North Carolina Newspapers

A Colyism- Of Thoughts From Here There, Yonder i r It how vou have accumulated that counts ex cept for the way they affect one's character. Sacrifice develops charac- - j j i x ter; semsnness uesiruys cnuiacter. Wealth is a convenient thing to have and an alright thing to possess provided that the possessor does not let it belittle his soul, . - Faith in God is the greatest char acter builder. When you make money, popularity, or love of pleasure your o-od you are destroying character. Every struggle, every temptation overcome or not overcome, every aood deed, every kind thought, like wise, every selfish act goes into char acter building. It is impossible , to avoid, it goes on unconsciously. It is Gabriel's Record. Campaign Note Wet planks are slippery material for platforms. The Independent. "Gone on a diet, eh?" "Yep" "To reduce your weight?" "No. To reduce expenses." Ex. The Worm Turns. "English paper Wanted, loud, sec-end-hand gramophone for; reprisals." Macon Telegraph. More for the Money "It costs twice as much to live as it did fifty years ago." "Well, I'd rather be paying double now than have paid half then."- Life. In Round Numbers Motorist (arrested for speeding) "A fine morning, isn't it, Judge?" Judge :"It is. Teh dollars, to be exact." The Home Sector. Emergency Rations Lady of the House "You say you haven't had anything to eat today? Tramp--"Lady, the only thing I've swallered to-day is an insult." Pearson's Weekly (London). The Greater Need. Some da ythe Gideons, who see to it that there's a Bible in each hotel guest-room, argoing to fix it so that the man who makes the hotel rates has one, too. Detroit Times. Yo-Heave-OM "Where did you get these cigars?" "A friend of mine sent them up from Cuba." "Your friend certainly knows the ropes down there." The Siren. Too Late. "Why, as a locksmith you earn more in a month than I do as a uni versity professor." "Well, you missed . your chance when you were young!" Die-Muskete (Vienna). Disillusion Drought "Prohibition," said Uncle Bill Bot tletop, "has brought disappointment to a number of wives who had nursed the idea that their husbands' unreas onableness was entirely due to Ticker." Washington Star. Trouble Ahead Clerk "We can't pay you the twenty-five dollars on this money order until you are identified." Man "That's tough. There's only one man in town who can identify me, ail I owe him twenty." Boston Transcript. Thoughtful Child "Have vou said vour nravers Hsked Willie's mother. ' "Of course!" replied the child. "And did you ask to be made a bet ter little boy?" "Yes, and I put in a word for you and father, to6." London Tit-Bits. Mobile School At Norlina A mobile school will.be held at Nor na next week under the auspices, of the Baptist State Convention. The J'st session will be held at 8 p. m. Monday nighty-July 19th and will 'con tinue daily until Friday night, July The churches in this section "are arnestly requested to send represen tatives. - Miss Ella B. Jones, who has been guest of her aunt Mrs. Spotts- ;od Burwell,, of Henderson, for a eek at a House Party, returned to , er home Thursday afternoon. We delighted to haev her at home a:ain. . v (By BIGNALL JONES) is not what you can do well or much of the world's goods that VOLUME XXV A (El l " a err PUTS. CASE BEFORE PUB LIC OPINION COURT Case Trie!, Law Quoted And Judge Gives His Views, But Jurors Unable To Agree And A New Triad Ordered. (By JIOWARD F. JONES) This celebrated cause corning on. to be heard, and being heard upon its merits, and the" Jury being unable to agiee, a juror is withdrawn and a' mistrial ordered and the Cause con tinued. It appears that one or two of the Jurors had strong "Corporation pro clivities" but that the remainder of the Panel desired to render a verdict. in favor of the Plaintiff. The testi mon being all in writing and a mat er of record there couloT be no dispute as to the facts. " ' The Plaintiff introduced the Consti tution of North Carolina. . - Objection by Defendant ; objection over-ruled, exception noted. Article Five, Section 3 of the Con stitution: "Laws shall be passed taxing, by uniform rujes, all moneys, credits, investments in bonds, stocks, joint stock companies or otherwise; and also real and personal property according to its true value in" money. The Plaintiff addressing the Jury stated as a fact that "Every intelli A. -1 At J . . . gem man Knows tnat investment in stocks' are made by the man vho buys them and not by the company which sells them, and that the statue is ex plicit that all such investment, wheth er in bonds, stocks and credits and al moneys and all real- and personal property should be taxed." The Plaintiff, turning to Defendant, asked "By what authority are we asked .ttr exempt $500,000,000 or probably more invested -in stocks? The Defendant made answer that no just man would desire "double tax ation"; that these "investments in stocks" were nothing more than i transferable receipt for money invest ed; that no new value was created; VtllAV bllV ItlttVjr 111 V ill ObWV'JVO would continue to pay the tax at its true value in money; but that tht shares of -stock had no true value in money other tharv an evidence of own ership of capital (money) and if that capital was taxed, that then it would be unjust, unfair and "seeing red" to tax the evidence of ownership. That the Plaintiff had! no law for his con tention and thatthe JPlaintiff's theo ries of taxation were the "laughing stock," so to speak of