Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Jan. 11, 1907, edition 1 / Page 9
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CiTAKLOTT.; DAILY Oi.KKVKII, JANUARY 11,1007. 'r ii p i'nv r!"i',(.' t IM-M-M (', '""r InicliKnci', ana yir Inii e.iiiy; lllL (lUl ilulUiiO il-t- OAVIij t uut r ,lUve fl,llr uut lnut you Wil J IK KI'ADS IT TO UXUsLVrU.i;. I'l-oli-nt AsuIiihI the Chief F.xcrntlve Iv-llvci-ln Ills Mr-ssuge In Person is KckIhUtciI, on the Oiouml XhHt It Is An Uiicoi.tlUUloiiul Innovation Gm-i not Greeted by Applmno From l he Joint Session The (.overno , ltr-omi.iciuls Jinrease In Governor s ' halryw-VW t ? .JSxcIuhUhi of liobbylMi Surr-iIim import Itccurdtttir State;- InHtltutloiw eti Forth tli Nerd ,of lUfonnatory .The Message In Full. i' - ' . observer Bureau ' v, The -Hollaman Uulldlng ' 1 ,. - Raleigh Jan. 10 '! -" Thin day' has been one of hlstorl y cat t interest , tn the Legislature, , Governor Glenn - delivering his ad ; dresses - In person ;v "' Tour; correa pondent staled last night that, there would , be a protest agatnafr what one faction declared to be an , unconsUlu- , ilonat innovation, k The House session I was pehe,d at 11 Vcloclt. I; Repreaen " tatlve .Morton Called, attention, to an , vrror lltJfM;5,!4 that a ' motion made tost J evening, taking " the Qowrrbr i Unofficially address the LeglBlaturel aa defeated. - Mor ton slid this really waa" not voted on. "Speaker Justice ordered the correc tion madei-''tf. ' "s . "; -y7. A message was. read from the Gov ' ernor thanking the- House for Us in - vltatloin -to read his message. ; Repre sentative Morton presented a protest. 'which; at hla request was read -and enteredon the Journal,' the protest being In these words! "In accordance with my constitutional rights, I hereby protest against , the Chief Executive . being permitted to read bis message to the Genej'al' Assembly, because it 1 a violation of the constitution,, In that it falls to keep separate. and dls tlnct the executive and legislative branches and also that no one except members or clerks have a right to road or speak pn the floor during the official session." . ' Representative .Swift Galloway gave notice that he and several other members joined in this protest. A Joint -committee -of the Senato and House went, to the Governor's or lice and escorted him to the Speaker's desk, the Senate having entered the hall of the Hotisejn a body, headed by Lieutenant Governor Winston. The enlry of Governor Glenn was greet d by applause. Lieutenant Governor Winston took a position on the Gov ernor's right after, having Invited him to the speaker's chair. Speaker Jus tice being on the Governor's left. Lieutenant Goernor Winston pre sented Governor Glenn, who amid ap plause thanked the Joint body for the Invitation, saying that It had oc curred to him that to present his message 1n person would do good, as there were matters which he desired to particularly emphasise: that he had no thought save for the good of the State, and In law he was not with out his rights' to appear. He said that so far as reading his message In person was concerned, he had known several Governors to; do this and that they Had told him it had been a good plan and had been well received al ways. After a few words of eloquent assurance of bis great love for North Carolina and high regard for the members of the Legislature, the Gov ernor began the reading of a type written copy of his message, a num ber of passages being received with applause. He made a striking figure as he read, on his right being a no ble picture of 'Washington, in the background that of Henry Clay and to the left that of the beloved Vance, while the national and State colors were draped In rear of the stand. The lobbies and gallerles were throng ed, many ladies being present, and at tention, was very, close and order good, during the .entire reading. Rep resentative Murphy, who last even ing spoke so eloquently against the Governor's making the address in parson, was not In the hall, but "was In iftr Senate, chamber. THK GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE. To the Honorable .the General As sembly of North Carolina: You meet to-day Tinder most fa vorable circumstances. Never be fore was the State In such a prosper ous condition, and Its increase agri cultural!, Industrially, educationally and morally, has been phenomenal. Since the General Assembly last met, crops have been generally good and have brought prices above the average, so that our farmers are in good condition end out of debt, and their lands much enhanced in value. New enterprises have everywhere sprung Into existence, and the rattle of the loqrn, the hum of machinery and the scream of the steam whistle make sweet music to the Industrial ear. T0-day our, State has taken the secpnd place In th United States in the manufacture of cotton goods and furniture, and first In the production of plug tobacco. Labor' has received good wages, but there Is a great scarcity In every line of work,' and a growing demand is therefore being made to devise some remedy for an increase In laborers, provided they be of the right kind. me cause oi eaucauon nas greatly advanced. Good school houses and equipment, a hlghor grade of teachers, longer terms, and a more general In terest In school work; are evidences of ap educational awakening that promises great things In the future. The moral trend' has gradually been onward and upward, until to-day our people were never more Industrious or sober, or took a areater Interest In things religious. Providence 'nas been truly., bounti ful In the gifts It has bestowed on our State. Our soil produces every variety of crops, and either is al ready, or can by fertilising, be easily , made most productive. We still have on our mountains, hills and swamps, all kinds of tlm- water power Is un available to operate every iachlnery. Our drlnkina- Ki ' water is pure and wholesome. No fyclonea,: bustards, or earthquakes .. ever irouoie us, ,ana our. people are i:; -t generally healthy, active, and wlde ? - awako to thtlr opportunities. V , me credit or tne State Is first-class; we practically owe nothing.-as our ; .assets are in excess of -our liabilities, t and there now seems no further ' danger of our being harassed by coh T . $ eplrattirs seeking to ve-g us wlfn suits on old repudiated bond.' as ihe Gov rnors vf Ulster Mates refuse to lend themselves to., such fraudulent and mercenary schemes, v . . . All of these blessings end material v ,j riches-tend to advertise our State, and , attract towards It every kind .'