Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Jan. 29, 1916, edition 1 / Page 17
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Saturdiv ,,- n mem By CLARENCE POE Address DeUvered by Invitation Before South Carolina House of Representatives, Columbia, S. January 20, 1916 El! u&aodf yhKh l do not believe, the rate would; itill be Over.; Economics there ' is So more emphatic passage methods, and cotton warenousmg .navmg preceded .t&e.poiotr pei cenTror;srx-timesasnign-a rate -charged than, that. wheremne; declares: at w!1"; Trr ttt :.A.e in 'tiio iirirot!nw :. . ,A n ,.t,n -t, ,itA,:-i. - c . . jn ext , iq war, Desinence anu ry is alsolnipprtaht the mer--; X of other products1 if; diversification is - to be chants', crop lien should be wiped , out root arid practiced; and profitable farming insured. . In branch, or else time . prices should be limited to North Carolina the activities. of the State Farm-,' not more thai; 1 per cent a month. : . : v Tifimn secured tne oassasre ot a man I intro- . - , , - duced in the .State BqarjJoL Agriculture for pro-; VlQlIIg 1U1 llHcvavu"yi v sijruiuu ui uxai Taxation and Tenancy ii ! . 1 :t . '. . . . . J e . .L::k,.-I jext to war. Desinence ana naminc. inc . worst thing that can happen to a; rural com- ;muuiiy,is;aDseniee lantuoraism. ,'.. Iso. commonwealth which cares for its future can,- - jsj ia iu iatc uns issue, ii caniioi uuuge .u ii cau - u not-ignore jt.-. And the first step in dealing with, it M kets and Rural Gooperation," and Iam glad to say that the results have -been of untold value. This . division has assisted farmers in the scientific grad- ing of their products;-has assisted in putting com-, munity and .county Vmarketing..associations on a-v business-like basisj has.' helped, make a market for North Carolirta - products among Korth ; Carolina , merchants; and hasjiiade lines of farming profits able in communities where; they didn't pay. before, v In Edgecombe' County; for example, it-helped farm-, ers grade their cotton with the result many farm ers said that they : had never ' known that there were grades above middling! happen Jo know of one lot of 375 bales officially graded and shipped to Norfolk on which a clear profit of $800,-was realized as compared with prices offered by local -,..- .... i . ' - - v i . ..... - , ' . ' r TN THE matter of home ownership I am glad, to 1 should be a revision of our tax methods. Instead ; of taxing more! lightly the lands held out of use, take as my text that ringing passage in which . of taxing the big estate at a lower rate per acre tVip : Clnvprnmr .nf Qrtiitli . Pornlirva - i retMAnrinn1 tfipn tVi '".email farm ixrt cVirmlrl rpvprec ttipf nrA-uK the conditions in the state needing your attention, cess. 'For my part, too, I should favor not only your aiaie , icut uiuiiussiuucr a icuuuiuicuuaiiun . for $100 personal property exemption, but I should . favor going further ; just" as I am confident, that: 1 your session will not end leaving South Carolina ! r.as one of the ten states in the united states witn out an inheritance tax. " -T - : declared: ; i "Forty-three'per cent of our white farniers 'are; tenants. If we are to build up our ruraf : districts, increase the production- of "the soil, - make easy the improvement " of our "rural schools,:: churches, roads and all rural -community life, we must have a greater propor- tion of our people owners of their homes and r farms." i ':-:'.:'v'' " yhJ. Now one supreme need in remedying this condi tion, as Governor Manning rightly and eloquently savs. is a better system of rural credits. Une Decrease Tenancy and Increase Ownership by Just Taxation buyers. In another, county where , potato growers ' other thing, however, which I regard as of equal ; were going uie- puui-uuusc iuuic uuu,, n mponauce in yuur siate aim my swic anu au uui plan of selling by hodge-podge "wagon loads, they: Southern states is a juster: system of taxation, are now traveling the automobile-route by selling Let me quote for you in this connection what one in well-graded carloads. 'And in other eastern 0f the most eminent and thoughtful men in your counties right now soy . bean growing is being state, and one of your citizens who is most highly transformed ; into a "highly: "profitable industry honored and most generally loved, said to me in a through the adoption of better marketing methods, letter this "week: "A home-owning farm population of white people is our second greatest need.;1 Land barons and land speculators now hold- thou-. sands of acres of undeveloped land. They are depending on the unearned increment to make them rich. They as s es s their1 land for taxation at a merely nominal figure, while they refuse to sell a." single foot. Holdings in some in- " stances run up to . 