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ESTABLISHED 1870. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. COUNTRY. GOD AND TRUTH- ' $2.00 A YEAR. DUE IN ADVANCE
fOLTJMBLL ' LUHBERTON. NORTH CABOTINA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1920. . , NUMBER 24
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County division is not apolitical question, but is purely a business proposition. It should be considered calm
ly and without prejudice. Each voter should consider but one qustion: will 1 be benefitted or hurt by division?
County government touches the average citizen in but three ways: (a) taxes; (b) roads; (c) schools. Unless
county division will lower taxes, give better roads and better schools, you should vote against it.
I. COUNTY DIVISION WILL GREATLY INCREASE TAXES
There is a certain amount of property how within tlje limits of the county, and this property, when taxed at a
certain rate, produces a given amount of taxes. These taxes are now used to support one set of county officers
and the balance is available for roads, schools, etc. If two new counties are created' it means that expensive town
property must be purchased on which to erect the new court houses, 'jails, county homes and other county build
ings." It means that two new court houses and two new jails must be built. A decent court house, at present cost
of material, cannot be built for less than $300,000.00. A jail of even ordinary security will cost at least $100 -000.00.
If the new counties are created, it will cost at least dNE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS to pur
chase the property, erect the buildings and equip the new county governmentf. THIS MUST BE PAID FOR BY
THE TAX-PA YER$. It necessarily takes three times as much money to support three counties as it takes to sup
port one. Every farmer knows that it takes three times as much "feed for three mules as for one mule.
As respects taxes, the people left in the old county will be fearfully hurt, because two thirds of the taxable
property will be taken away, but every expense that they now have to pay they will continue to have to pay. It
means their taxes will be increased at least three fold.
As respects taxes, division will hurt the people taken into the new counties because these counties will have to
issue A MILLION AND A HALF IN BONDS for land, courthouses, jails, county homes, chain gangs, etc. Mr.
Bullock admits that taxes will be very much higher in the new counties but says that only the people who are to
live in the new counties will have to pay the high taxes. We cannot believe people wish to be cut off into new
counties SIMPLY FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF PAYING HIGHER TAXES
COUNTY DIVISION IN THE PAST HAS ALWAYS RESULTED IN HIGHER TAXES. The only coun
ties created in the past 25 years are Scotland, Lee, Hoke and Avery. A comparison of the State, county and
special taxes levied in these counties in 1919 wtih similar taxes levied1 in -Robeson is as follows:
Robeson $ 1 .42 2-3
Hoke $1.93 2-3
Avery $2.40
Lee $1.51 2-3
Scotland $1.51
These figures are absolutely correct, as shown by certificates of the several registers of deeds now in my pos-
. , - session. . l - - ' ' " s.
When Dillon County was created out of Marion the .same promise of lower taxes was made. How did it
pan out? After Dillon county was established the : rate VaV increased approximately THREE TIMES. See what
Alex Scott and C. A. Bass, citizens of Dillon county, said about this in their articles in The Robesonian.
II. COUNTY DIVISION WILL NOT HIVF RFTTFR ROAHQ
Mr, J. J. Lampley, official road expert in the employ of the State Highway Commission reported to the Com
mission that Robeson had the third best roads in eastern Carolina, being excelled only by New Hanover and Cum
berland. Any man can find out for himself by taking atrip over the main highways of Robeson, Hoke and Scot
land. When the bond money which has already been voted by the different townships has been spent we will
have a splendid system of roads. ' . -. .
Scotland is a very small county. Did division give her good roads? Let the "Laurinburg Exchange speak for
the road situation in Scotland. I quote from a recent editorial in that paper:
"There is little use to argue and discourse on the BAD CONDITION the roads are falling into or the stateof
ILL REPAIR in which practically every important avenue of travel in this county is languishing. THE FACTS
UGLY AND BOLD AS THEY ARE are seen and known Qf all men. The public roads ARE BAD AND BECOM
ING WORSE with, every week and month that passes.
III. WILL COUNTY DIVISION GIVE BETTER SCHOOLS?
Even the divisionists do not make this claim. They know that Robeson is known all over North Carolina for
its excellent schools. Division simply means that a large part of the school taxes which is now available to pay
the teachers (badly underpaid as it is) will have to be taken to pay the salaries of two more sets of county school
officials. We are ' all proud of our schools. We have excellent graded schools
in all our towns, with excellent high schools at ST. PAULS, RED SPRINGS, ROWLAND, LUMBER BRIDGE,
PARKTON, ORRUM and PHILADELPHUS. Consolidation of small districts has resulted in splendid two and
three teacher schools available to every child in the county.
IV. MR. PATTERSON RUNS ON A SECRET PLATFORM.
He has persistently refused to tell where the lines of the oroDOsed new countis will be run by him. He keeps
this a secret so that he can hoodwink the people of Rowland, Pembroke and the other towns into a belief that they
stand a chance of getting a court house, when he knows that the only reason he. is in this fight is to get a court
house in his own home town of Maxton. Mr. McEacherns only interest is to get a court house at St. Pauls. If
Mr. Bullock thinks he has any chance of a court house at Rowland, he will wake up some morning a bitterly dis
appointed man.
V.-PATTERSON IS PREPARING TO BOLT THE PRIMARY.
ne ?tfe 'aw squires that each candidate in a primary shall sign a pledge to abide by the result and support
the nominees. Mr. Varser signed this pledge promptly and without qualification. Patterson refused to do so. He
has seen the handwriting upon' the wall and refused to sign the pledge except on condition that he be allowed to
say for himself whether he . considered the primary fairly conducted. NO DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE IN
NORTH CAROLINA HAS EVER DONE SUCH A THING BEFORE. It is an insult to evry democratic voter
in the county. Instead of complying with the law and abiding the result of the primary he intends to refuse to abide
by the result and run on ah independent ticket.
VL UNITED WE STAND DIVIDEND WE FALL!
of the most prosperous and progressive counties. When among strangers we are proud to say-that we are from
Robeson County. Why split it up into three small insignificant counties which can have but little influence and
iiopresugc. w ny cuviae tne county and place a burden upon yourselves, your cnnoren ana your cnuaren s cnnaren
. simply to enable Maxton and St. Pauls to get court housesand to satisfy the greed of a very few men who have been
slated to hold the offices in the new counties. - : yiTrV- . f " :
DIVISION IF THE FOM OWINn TIPIfFT ic MnMiWATFn.
' FOR STATE SENATOR: L. R. VARSER. . : - - " '
FOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: N. W. JENKINS AND N. B. McARTHUR. 1
' A. E. WHl TEf Ch'm Anti-Division Committee.