. and class of people, ooth those seek ' Ing healthy, chsn'. and happy homes, .: :; as well as those desiring ood Invest ' .menta: and Aha outlook, therefore, for a-'hlgh ,clas&r immigration Is very tattering.; v' . An' to Whethei' this proeperlly 'will ; continue, 1 and , the- ptate during : the next two years go forward In .ma , triat.' sducstlonal, and moral growth, depends very largely n your action, v '- fmfMtetant tittre ivilf nm yfnr yosi, that,.wUI test; your patriotism. prove yourselves eiual to every (le mand made upon you, and with an eye Mingle to , the upbuilding of tho state, and the glory of God, will fearlessly and conscientiously dis charge' your duty. The constitution of the State iriHhef, it my . duty to ' recommend to your honorable body ' such measures as seem .to me. expedient; but I desire to assure you; I will perform the duty In no epirlt of dictation, do as to causo tne slightest V friction between tne legislative and executive branches ; of the aovernment. but with a spirit of endeavoring to aid you In your ardu ous work, to the end that our unueo. labors shall prove- benenclaL and not nuruui to tna people wnora wo !"- sent. ;-'.: -,..,,'..'. ';'.';.iv;. V,,; fi. !-' 50 TAXATION. ';' MA Nn iiikwt win coma before 'you at this session fraught with more vital Interest to 'the State than tha tievis Ing of a proper scheme for ascertain ing the true value of all property in the State, to the ena that .each . In dividual or . county.- by ; proper taxa tion, shall bear his. or Us part ot the Bute's burden; and that there be no false valuation or unjust aiscnmina- tlon.i';:;.'i.f,.,':'t,;;,il,f;;..i '!,,, :: ?.;- fj . ; The v Constitution, Art. V, Sec. 3. provides that "laws shall be passed taxing by a uhitorm rule all moneys, creaits, etc.. and aiso an rem ana personal property- acooramg to us true value In money;" and yet this simple but vital provision Is univer sally violated both In the assess ment not being uniform, nor ac cording to their-; true- value. While Impossible to devise any scheme ot taxation that shall fall equally on all, still the nearer we can approach to requiring all to value their property aacordlng to Its trne worth, Just so much the nearer we come to rui nlllng the constitutional demand for uniformity. : This . subject, therefore, requires your deepest thought and most careful examination: and If the session should end with your having accomplished nothing else but set tling this troublesome, question on a fair basis, you vatlll will: have earned the plaudit, "Well done, faithful servant.". , . . The assessed value of all property In the State is $461,620,668.32; but In mv judgment. If personal property was fairly given In, and realty Justly assessed, and raurpaas ana omer cor porations fairly taxed, its actual value would be a billion dollars, enabling us to have a much lower rate than at. present and still have a much larger revenue to meet all the growing needs of the State, A fair valuation and a low rate are what are necessary to get more ceo Die and outside capital, while a low rate and high valuation frighten away both the 'nomeseeker and In vestor. By reading the report or tne audi tor you will see that lorty-nve conn ties out of the ninety-seven receive more from the State than they pay taxes to It; and while we might ex pect such a condition from a very few weak counties, still when we see the same thing done by large and prosperous Counties, we know it is be cause they have put an unfair and too low value on their property, and are therefore perpetrating a wrong on the State and the other counties. This wrong. Is accomplished by the assessors in some counties valuing realty at 80, 85, 90, and 95 per cent, of its money value, while tne as sessors In other counties, where land is equally fertile and valuable, assess It at 33 1-3, 40, 50, or 60 per cent. This In a palpable violation ot the constitution, and Is unfair both to the Individual taxpayer, or coun ty, that thus pays more than tax payers in other counties, where prop erty is equally. If not more, valuable. All of this can be remedied by mak ing a few changes in our present law, which, m tne main. Is a good one, but only needs a more effective way bf enforcing It. Under Section 6203. Vol. II. Revlsal of 1905, assessors value all realty In a county, and a tax-Hater, under the provisions of Section 5217, receives from the owner a sworn list of all his personal property of every de scription. Require the assessors, as is now the law, to view and Inquire into the true value of all the realty In their coun ty, and without letting the owner have any knowledge of whut valua tion they have affixed, maice their report to the board of equalization. Then require the list-taker, In addi tion to maklng"'every taxpayer list under oath his personalty, also' under oath give in all his realty of every description, no matter where situate, as well as his Interest In It, with also his estimate of Its true money value. That the list-taker be allow ed to question the taxpayer under oath, or others If he desires It, touch ing the value of tha property given In, and then send his report, with the sworn statement of the owner, to the board of equalisation. That after the returns of the assessors and list-takers have been received,, the board of equalisation, organised as required under Section 5239 of The Code, shall examine them, and take any further evidence, oral or other wise, that they may desire, touching the value of the taxpayer's realty and personalty, and then fix the value of the taxpayer's property. By this plan the board of equalisation, having be fore them the valuation as fixed by the aRsrssors, and the owner, and other persons, could scarcely make any mistake In assessing the property at a fair value; and this system be ing the same in all counties, would neeeKurlly bring about more uni formity. If such a system Is adopted rim. Inter In the year, Siul 1 hope a uniform time will ho adopted. ; ft AIL ROADS. , Much bus been said of lute about railroads and rullroad rates, both pas senger and freight, and how bust to regulate and control them. In dealing with this question, I would urge up on the General ''Assemoly-to careful., ly examine the whole matter of rail roads, and wnllo doing everything the law allows, in protecting the people against unjust discrimination, heavy rates, and unnecessary .hardships, at the same time' to treat the railroads with perfect fairness; and give them every; legal right K which belongs to them -. Railroads iAkre ;, the . , great old syMem, Ihe Secretary of H(ile will prove a sllinulun to both parents collected tHxe.