50,000 and 100,000 acres. ,- Absentee landlords controlling 5,000 and 10,000 acres are common. If these lands were put on the tax books at the price for which they are - held,J their owners would raise a storm of pro- - test, but they .would s ell rather than pay taxes . ' 'The result" would be a number of purchases by , , small farmers who would build homes improve roads, erect, schools and churches and help . develop a better rural life." ' Tile Curse of Absentee Landlordism - o A ND let me quote, also -what , another distin guished student of South Carolina conditions, my friend Prof. Wm. K. Tate, said in an ad- ago : UR supreme aim in taxation in both Carolinas .H should be to tax the gains of thrift and tn- ,.r and exploitation more. We : should ; take some of ; the burden off of the producer, who earns his liv- ing in the sweat of his brow, and put a little more , on the nori-producer, who earns his ; living" in the sweat of his grandfather's brow. . "!"'., I believe this matter, of taxation should be kept , in mind in all that is done with regard to rural .; ; credits. It would be, a great thing for South CarO- .v lina to take -the lead among all the Southern ' cfif irt rrrvifUnor' fimrlft' fnr hplnlncr fpnanl'S he-''I BUT this Division of Markets and Rural Coop- sands of acres of undeveloped land. They are come iand-owners. : The Sherard bill . providing eration I have. been discussing doesnt stop depending on the unearned increment to make for a vote by the, people on a $10,000,000 bond Wp TViprp a rplthrpft factors in nrofitable tfim rich. Thev assess their land for taxation . 3 . . . ..i. 'i issue, tne proceeas to -dc useq in waiting luans iui the purchase or improvement" of farm lands, is evidence- of that courageous grappling with big problems which has always distinguished your people. I , should like for you to consider, if the. maximum amount to be lent any one person should not be limited" to $3,000, however, and then see if South Carolina cannot lead all the states of , the South in this matter of giving genuine aid toj.-; the landless man. . . But let us see to it, gentlemen, that the help gets to the man it is intended for. As one of the first results would be to increase the demand for land 1 -and "therefore its. price, the State should make ; haste to see that the benefits go to the struggling, , landless man and not to capitalist speculators, holding-up the would-be home-owner for higher; -. and higher orices while , they at the same time , : dress at your University here not .many months -escape in great measure a just share f ,e bur.-: in holding up the landless man simply, because ;the: state holds the. landless ; man ' back, holds him ;- ; v down by an undue burden of taxation, whileiit att the same time shoves the capitalist-speculator, tip : by relieving him of his just share, of . tax burdens. . j:; X UUll l mean id oaj ijuuiii vy.v. , 7 than North Carolina in this respect. We haven't as many big land holdings as you have, but our A tax system is just as rotten, as I can prove to.you if by two examples from' counties - adjoining your own state. Union County last spring assessed the farmer's cotton at nine cents a pound, his .corn and "wheat at $1 a bushel, his cows at $50 and' his. ' ;v horses at $200; the landless man thus paying taxes tf: on practically 100; per cent of practically every; ?: thing he had and also on $300 worth: of property 5 he didn't have at all if he was liable for poll tax--r1 while lands were:: assessed : at one-fpuirth r: their Jp value; and as ah extreme example, in the adjoin ''4 ing county of Mecklenburg recently the S. Ar Railway got a four-acre assessment reduced from - 2 $1,500 to $1,250 and then sold one-fourth of- an acre off of it for $12,500 1 1 - t - 'sfM When I reflect upon, this vicious system of tax-.'- ; : ation, here's the picture that, always comes , to my '. : mind: Here's a poor devil trying to get his foot . . on the ladder, and here is a strong man who al- ? ready has his foot there, and the state bears twice " assheavilr on the man who is trvihe to rise as it; " " ; - ' . ? n. "m. ,t, bears on the: stronger man.who nas aireaav. risen 'n ;;But a bold peasantry, tne.r coun y p..u , or ho. without d0;nir anv risine or 'outtinB . "'j-r. .ir .