the Courts and Legislatures of "this and all other States. The Plaintiff: "I deny the asser tion that I have no law. I point first to" the Constitution of the State, again to the Constitutional provisioK. in serted at Halifax in 1776. which says "No man or set of men are entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments of privileges from the community, but in consideration of public services;" that it is denied that his (the Plaintiff's) view was not upheld by eminent au thority. I quote Judge Manning in "Pullen vs. Corporation Commission, 152, N. C." "The property, of a share holder of a corporation m the shares of stock is a sepaiate and distinct species of property from the property, whether real, pe'sonal or mixed, held and owned -by the corporation itself." He also quoted Judge Brown, "I agree, also, that it is well fettled that shares in the stock in any cor poration, when owned by individuals are separate and distinct property from the assets of the corporation and may be taxed as such." In the same case he quoted Judge Hoke who auotine: from Bank vs. Tenn, U. S. 146"; "The Capital stock of a corporation, and the shares in which said stock may be divided and held by individual shareholders are two distinct pieces of property The capital stock arid the shares of stock in the hands of shareholders may both be taxed and it is not Jcloubie taxa tion." And quoting ! the, learned Judge further in saying "This state ment has been reiterated many times, in various decisions, by the court, and is not now disputed by any an'e," -Except,: may Your Honor "1 please-, 3 the learned Defendant. . ' ( May it please the Oourt (of Public Opinion), continued v the Plaintiff, "In Comrs. vs. Tobacco Co., 116 N. C." ! it was held, quoting the above decis - :!! H 11 r-si 3k rik , mm.-m mm ' 1 :i :,1 . - . . " "" rr s , - ! him nn- n finny. .: . : . jyiUJPL IblLHUlllii Ill 1111 till In II II' I i I'Jli I WARRENTON, WARUENOTMTNr P V n A v SEMI-WEKWI.V wo b brp nvAmr. ; ..... JTT MICKIE SAYS: fZ2minm? ions, that the Legislature could in its discretion levy at the same time (1 a franchise tax and a tax on corporate dividends, (2) a tax'on the capital stock of the corporation, (3) on the tangible or real and personal property of the corporation, and (A) on the shaes of stock in - the hands of the shareholders. "The court: said that the taxes under the headings (3) and (4) were imperative and , not discre tionary with" the Legislature." May it please the Court," I have shown my authority for my vagaries, my "theories," and the Defendant knows that the same ruling was made by Chief Justice Smith, by Judge Ashe and in all the text books on the subject, and - that my contention is and in daw and justice. - -.-The- Court :-We would like'to hear- further from the Defendant on the legal aspect of the case. The Defendant: "May it please the Court, and Gentlemen of the Jury, I have listened with interest to the Plaintiff's view of the Law, and I, too, have authority for my view. It is not only based on common sense, but my view is sustained by the Crrporation Commission, Mr. Maxwell, in partic ular, by the Attorney Qeneral, by the entire office holding force in the State Capitol. It would be an' outrageous, unheard-of, condition in North Caro lina for a corporation to pay taxes on its capital stock and its shares of stock capital stock and its shares of stock which represented that capital. The learned Plaintiff can't "mean to tax me double; surely no such thing as that could be approved by the Court (of Public Opinion) ? Tax my pie as 1 1 i 1 1 T l A. A a wnoie, men wnen l cut it up tax each shareholder because he has a piece : sureiy you can t coniena iqat you would treat money invested in a Corporation differently from that in a r'artnersnip : sucn tneories oi uie Plaintiff would run every corporation out of the State. The Plaintiff is prej udiced, he "sees red," his plans of taxr ation would run the corporations out of the State. ' It would be the wildest kind of taxation, and without author ity of law the Plaintiff's own asso ciates laugh at his views of taxation. The Plaintiff : Your Honor, I have listened with' patience at the attempt ! of the Defendant to riaicule my views of taxation and at his personal abuse. , -i I have given the Lawr asjbased on. the Constitution and as interpreted by the State arid United States Courts. No just, man, no intelligent man has any prejudice against corporations, they i i l J l-J j J 4 are necessary ana snouia ue ueai-cu fairly. What I am saying, and what men will say at the ballot box when they,, have a fair chance at this ques tion is that they should pay their share of taxation according to the wealth that they have and that their stockholders shall pay tax upon their stock as the farmer pays on his live stock and other property. This is not prejudice against corporations, but opposition to special privilege of -exemption. The Defendant: It 'would fee dou ble taxation. It would tax my invest ment and would tax my evidence of investment. It would tax my money in the corporation and then turn around and tax he evidence of the act that I had money in the corpora- . tion. , As unto the bow the cord is, So unto man is. woman; t - u ess vc.o. rr J TfcXIS X COUPLE O GOOD 0JS W MUMS OfcfcfcfcD -toSTHSSJ ! V SQUABS I mm!ima'mJr9Z. ljg " ' . 