-t to the amount of 84.-Ji)nj children, and do much good for arteries ' of , commerce; and - - have been ; the , means: -'of developing and building . up our resources as nd other factor . In ' the State has. and therefore should bbe looited upon,' not as ; hostile- to the State's interests, but as one of - its most helpful agencies. ; There are certain things, therefore,' that should be required of the railroads In car rying out their obligations to the people as common carriers, Jand cer tain protection should be given them against the unjust demands and ex actions of prejudiced litigants. (1) Railroads. ' like Individuals, should be required to pay taxes on all their property at a fair valuation, and not be allowed to rate their property at a 'nigh value when bor rowing money and at a very low rate when paying taxes, as most ot mem now do. (2) Passenger rates should be re duced. Of late years travel has great ly Increased, yet scarcely any reduc tion nas Deen maae in tne raie. mi corporation commission contends that on account of the two-fare system in this State, It could not properly make the necessary reduction. North Caro lina is the only State In the Union on our mountains, i large quantities of ' iher. while our wa t t rolled, and avallabl i;laas of machlner having two rates, and It Is not now necessary. therefore recommend that there be only one fare, and tnat the rate be fixed at 2 cents pet mile, and the mileage-book at 2 cents per mite, to nx tne rate at t cents a- mile, as some railroads ask, will not do, for this would be raising the rate from 2 cents to 3 cents for poor people, allowing the richer ones to ride on a 2 cents mileage hook. I think, therefore, that the flat rate of 2l4 cents, with a 2 cents mileage book, Is, for tho present, fair to both the people and the railroads, (3) I recommend, that some law be passed remedying the loss of time that the public suffers waiting for delayed trains. Several plans have been suggested; one, to require rail roads when their connections are an hour or more late, to run a special train; another, to require them on all their roads to run a local, without regard to connections, arriving and leaving on its own time: and still an other, to require the railroads to at once bulletin its train, 'if late, giving reason for delay, and when It Is ex pected, and then allow thirty minutes' margin after the announced expected arrival, and after this to heavily penalize them for every thirty "min utes' delay; the penalties to ao to the school fund. There may be other suggented remedies better than any of the above, but something should De done to remedy the leafiuJ loss oi time caused by waiting at stations. (4) To Insure greater safety to the trav-fllng public, I urge most earnestly two things: First. That a limit be set to the hours of service performed by a railroad employe; for it is needlens to expect a train dis patcher, switchman, engineer, flag man, etc., to perform good service, be always on the alert and be able to guard against accidents, when he Is worn out by many hours of strain and arduous work, and unable to take needed rest; and, second, that when the corporation commission points out to a railroad that Its road bed or equipment is defective and un safe, and the railroad authorities for an unreasonable time neglect or re fuse to remedy the defects, the super intendent and other officers of said road having supervision of the de fective roadbed or equipment, Bhall be guilty of criminal carelessness and liable to Indictment. (5) Having required railroads to do their duty, t.iey should be pro tected, when not In the wrong. Per sons, therefore, who walk on their tracks, except at regular crossings, Khouid do so at their own risk, and, if Injured while so walking along the track, otherwise than In crossing It at regular crossings, should not them selves, or through their legal repre sentatives in case of their deatn, be allowed to recover damages; for an exacting public requires railroads to make fast time both for passengers and freight, and they should not, therefore, be mulcted In damages when a person, of his own choice, goes on their track and is Injured or killed. , CORPORATION COMMISSION. This branch of the State govern ment has already performed a great good in reducing freight rates, and In properly assessing and regulating taxes, both as against railroads and other corporations, as well as In dividuals; but, In my opinion, tne powers of the commission ought to be Increased, so that Its work may be still more beneficial. In regard to all railroads Intra-State, the com mission should be given (If It does not already possess It) full, ample and complete power to regulate and ad just all passenger and freight rales; to prevent all unjust discriminations, to require all connecting lines to make close connections, and have un ion depots; to require all railroads to run on schedule time, and on falluro without Just excuse, to b penalised; to order the adoption or an inter 879. 