staring countenances mummy faces, for the
most partwhose expressions had been robbed
of vitality by weeks of hopeless and unrewarded
labor. The white-faced boy alone, sitting on
the outskirts of the group, showed any spark
of emotion, and this only by the glittering
brilliance of his eyes the restless movements
of his narrow hands.
"What's eatin' you, kid?" the reclining,
grey-striped figure at his side inquired,
"Nothing," replied the boy wearily, but a
tense note of strain underlay his voice.
"Nothin"? What'cha working your hands
so for, then?"
"Just thinking."
'"Bout what?" the other persisted lazily.
"Oh, leave me alone, can't you!" the youth
burst out in sudden fierce passion. "If you
want to know, I'm thinking about the thous
ands of dirty crooks that buy their way out of
jail every day! I'm thinking about a boy who
didn't have even twenty-five dollars! I'm think
ing about the hell I'm going to let loose when I
get out of this one! I'm thinking oh, God,
what am I thinking!" His voice ended on a
wrenching sob, and he buried his burning face
in his thin hands.
Ten years from that day a judge in a large
city faced a man on trial for his life a man
young in years, but old, very old, in countenance.
Bitter lines were stretched on a face that must
have been once smooth and fair. Long, slim
hands pucked at the corners of a hard mouth.
"Robert Marshall, you have been found
guilty of the murder of one George Whitney,
merchant, who discovered you as you attempted
to rob his vault, and whom you shot. Have
you anything to say for yourself ?"
i'lenty. iut it wouldn't . do anv good.
What's the sentence?" :
"It is this; In accordance with statue 4-3-19
of the laws of this state, you are hereby
sentenced, upon the thirty-first of this month
of May, to be hanged by the neck until dead.
And may God have mercy on your soul!"
Silently the prisoner allowed his jailers to
lead him away. Back in his cell he lay down
calmly on his narrow cot eyes closed, lips
closed in a sardonic smile. In his thoughts he
saw once more a slim, fair-skinned boy stand
ing for the first time before the bar of justice.
Justice! The smile on his lips deepened. He
saw that same boy seated in the flickering light
." prison camp fire death on his soul and
darkness around him. He saw that boy a man
now standing over a still form, the glinting
steel of a revolver in his hand. And then, the
picture of a man receiving a sentence of death
he saw, but this only dimly.
The picture of the boy stood out distinctly.
And curiously, inexplicably, a distant refrain
beat into his consciousness twenty-five dol
lars two years twenty-five dollars and a
life .
This paper invites letters from its
readers for this column which pret&in
to matters of irenerai interest and do
not exceed ."JOO words. All letters mu-t
bear signature of writer before they
will be published. Under no circum
stances will thi- paper be responsible
for views in' ooinion- of writers of
(Ins column.
HiAiL iiiisc ':ut: a.wwiioij ta
)l.!. KCT()li T't ACCl'.l'T
I'AI.'llA I. I'AYMtXTS
OX TAXES
Editor of The M;untaineei ; -
1 s.ee in tiie papers that Si nator
r'r.n-i- ha- introduced a bill in the
iV;i.-iatui e empowering and requir
ing th.' tax collector in Haywood
c Lie,!., i i accept partial payments on
:a; - Tiii- i.- a tine move, a most
a l,m:..;.'iiuii.-. thing for our peopfj.
lir why was it iicces-ary to pass a
l-,v to bring this very desirable re
suit aoout'.' According to the News
and Observer there is at least one tax
collector in North Carolina who has
been doing this for years. He is
Sheriff Meekins of Dare county and
he lias a head on him. His county is
mostly composed of water. Taxes in
Dare have largely to be paid from
water products lish and oysters and
prices an low and money is hard to
get,. But SheriHi Meekins makes the
rounds of hi.s county on scehdule
either once in two weeks or once a
roith. John Smith owes taxes of
$20.1)0 and when the sheritf comes he
has only 1.00 on hand. This money
is received and credited on -the hack of
his receipt." On tie1 -herilf's 'next
i.-it anothe.' credit H entered. And
. I - wil h every vi.- ii of the
, '. '.rid' a ml h and behold John Smith',
t '( .J i pn sent I v paid and he
:ir f
A:i-
.v. - w!
end of tin:
Meeki,,-
ami ;
oil, -II
pi
ty is SO cents on the one hundred dol
1 lars and 01 cents of this amount goes
i to the county government indebted-
ness wnereas omy i-j .rio. o"-
school indebtedness.