-. ontrnvAri ran never ne subdiicu. - umtiiuuiu : . ..' - - vr., 1 . , . V';- . v.v; -- - cavinc forth any. erf ort has simply been born to a posi-, H - Now what, does, this mean? :It means that the', do they recaU for us all over the South the saying tj f soer:or vantacre- ::J average difference between, "time prices" and cash of. the Latin historian that it was lat.fuivJae-the tioot emryant , - blah for Iendinp prices was 24, per : tror. r UxT run&fornonths, interests at. America's most Pne Q $3,000oing, toany onV individual-but let not the ; xe rate of 73 per cent per annum..Or if the average nomics, Dr. Jhomas N. Laryer ot. mrvara,.aiso vj . je.v V time price account runs as long as -six months, ring in. our, ears.-, In all. hisPrinciples of Rural. (Continue :sr. -;xP. rt'y? v:.. ,'-;:- ';--i " '.'"'r ; : - .t . :i...:.c':. , ; "'r --t s, - .l1-.." : --1--J.'V -"--i t--"S:3'JS"''r-.-".ci ""'.-;!vij"v"rJ':-'".-j' '"T.-. t"?!---'"-"': ""-'iV'T'i :' '-': "' .'i'V--'-'- -' ' ll"-i'-'f V'v!'':;."'"'v'':"'-,T"":.'"s !-"-'v ''': '' . ;'..'.''.': ' : -''; :v .: - t- ., - - " ; .' "v. .' , " ,.' Credit Unions and "Time Prices" UT this Division of Markets and., Rural Coop-. eration I have been, discussing doesnt stop here. There are '.three "factors : in profitable farming economical "production; economicaj mar- v keting, and economical": credit and this Division is concerning itself with both the last two prob lems. It is assisting in the establishment of;credit unions or .farmers'-savings and loan - associations , all over the state, 'and I know no new movement affecting North Carolina agriculture "more prom- : ising than this. The work has already outgrown the general officers of the '.'Department and ar rangements have been'made for' assigning it tp a whole-time officer, an : efficient young man with experience both in farming and banking. " I understand your last session rpassed a credit union act but made no provision to encourage and assist their formations That is. to say, it set. up, a piece of machinery without arranging for power to operate it, a defect which I. hopethis session will remedy.' In considering this question of short-time cred- i s, moreover, gentlemen, 1 snoum pe untrue vu.c , , - thnTnnMv ronvin,.. that the oerroa thousands of struggling -poor in bou h Wna-. nent weli.being of South Carolina demands I should be untrue to the feehngimplanted in me - " S increasing numbers shall by H.m who has declared, that He w.ll hear the . J tM it with their own; hands, neetfy whea j he pneth ..the .poor also, and him jttat --wn whiteman wh0.moves to town and hath no helper"; I-should .be untrue even to the . ' . f Negro tenants makes the memor.es of my own youth. when. growing up I- ..Jf' h,s desirable place for his white ZZinJ2T" ' neighbors and hastens the; tendency, so sadly attention to the blight and shame with which this system curses our whole Southland. For it, is a shame that states which solemnly declare that 6 or 8 per cent' interest, per annum is enough and all above that is usury, yet' permit the neediest and evident in some sections, to absentee landlord ism and Negro tenantry, with its accompanying deterioration of soil and decline of social life. "The nominal land tax in South Carolina is ,mifirT-itp tnenare to rural welfare. It till uuuiniguvvu " . - Dermit the neediest anu . . UAr most defenseless portion of .U-our -population to;. - S In S , eL?i ' sumfThere if wi largely, escape .taxation blank in The Progressive Farmer about September ; 1 asking subscribers in South Carolina and other states to report the' difference between cash prices . and time prices, thereplies that came to, us from South Carolina typical of those that came from every state averaged the7- following'results: ' . SQUTH CAROLINA. , ;: " Average Averasr'e Cash Plica . TIme Price - 2.25 r - Article ,:.nl "nel -i.02 BaCK . 1 T 0.7 ay, ton s 20.50 v aSSsKJ: ' ,-Mm "6ai, pound --ofH, ganon 4 " .0672; .4364 25.50 X2944' : .7936 .1343 I ,0833 ' ,602fr ' Increase Percent 21.08 ,.-14.21' ' 24.39 -20.72 . 23.31 .'29.61 ' ' 23.S6 "38.15 nnH will snrelv brincr" orihcelv returns through : - the steady increase in land values. In the meantime4, it is farmed indifferently, by Negro , 1' tenants and kept out of the hands of desirable - white settlers. The country boy, unable to se cure land, moves to town or to someother sec tion of the" country. After a section is once ' depleted of. its .white population in this man--nerf it will be exceedingly difficult to induce a , return to the resulting unfayorable social and ' educational conditions." V . f . Omihously' enough do these words of Professor . Tate's recall -the prophecy of the English poet i .laf. -"it s US '-', "
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 29, 1916, edition 1
17
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