2, mid as hla compensation re ceived foes, and was allowed 11.000 for olurk hire. During 1905 tne com missioner of insurance collected $205, 124.07 from the companies, and for tho seven years sIikim the department was organized, $1,046,804.23 has been received, , which makes, an annual aveiage of ,1149,543.4(1. The com missioner is paid 12,000 - and some fees paid by the insurance companies, and allowed $1.600 : for clerical as sistance, while If ' the old system of tees nad continued, u, would nave been $83.283.60 Just $58,083, 0 more sthan under the present " laws. The (commissioner: 'nandles oyer $200.000 1 tiieeh year, , and keeps at least j - 4 00 : accounts; yet hae no regular . book-, laseper. !','ine' wora is growing im-, intensely each year he needs more (help, and J aarnestly hone you will tallow enough to obtain the assistance required.. . -... The commissioner reports that dur ing ; 1005 the-premiums collected by foreign life Insurance companies In Khls State were $4,010,444, and thoss collected by fire companies $2,350,549, making a total of $6.3660,993. x Life insurance is one or tne safest and Pest means of providing for a man's fami ly after he is dead, and tire insurance (the only safe means of protecting ourselves Against toss ny nre; there fore, every wise man, who can af ford it, should be encouraged to In sure their lives and property, thus guarding against future poverty and loss. We desire foreign Insurance com panies to do business in our State, and will protect them all we can against fraud and wrong; but It 1s not fair for them to collect and car ry away over $1,000,000 of our money to enrich and build up their home States at North Carolina's expense. Two remedies have been suggested: (1) The enactment of a law making it a condition precedent to & foreign the cause of education To me, whllo the Htute nifiy not yet be ready for It, the solution of the child labor problem Is to compel all children between the ages of eight and twelve to attend school; and If you will read the commission er's report, you will see how strong tnls sentiment Is becoming ln ,-the Btate, . Tender children should be protect ed. To put them at too early an ago into factories, dwarfs their bodlea and minds, and. I fear, the healthy ac tion of their souls;.; and ho better remedy against thu evil ; could .; be found than by putting them In school, where body, mind, and soul can be trained and beautified. , ; . '? v ' The change of the law, putting tne public printing -Into the hands of i committee, of which the commissioner of labor and printing' Is a mem ber, has worked well and saved much money, for now we have a practical printer to direct and control me nx Ing of prices, etc., of the public print-; ing; and this alone maizes the bureau invaluable. , CRIMINAL ritOCEDURK. ,,' Speedy trials and certainty, of pun ishment, for fne guilty are the best methods of preventing crime. (The excuse for lawlessness and lynching in generally the slowness and uncer tainty of court trials; and while such an excuse Is often false and unjust, still all must admit that technical objections and questionable methods of defense often exasperate the pub lic and cause it to wink at mob law, when If trials were always conducted on J0.st legal grounds, public opinion would more heartily condemn the least attempt at such high-handed measures. . I think the time has come to make certain changes, and there fore urge you to consider them. The legal profession, as, a rule, is com posed of high-toned men, who would acorn-tn ntfpmnt to corrnnt a lurv. company's doing business in our State, j or pollute In any way the fountain inat tney snail, De ore January ist of justlce gome eorrupt attorneys, of each year, -submit to the Insur- ; however, will, and so watch closely ance commissioner satisfactory evl- the list of Jurors drawn for eaCn dence that they have invested in sol- j court, o they can see the Individual vent North Carolina securities or , juror and try t0 tnHuence or corrupt property an amount equal at least to him. To guard against fraud, the 5,0 per cent, of the premiums col-, jit of drawn Jurors should not be rected on the policies of the people published, and no clerk, sheriff, or and property of this .State. A great ; ot tier officer should be allowed to many countries, and some States, furnish anv one h list, hut It should have adopted this plan, and it works ' De kept perfectly secret, and the snd advertising our State's resources U for North Carolina to maae a creditable exhibit ot the Jamestown Kxposltlon. The - last General Assembly appropriated ami shotiM be ft I i i i forts t Htop thn M hn. i,i of our bird, 'the only tMu l. . chitv ftHk of the Lrui.ilnture H ' i- I form lw In reicard to l.ie time dan well (2) Or that every foreign company doing business In the State make a i court. sheriff, without disclosing the jury list, snould quietly summons them to deposit. In North Carolina securities to be approved' by the commissioner, of not less thin $10,0 00 or more than $50,000, according to the amount of business- done by the company. Why should honest companies ob ject to either of these plans? In- In capital cases, formerly a defend ant could not testify in his own be half, and therefore to equalize mat ters he was allowed twenty-three peremptory challenges, and as many more as hp could show causo for. Now he can testify, and to give him $30,000 for this turios and authorised the use of $20,000 for A State building. This exposition will be ono of great magnltudo, and, next to Virginia, North . Carolina will ' be benefited more,; than any other . State, as Norfolk Is almost a North Carolina city and in close contact with our eastern section. Our building will cost $18,800 and Its maintenance at least 11.200, leaving, only $10,000 to Instnll and exhibit our resources. This, amount Js utterly Inadequate for that purpose, for the whole world will send visitors, homeseekers, and Investors to this exposition, . and It will be a magnificent opportunity to display our material wealth; and we should therefore make an exhibit first-class In every respect. By the last act the commissioners were allowed nothing; but as they are patriotically perform ing a great service to our State, I Urge extra appropriation of $25,000, as It will require all of this amount to make a showing commensurate with they be allowed their actual ex pensed 1 sincerely hope you will vote an the dignity of the state and adequate to thoroughly advertise our resources. This amount, as -will be seen from the commissioners' report. Is nothing like as large as the amounts given by oth er States; still It will enable us to make an exhibit of which all will be proud, and which will greatly aid in our future development. STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. Under tho practical management of Dr. Joseph Hyde Pratt, during the last two. years, the State Oeologlcal Survey has done great good along many useful lines. Under Its direction a thorough ex amination has been made of the fish and oyster Industries, and practical suggestions made as to how to pro tect them and at the same time fur nish more revenue to the State. It has likewise actually aided in obtain ing a better water supply In the eaxt, by