Many people in our town and coun
ty would have you believe that the
schools are costing more than any
other part of the county organization
whereas a matter of fact the school
cost is only 27 percent. Do you think
jv is fair for the youth of our county
to .-utter any further cuts until those
wiio have advanced take a like cut'.'
Ii. D. BUNN
'lilt INAK.IKAI. ADDRESS Of
GOVERNOR EHKINGH Al S
Eiit r of l'he Mountaineer:
Have y,.u lead if.' It i- the niort
statesmanlike document that I have
pet used in a long1 time. Every citizen,
eveiy resident, every North Carolinian
who'loves his native state ought to
read and reread it. It gives reason
for believing that North Carolina has
another Rr.AL Governor. I wish
i hat our home paper would publish
it in full since many of its leaders
may otherwise not see this great docu
ment. It is the most courageous re
capitulation of the facts of the finan
cial condition of our State, counties
and towns, and the squarest facing of
them that I have ever seen in my life.
Every citizen of Haywood county
ought to study it carefully in the light
of the financial conditions that pre
vail today in Haywood county.
Mr. Editor, can you not publish it
in full'.' It is not too late. It is a
great state paper, and it ought to be
widely published, and moie widely
read and then put away and kept for
future reference. I shall so do with
niv c ipy.
E. V. OL'DOER
24 Years Agm
in
HAYWOOD
Ed-Xote--
PUII !-llCl.l i
last S mida
one mtionii
II. Howell.
Tlie following letter was
r the ! reeiisboro News
The hiil ill question is
ed by Representative '.
- ' i - - i lmJ
As wa reasonably expected G .
ernor Kitchin last week reappoint.
Dr. Thomas Stringfield to the posit;
of inspector-general of the N.r. -.
Carolina National Guard with
rank of colonel. This is an h. :
well bestowed anil will be won: -.
Colonel String-field with becoi.-.'r'j
worth.
Headline: Shall Waynesvilh , (
Forward It is up to our peep!, ;
answer this question. In the M;:,
of Fine Scenery and the Most 'ft...
lightful Climate in the Appalachi.
Y(. are lieing Surpassed by Othei
Winter weathei in dead earn,
last Saturday, Sunday, and Mono.r
was the exclamation ef all. It w tl
cold, fieezing cold, the coldest in
cral winters, pinching every one wj?.
a much more pinching pinch ti.a:.
would have been the case had the
spring-like weather not prevailed :',
a month. -
22 Yh'ARS AGO IX HAYW OOD
T. N. Massie's store was broke;:
into last Friday night and bewev
!?1')0 and $200 worth of merchar.di-'-was
stolen. The police are w-orking'
on the case hut so far have gotten n7.
wul-.- is to wnu uit. guilty parties I
are.
Miss
hoste-s
n csihiy
'.:-'. it re
1 v M rs
Nan Killian was a charming
to the members of the Wed.
Bridge Club. The prize,
done in water color, was v c
. . I. inn's F. Carraway. Tk
wore: Mrs. Carrawav. Mr.
-Iv
0
1 1,
bur
that
.i -
in lb.. l
w 'o ma!
or M.iw'xkI
s-iry, iii'i'c':
by ill is : ini(
n-'-ce-luch
;
mint y
hoping l
lr. conn
roil
I it
be
a
.'.v.