means of artesian wells, and by showing conditions that Indicate where such wells can be located. Bulletins showing the advantages of good roads, and how to work them, have accomplished much towurds the betterment of our highways, while every effort Is being made to preserve our forests from tires or timber marauders. By thoroughly advertising our min eral resources a great Impetus has been given to mining in the State, and the wealth that will be obtained from our graphite and monazlte deposits will, alone, repay the cost of this bu reau for years to come. If nothing clap had been accomplished by the vestments are as sale and remunera- iso many challenges puts tho State to "" ;", tive here as elsewhere, and while u ..Vt ritual helping our State, they do themselves ; justlce. for enables the de- "l" ? H .. onoentrtlnA.rian'v!8la..; no wrong. fendant (especially where there Is "mleu , " f K'v" ni "r.1 Some cpmpanles say mat If we more than ne) t0 select tt Jury to!P08 "f testing the value and quality aaopt mis iaw. mey win icnve in.- -nlH own Hking, who are ready to ae State. Such threats are Idle and qit before entering the box. The have no terror, for while we want all ! Ktate gnould be given four peremp to remain, still If they go, we will j tory challenges, and the defendant yet have enough remaining, which, ' , rogardleBS of (he nurrlber of ,je wlth our strona home companies, can ,..,,, ,,, ,u ,,, 4..,i easily do the life and fire insurance should hold that the defenses of the This bureau Is controlled by ener buslness of our people. defendants were conflicting, In which getlc, up-to-date directors, who love These are only suggestions of mine. case egch should be allowed six. There North Carolina, and are doing all You may have some better plan, or j a, t m challenges ,; they can for its upbuilding honestly believe It unwise to require! the favor, for why should good men. i I suggest that you carefully read i of all ores and heavy sands, would entitle him to your most favorable consideration, for this plant Is the on ly one the United States has erected 'In the South, and will turn the eyes of all the nation towards our minerals. anything: of tho kind; but to me It seems perfectly plain that such a re quirement would mean great things for North Carolina's growth and de velopment. Congress having declared that each State must reguulate insurance for Itself, I suggest that you have the commissioner go carefully over with you all our lnsur.arice luws, and make all necessary amendments, so as to give us up-to-date laws. Much complaint 'has been made against what Is termed Industrial In surance, It being, charged that some of the companies doing this bind of insurance are practicing fraud and extortion. This should be carefully simply because their property did not their report, as it will give vou a new consist of realtv. or they hud a suit Insight Into the State's undeveloped in court, or had neglected, perhaps wealth. because absent, to pay their taxes. OYSTER AND FISH INDUSTRY, disqualify them from aerving on the K(,, a wetern mani T frankiy con Jury? There also should be very few fesH , know bul ttle about whtU l!4 exemptions from jury duty, to the b(,st for ,he oy8ter and nn interests, end that the best and most intelligent , an(1 our castPrn friends, who are deep cltlzens should serve. Also, in ajly concerned about these Industries, county wnere inere is reeling euner a;ftr so wueiy ln their views that It j ance be taken, for . . a v. ueieiiuaiii, in cc ; ls nardly possible to advise you what! portion that people ju .uutc nu.uuci uiikmi, i, Dest t0 be done, so that both the-; I recommend that the trial Judge be , ,mpOrta0t sources of livelihood should authorized to send to an adJoinlngibe protected, and at the same time county and summon good and law-some rev.nue Do pad the State for ful men to attend the court where i ald prteetlon. In order to get all the trial is to be held to .serve astne factg poMtbie. I appointed a com- jmipin. i uio memou own ucen w leu which game birds should be hunt- i. It asks that' the time for hun.',; : commence November 15th and ei.d March 1st, and be allowed at no other time in any county,, I approve the request. The law should b uniform, and It la hoped you will &o make tt. PENSIONS. ' What do tho old veteran- needf From 1861 to 1865. with a. voting pop ulation of only 113,000, North Caroli na during the Civil War, sent 12S.00O of the truest and bravest men to the front The entire eleven Confederate ' States had killed In battW 74.3X4. Of -this number North Carolina lost lfl, , 673; and. when we add thoae who dled-fxoni-jwounds and disoasevlt foots up 40.275. Our soldiers 'won -the . right to chisel on their momim-.-nl at Appomattox. "First at Bethel, far- j est to the front at Gettysburg a.id 'A Chlckamauga, and last at Appomat tox." This is history. Theso soldiers ' were heroes. - " Send for the Auditor himself a 1 veteran and find out what the Veter ff ans requrre: then do ait we can, thus proving ourselves worthy descendants of such soldiers. - . - t STATE BOARD OP HEALTH. Nothing Is of more Importance Xn our people than good health. Tha State Board of Health created for. its;' promotion has, In proportion to the ; . small approprla.lon maae for Its sup-, ' port, accomplished much in a , ;ule way. This has b s-jn done chiefly n " j educational lines, through Its Month- , " ly Bulletin, and yet by the wide dlstrl-' - tion of circulars relating to the more Important communicable diseases, , special attention having boen paid t ,trl. the prevention of consumption, ly- ' phnld and malarial fevers. Through the State Laboratory of Hygiene, which IV under th-j control of the board, th purity of our pub" lie water supplhs has been safeguard- . ' ed; private supplies suspected tt ' causing disease have been analyzed' and the useni warded, ami much , work In diphtheria, tubercuIyaU, anj ' 1 other diseases has been ('.one. Tha work In detail Is set forth in the , eleventh blenniil report 1 commend the board of houlth to your favorable consldjratlon, and -would advise such reasonable support , as Its needs requliM be given. PUBLIC ROADS. - ' Every encouragement should be giv en to the building of good road As ' I said In my l.iaugural dddresn, mud, .," next to illiteracy, levies the highest tax on a State, and bud roads are a curs and a hindrance to the business, ed- ucatlon, and oragcss of a people. A general up-to-date road lav -should be enacted, allowing any coun- ty or community to have the question . of a bond Issue for tne Improvement of roada submitted to the people; for the present law la not full or complete enough. One only has to look at tha . counties ln the State thai, have, and '; those that have not, good roads, t see whut good roads mean for th growth and wealth of a community. Hence, the State should aid toad bulldlng In every possible way, tnua adding to its upbuilding and develop- ment. MORALS. Our people were never so sober and -. industrious as they are to-day. The , passage of the Watts and Ward bills ras certainly accomplished much v good In bringing about soberness. - peace and good order. Later, I may have something more to say about this question, but at present content . myself with advising that no back-' ward ttep ln the cause of temper- jus In pro- are orderly guarded against, and can be stopped ; ; many state worM wll. i "' "rP,n nT ' ,"." costs less than In removing coses -.,,,,. mu nf their with many witnesses to some adjoin-' ,ndlnir, Thev suaeest manv chanaes by the adoption of a uniform policy, prepared and approved by the com missioner, for these kinds of com ing county. Besides, it Insures more j ni vw vrt hi, qu, antori; " . ' ' "n me oiu iuw ami aavocuip new a uniform life nollcv and it n.T.ht ! ..Tu. Vl LP ihechangea above methods. I transmit to you all their -- -- ----- "unRrmrn, nic iuw wouiu e sirengiii be well for you to consider if this I rnpd g d d and sober, just in tne same propor tion are they energetic, thrifty, sav ing, and filled with a desire to build up both their own and the State's In terest. STATIC CAPITOL OR OTHER IMPROVEMENTS. nln. 1.1 n,, .), n.nll I n.,. wicp.il nuuiu uui ipvipv n til 1 1 1 uui 1, t n n State. , AG RAM Y. If you are convinced after a care- I also urge that the vagrant law be ful Investigation of the net earnings amended, giving adequate punishment of life and fire Insurance companies ! in the discretion of the Superior that the premiums charged their (Court. Vagrants furnish a great per policy holders are too much, you cent, of the burglars, trespassers, mur should reduce them at once; but if'derers, etc., proving the truth of the said premiums nre fair and reason- old adage that "an Idle brain is the able, do not, through prejudice against 1 devil's workshop." Putting these corporations, In any way molest them, , Idlers to work will be a great stride The efficiency with which the State's business Is dispatched Is very much retarded, and the safekeeping of all public and historic records greatly. recommendations, and suggest that . endangered by the condition and ln- you bring certain members of the sufficiency of our State buildings. toward answering the vexed question as to where labor will come from. CORPORATIONS, By some means and ln some man ner, the old law in The Code, Vol. I, regulating how much land corporations mignt own, was repealed, and now any corporation cum acquire and own all the realty It desires. Many corporations have tak en advantage of this repeal and are now buying up vast boundaries of land, and unless some check Is placed upon the amount they may hold, our people will soon become tenants on committee before you, so you may have the full benefit of Its Informa tion. In particular, I call your at tention to certain changes on pages 13. 14 and 15 of the report, relative to fish! and to pages 67 to 71, Inclu sive, concerning oysters and clams. At present we get too little revenue from these Industries, but It Is hoped the suggested changes will give both better results and larger receipts. THE STATE NATIONAL GUARD. with proper machinery for obtaining: Irhunireahle mllease-book: to make all the truth, and with proper penalties I necessary orders regulating all mat and Indictments for making fraudu-' ters concerning railroads and other lent returns as to the assessors, list takers, and taxpayers, I firmly be lieve the Increase ln valuation for the next year would be more than double what It Is at present. In New Zealand the government can put a 10 per cent, bid on any Valuation made by the taxpayer, and take his rh-operty; hence, there la little false or under-valuation In that country, and so prosperity now abounds where once there was pover ty; and. wnlle I would not advise such a drastlo law as this, still it only Illustrates what can be done hy requiring people to do right; and therefore I do earnestly recommend that the law be amended so as to make owners, both as to realty and personalty, give It m at a fair value, or else suffer the Ills of penalties and misdemeanors. As to what has been said ln regard to want ot uniformity In both realty and personalty, the same ran be add ed as to the violation of the consti tution ss to returns on privileged taxes. To Illustrate: One county re turns a large amount collected from horse dealers, peddlers, etc., anotner returns nothing, and yet perhaps the latter county has been the resort ot more horsemen and peddlers than the one paying the tax. The Treasurer suggests mat no nun no macnincry and not sufficient knowledge of what la going on tn tne different counties to properly collect this tax, but that the sheriff of each county bs re quired to collect all special taxes for the State, receiving commissions for so doing., as- In case, of other taxes. This would make the sheriffs mare alert, and tha amount saved by the change would be greatly tn excess of what we now collect. I endorse the treasurer's' suggestion most heartily The Treasurer also requests that all State taxes be due at tha nam time, snd not at different periods, as now. There ne longer exists any reason for making tha taxes In tobacco sections cornoratlons. and then be given pow er to enforce Its orders by conterript proceedings or penalties. ln regard to Inter-State matters af fecting railroads, there Is complaint, the commission should be required to take all needed evidence, find its con clusions of fact and law, and present Its report to the United States Inter State Commerce Commission, for Its action; and, u mat body reyuses to right the wrongs complained .of, to carry the matter before the Jvdlcial or legislative department of the .gov ernment. In the matter alone of correcting freight discriminations, now practiced