A - ai; al'tert bought, it seems to mi
ll in ,y iiieinory r rot a! ."anil . that D.
A i! well, the best tax collector the
t f W -11 I 1
ioM ii i aj nesvini! nas ever liatl in
m -life tinii . u ii'd this scheme some
a is .ago in collecting W'aynesville
i c . .inn i Know unit, lie more
;i'a;.y collected all the town's taxe
tb.iii any i--llee.tor we have ever had.
F- V. ( t, IKiEi;.
New York City.
rit .Note- Carnal payments are ac.
c opted by the tax collector at thl
time, and we understand that this has
been the custom for some vears. We
take it that Mr. Gudger thinks that
the--tax collector should go see the
peopie instead ot tlie people coming
to see him. This, we find, is left en
tirely to the discretion of the tax
collector.
DID YOU KNOW?
Editor of The Mountaineer:
1. That public education is in ser
ious danger in North Carolina and
America.
2. That educational costs in North
Carolina have received the greatest
cuts of any institution during the
past four years. Nine million dollars
or 22 percent.
.'i. That the average daily attendance
of pupils has increased H,'i,.'t():; and
that 1,220 fewer teachers handled the
situation.
4. That North Carolina transports
more students than any state in the
union at one-half the national cost.
And then we say our schools are ex
pensive. J. That crowded conditions cause
inefficient work and .inefficient work
causes more failures.
0; That there is a state central
monarchy that refuses to allow the
local people to exceed state standards.
i. lhat modern educational methods
ire necessary to prepare for a modern
world. :
8. That to remove the 15 cents land
tax would remove 4 million dollars
from the general fund ? Unless there
can be found other sources of revenue
the schools will bear the brunt of the
burden.
9. That last year the county school
tax decreased vVhile the county expen
ses for governmental purposes increas-
ea.
10. lhat North Caro ina snends
$37.44 annually for the education of
each pupil. The United States spends
$75.34. How can we have efficient
schools and fall any lower down the
scale,
11. That in North Carolina the total
school cost for education has been
reduced 47 cents on the 100 dollars
valuation and that other governmen
tal cost have increased 48 cents. This
is an increase of 1 cent. Had the oth
er governmental cost reduced as much
as the schools we would be 94 cents
lower than we are today. Why is it
that the people are allowing the great
est public institution we have suffer
for the short sightness of our leaders ?
12. That the tkal state indebted
ness is 85 8-10 percent and the total
school indebtedness is 14 2-10 percent.
For Haywood County
13. That the county wide school tax
rate has been reduced from 77 cents
to 29 cents and that the county gov
ernmental rate has been increased
from 52 to 96. ; That is, two years
ago the schools cost 77 cents and the
county government 52. Now the
county government costs 96 cents and
the schools cost 29. If the county
government had taken anything like 1
the cut the schools have taken we
would be paying 50 cents county wide
tax where as we are paying $1.25,
and the schools are getting only 29
cents of this. Please read this again1
and then get the auditors sworn state
ments of these facts which were pub-
i!HS IS NEW, ALSO It AW
Hawood county will !i:i,-,- a law
r:; : y e -1 abli-ho-j an I . na ' n ; ,i ei! by
,.ie.Ttl i a i.f one dolla v i-.-d on
i - ;, .ie::..:ol, ; . ! ' 'ct i'i ! ill Ik e u rt .-
It J i 1 liaywonil coLiiil-e w hi : able u
r. -: .-.s.f... 1 iK- st:.! e:ia.t- lias ap-
.r"Vi.t.l the law lil,M';. tax b:b. or, i
iy tbe senator .from. ia,Vvi..i, are
i r -sunied 'hat- tin-- I'OLi.-e Will
ac i ecable.