against our maie ang in mvor oi other States, the benefit obtained to our merchants and other snippers cannot be estimated. The commis sion should likewise be required, and given full power, to regulate and es tablish rates for all telephone sys tems, and compel different telephone lines, for reasonable compensation, to make arrangements fo transmit ting messages from other lines over their own lines, aiso, in every way needful, to control and regulate steamboat lines, telegraph lines, and express companies. ' I recommend that you carefully go over with the commission every law already passed, and make such amendments as may be needed to give more power and greater emcacy to the commission's work. w I repeat: Olve the corporation commission full power to act and then require them to act: for a com mission without power, or that has the power end does not set. Is worse thin im ivimmlulrm - . INSURANCE COMMISSIONEH'ANO . . - INSURANCE. ..V. -. i. . Since the Insurance department wet established, the revenue collected from Insurance companies doing busi ness tn the State ha greatly incre. thus injuring a praiseworthy busi ness. So much misconduct and actual crime have of late been charged against certain insurance companies, that have used their policy holders' . Section 666, money for corrupt purposes, that per haps It would be well to enact a law, In the future forbidding any company engaged In such practices from doing business tn the State; and upon said charge being made, the commission er should at once Investigate, and If the charges are found true, at once stoD the company from soliciting business. their former lands. I recommend the It Is alleged that the opportunity ! re-enactment of the old law, oven for these Illegal methods Is Increased ' malting It stronger, forbidding- any by allowing compunlcs for years to corporation, except those exempted, j brigade, and a battalion of artillery hold deferred dividends, thus fur- rrom either directly or Indirectly buy- i These troops furnish ample means for nolshing a fund always ready to be , ing and holding at one time more than th preservation of good order In the used as tney desire; and it Is hok- nunui re, nu an to tn m- suto, provided their officers and the rmpiea corporations in necnon eon and Its amendments, they should hold their lands only for tho specific pur pose for which they were created, and not for the purpose of dealing tn real ty. Let, also, penalties and forfei tures bo attached to any corporation violating this law. AGRICULTURAL DKPARTM ISN'T. The agricultural department Is do ing good and useful work, and by Two remedies have been sueaested: Klrst: Tne enlargement of tha capitol. The capltol. for not more than $700,000 or 1750.000, payabla as needed In three years, can be so enlarged as not in the least to affect Its present architectural beauty, but, on the contrary, will make the build ing more Imposing and stately. With . this enlargement, the Attorney Gen eral, Superintendent of Public In struction, the Supreme Court, tha The Stale Guard In some respects corporation commission, the In- is ln the best condition it has been for years, it has a beautiful location for a permanent encampment at More head City, and will soon have a target-range not equaled by any other State, save that of New Jersey at Sea Girt. Heretofore, limited means made our equipment inadequate. Since the passage, however, of the two bills by Congress, known as the Dick bills. If the Guard will only take care of what It gets, and not waste and destroy Its property. Its condition win be in ev ery respect first-class. We have now three regiinrnta of Infantry, a naval gested that a sure remedy would bo to allow no deferred dividends, but require each company to distribute annually Us dividends among Its poli cy holders. 1 ask you to Investigate this mat ter and do what Is right. The State Firemen's Association, In view of the valuable services its mem bers render Insurance companies by protecting the property they have In sured, ask that a reasonable per cent. civil authorities will follow the law There Is a growing demand all over the State for new companies, as coun ties and cities now recognise the pro tection such companies afford In safe guarding the lives and property of the people. The Increased duties of the Adju tant General made It absolutely nec essary for him to be ln Raleigh, and I therefore ordered him to report here surance Commissioner and the HUta and law libraries would all ba ; tn the capltol, leaving their--! present quarters for ""outside pur poses. In addition to this great benefit. the General Assembly' would have ample and needed com mittee room, anu fire-proof vaults would be connected with all depart-' menta requiring them, In which could -be stored all valuable documents. Tnls contemplated change would In -protection of property, and the ef ficiency of work done, more than repay tne cost of construction. I endorse and commend this plan. second: ihe other plan, In case V the first Is rejected Is to erect a pub- lie building and hall of history an tne State lot near Capltol Square. . ' This would cost from 1160,000 t '; 1200.000 and could accommodate the ' ' Attorney General. Superintendent of 't Public Instruction, tha Insurance ii - -: b collected on all Dremlums and Dald I stltutos, Its bulletin filled w ith pracll the Firemen's Association, In order to I cal suggestions and scientific results, furnish a fund for aiding those In-! and Its other methods of teaching the lured, or the widows and children of ! people, a growing Impetus has been those killed while ln the line of their i given to farming, horticulture, stock means of Its test farms, farmers' In- j for duty, and hope you w ill require him In the future to live at the capi ta ISM, the : last ear . under the duty aa firemen and to better equip and make fire companies more ef ficient To me the request seems rea sonable, as there are no truer or braver men than these firemen. w7io risk thlr Uvea to save the Ufa snd property of others, and It Is but right, when by their efforts they save fire Insurance companies - such vast amounts, that they should receive a reasonable amount to be Invested for their benefit or the benefit of their children. ; I hope thst Ihe whole spbject of Insurance will be thoroughly Investi gated by. you. In a spirit of fair ness