.The. process of lease ,-iiig which has
di lerlilined that, oll'ei ,iers in Hay
Wood county v-'lio are ibie to ineet a
bill of costs should be taxeil -for the
education of the lawyeis of the tuun
ty, is beyond u-. Defendants who aie
able to employ lawyers aie supposed
to have made their contribution to
the lawyer's education and living
when they pay the lee exacted. It
doesn't seem exactly sporting, to put
it mildly, to compel a defendant who
has paid for service that didn't save
him to contribute further for the -bene-,
tit Of. lawyers generally. If the de
fendant is without the aid of counsel
because he was unable to pay, it is
adding something like insult to injury
to compel him to pay for that which
has contributed nothing to his aid and
comfort.
. Not only is the dollar for the law
library to be taxed in the cost paid
by defendants convicted in the 'Su
perior courts but the bill provides that
the mayor of AVaynesville and the
police courts in the other towns of
the county Canton and Clyde must
exact the dollar for the law library.
The chairman of the board of com
missioners, the clerk of the Superior.
court and the president of the Hay
wood County Bar association will be
custodians of the library supported
and maintained for the use and be-1
half of the Haywood county lawyers
at the expense of persons adjudged
guilty in Haywood county courts.
evymg a special, lax through court
costs isn t a new 'proposition." But
levying it for the use of a special
group of citizens, as in this case,
seems to us about as raw a proposit
ion as one would meet in a day's jour
ney. By no stretch of the imagina
tion that can be imagined for the mo
ment can this tax for the benefit of
Haywood county lawyers be called a
tax for legitimate public purposes.
since it is impossible to conceive anv
obligation Or duty due from luckless
defendants in Haywood county courts
to members oi the Haywood county
bar. . '
If this measure becomes law we
i n
K'-s.
Xvl-Wl
Hurt
g ..'iia
A .v.
I
Abel v:
a live -
VI:
lilayluck. Mrs.
I. M s. Canin M-".
Sar.'h St i ingtie'oi,
I.illie Sa'.tei thwait.
Cole. Cbirinc I ee. .!,..
t a i l ie Sue Adams.
-. of ii.or F. iix :. a:
the way lie i or.U'r;
"" tin. dit.ij.- of his office ::.s
ilor.
!r. ,v Mis-. J. V.
j W.ei'hiesday at'; r
I'.'itimore.
- -.Mr. dam. s ' Reed aiul Mill; I
S-:i i ir uburg Saturdav
rir-nt a f.'v. da-s with-. Mr. lie
mother.
Mi', aiid Mrs. James Killian s-rj
e'ji,"(-ti d io return from Stark,' .Flu.
' !ir ! of the week wherL. they hav
b en on r.n extended visit.
, Mi--'. R. IF Busliiieil entertained
: 'n-aialiy .Thursday af temoon at
bridue in honor of Mrs. E..M. Bearden
of A-heville who is the guest, of Mis.
Nan Killian.
iii.i
A'eu
"I once tried to teach a little Ala
bama boy to speak pure English,"
writes Octavus Roy Cohen. "IH
never forget the despairing way he
said to me at the end of the thirtieth
or fortieth lesson: 'Dey aren't no
ain't you, is dey? It's aren't vou
ain't it?' "Ex..
may hope that some defendant in
Haywood courts who finds himself
under compulsion to contribute a dol
lar to the law library will have the
nerve and the money and the latter
might be made up by public contri
bution 4o ask the courts by what
authority the penalty is exacted for
private purposes.
R. R. CLARK
PHONE 366 SERVICE FIRST
L. G. Smith & Coro
na Typewriter, Inc.
29 Electrical Building
Typewriters Sold, P.ented and
Repaired
Supplies and Repairs for all
Makes
ASHEVILLE, X. ('. :
... - " . s r ' . y
Tnen simplv
assist Jfecture
in -the TTiavlcxTig
The best remedies that .have been prepared to assist
man in living his "three score and ten" are first
prepared in Nature's laboratory. The drugs sold b.v
us are guaranteed as to their purity and our pre
scriptions are compounded in a careful expert manner.:"
Alexander's Drug Store
PHONES 53 54