and justice, coin to insurers and raising, and dairying. The amount collected from the tax on fertiliser has largely Increased, and now with Its new facilities, a well-equipped force of competent experts and a sufflency of funds, still larger benefits may be expected In the near future. While the Commissioner of Agri culture Is also named commissioner of Immigration, the modification of the old law practically left no ma chinery for the encouragement of Im migration. In view, therefore, of the growing demands from every Industry (Including agriculture, manufacturing, domestic service, etc) for more ef ficient labor..! earnestly urge you to Insured, and to the end that no wrong j r?"n,l!;' W1'1'0" J9 " "0. Vol. may be done either. BUREAU OF LABOR AND PRINT ING. Home people seem lo think that the work of the department ot labor and printing docs little If any good: Dtll ll tney win oniy rcmemoer inai It rs tho only bureau that gathers statistics from all classes of labor, they will at onca see Its utility. The report furnished me in regard to child labor, and tha views of tha people on the subject ot compulsory education. Is more 'than worth the small ameunt we spend for its main tenance, I hope each-member of tne anerat Assembly will' carefully read e commissioner's report, ss It will furnish , him with a great deal , of helpful Information , for. use In his legislative work. v -Only, one suggestion will 1 at this time make! In regard to child labor, and that r, that children who1 can not 'rend o write shall not work in factories until they' are fourteen. Tnls II, of The Code, snd for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of these sections, that the sum of 110,000 an nually, from the funds belonging (o this bureau, be set aside for the pur pose of aiding Immigration. The board deserves great credit for mak ing an exhibit of (he stale's resources In Boston, Mass., last fall, and from It good results are el rea.Ux.jp parent, In that tho eyes of homeseekers and Investors are being turned toward our State. Boneficlal as Is the work now being acomollshed by this department. nothing that It has dona or can do will advance the agricultural ana indus trial fntereste of the State as much as bringing Into our midst Immigrants, of industry, thrift, and character, and in uslna- every effort to exclude the pauper and criminal classes. All of Its work I necessary for the State's development.? and should be enlarged rather than In. any .way modified, or abandoned. . v ? ' ' ' . - Another way of aiding Immigration tal, and pay him a salary of 11,600, as he cannot live on less; and this Is much less than allowed by other States. These suggestions are strong ly urged by the military committee. As a requisite to our getting the an nual appropriation under the Dick bill. to equip the Uuard and pay ror our encampment, tha Guard must stand an Inspcetion as to their uniforms and other equipment, snd It must be In serviceable condition, and If the Unit ed States officer detailed to make this Inspection reports the Guard as de fective in these, respects, then the government refuses to allow the ap propriation. The Guard is ever changing, and what Is everybody's business Is "no body's business, and there ouaht. therefore, to he some one to look after the supplies furnished each' company ana are mat tney are not destroyed or wasted. The military committee. In view of the fuel that the govern ment win not pay ror tneir care, urge that each company commander be an nually paid II 00, snd ho required to give bond for the. faithful discharge of his duties, to the end that alt com pany property be well preserved and oared for. These requirements will necessitate Increasing - tha military fund to 122.000: but ae the preserva tion of property Is absolutely essential to vetting the money under the Dick bill, I earnestly ask you to allow It, No language can flliy tall tht protee tlon that Is afforded a State by a well equipped Guard, and I trust the Lea tslatur will aid me In thus making our cwisen-Boiuiers mora viucient. 7- THE AUDUBON HOCfRTT.- Tha Audubon Society ' has' done a treat deal in preserving the game birds of, the mate, as well ss birds that are useful and ornamental. The Ufoclety Is growing In favor avery day. t ommisKioner, and would aorTrd -vj place for public documents and hla- V,"4 .... , .. vu.un. ouu. pauiapB, me Ktate . HhrArv I aiiKmlp hA W - ,v but prefer the first, adding that one A, or the other la almost an absolute ; necessity. - . However, 1 feel it my duty to say i that much ss these changes are de sired, they should not hm mmAm it . so doing you are unabla to make -1 nmrMil1 ihrnvamnt. tnm n..M .... - . . , - . - ...... . " . VM'K?t , II - kiiuiiuiiB, ciprciauy rnosa ror tha car of the helpless and unfortunate. : EDUCATION. - Our State la the last liva. years has - -v. maae rapia siriaea in soucatina both " IttA K.atna M 4 V. . . , ....... 111. u, ...,. a,MU UKIIIH UK UUI Villi, ,. and every boy or girl In the State with (. ' ;f pmc n8 encrjy can get an knowledge needed to make them use A 4U. V V . D. Much, however, still reamlns to be ft done, and we should double our enetr- J K - -..... t - , l .. . . . ruui.-iu in i.0 iiiaiuivr IK'S. IU1W-. iii I o iitiv nrwDara mum ror that . to. : tlon in life In which God has placed infill. i ini tvi i niucu u Hfm, , In unqualified language, that the J ' lunr iipa i"r nuiiipiimrr ruueauou, , : making children between, certain y: innr parrni ueaira u or noij, lor a -parent has no more right to dwarf, his child's mind than hla body, anu . every child should have the right to get the knowledge that might make . a giant. Instead of uneducated, being ,' left an Ignorant pigmy. I most heartily endorse , Puperln- , tendent Joyner's language when. In hla report, among many other valu able things, he says; .'The tendency of Illiteracy Is to perpetuate 'Uc! The' majority, of miterate , children are .Children ot Illiterates, and perahp tho -descendants of generation of tiuti-r-erates; and the . Intervention of the strong arm of the law 1a the only effective mtan of saving the chlldtoii of Illiterates front the curse of ii j. eracy. AMln. he snvs: 'Th.. t -payer 'r.a a r' t to d-n-,a: ! t terventlun i.f I lie t':nt t ' t c
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 11, 1907, edition 1
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