0,tWJW, a,ui ru THE INTER ESTS OF VV A Though she bends him yet she obevs him; ' ' ' ' ' Though she draws h!m, yet she fol lows, ' : Useless each without the other?' , So it is with investments in shares of stock. The shares of stock are so interwoven with the capital they reV resent, that if you tax one you tax the other. Useless each without thp other. It is not denied that exemp tions are made under the Act of 1919, and further privileges extended f but they are just exemptions, and just privileges. The Court: Gentlemen of the Jury, you have heard , this case ably presented. It needs no further pres jentation of facts; I charge vou that the Courts of the land have uniform ly nem wiin ine -fiainun, and -as a proposition 'of law his contention is just. I further charge you as a mat ter of -fact that the Legislatures ana especially the Legislature of 1919 have disregarded the Constitution and the Law a s laid , down by the 'Courts I and have made exemptions and con f erred special privileges on corpoii- tions. . Take the case and sav how it 'Mr. Sheriff call another Jury. Gen tlemen we will try the case of MTJTT FARMER Vs. RE-VALUATION ACT. Sheriff you will have to have a special venire of about two thous and , citizens wont you? I guess so, Sir. - ' ;; . " : Take the verdict -of the Jury Mr. Clerk. ' foreman oi tne Jury: Judge we n -w- f - can t agree. Two of our fellows have got stock in a corporation that pays them mighty big dividends, and they are afraid their stock wont be worth much if they were with us, and we will never agree- they done said so. The Court: Make this entry Mr. Clerk: "Juror .,. withdrawn, mistrial made, and case continued until after next election." mi l m-m . mi i ne uourt : uentiemen, l am sorry' this matter could not be settled in this Court. May I suggest that you try to get together and evolye some just method of taxation. It' is very evident to my mindthat unless the Defendant is appearing solely as Counsel for the Corporation, that his plea of "double taxation" will not hold, if the Constitution is to govern, for that great instrument prohibits pecial privilege, and it would be special privilege to exempt shares oi stock from taxation on the ground that it is double taxation, and at the same time tax all outstanding notes of private individuals at their face value and also the property they represent and are secured by at its "true value in money," This, of course, is double taxation of long standing. And, therefore, the Court says that the contention of the Defendant is not well taken if he appears for the peo ple of the State, but is well taken as an abstract question. The Court thinks it the duty of those charged with the administering of -our tax laws to levy our taxes impartially, and until that is done and our laws so clearly expressed, that it . wilt not be necessary for our Courts to con strue their meaning we will continue to. have unrest and friction. Gentle men get together with an honest ef fort to treat all classes of our citi zens alike in matters of taxation. The citizenship of this State will not tol erate class legislation nor special privilege. Mr. Clerk, let me sign the minutes. "PUBLIC OPINION." Judge Presiding. HO WARDNF. JONES, Clerk. PARTING GUESTS. I, like to have my friends come i:, when evening's growing gray, and talk of autos made of tin, of hens and hogs and hay. Their coming does not make me sore; 'tis this that makes me grieve: When they would go, their visit o'er, they take so long to leave! They quit the dazzling sitting, room at half past ten o'clock; then in the hall's religious gloom they talk and talk and talk. At last they leave my humble door, but on the porchthey pause, and for another hour or more they ply their useful jaws. The night is wax ing old and late when down the walk they go, and then they loiter at the gate to talk an hour or so. How grand is that infrequent guest who Says, ai nine o'clock. "Time flies apace, you want to rest, so I will take a walk." He takes his walking stick and hat, and when he comes some more, he finds a welcome on the mat that lies before the door. My friends are wel comed to mv srate. and harmless suds shall flow; but when it's time to pull -their freight, I wish they'd up and go! J j . Uncle Walt Mason; nuv . . ' RRENTON AND AVAR tiKN COUNTY" Section We are having some rainy weather now which has long been wished for by the farmers and it is doing , the crops lots of good. Misses Sadie and Glennie Harton, ox Norlina, spent a most delightful week with their sister and cousin Mrs. Tom White, and friends of this, place re cently. . Mrs. Nellie Davis is spending sev eral days with her sister Mrs. Troy Height, of Warrenton, this week. . Mr. J. A. Cheek, of Buffalo, went to Baltimore Saturday afternoon on a business trip. He will also stop to see his brther Mr. Robert P. Davis, of Newport News, Va., and return home Wednesday. , Misses Glennie and Sadie Harton, Agnes Cheek, Fannie Fern Davis, and Mr. Robert Cheek "sent a few pleas ant hours at Marmaduke Thursday night. A crowd of young people of Buffaro attended the ; ball game; at Warren Plains Saturday afternoon. Misses Mattie and Maggie Harton, and Mr. Perry Harton, of Norlina, and Mr. Boyd . Wilson, of Warren Plains, spent a short time in Buffalo Satur day. i;y - The young people around here had a pleasant evening at Mrs. P. R. Davis' Saturday. Misses Sadie and Glennie Harton and Mi. Robert Cheek spent a (short while in Inez Friday. ' . Best wishes, "' - : ; VIOLET. Local News Items From Marmaduke We have had .right much rain the last few dasy and the 'crops seem to be improving right along. ' ' Mr, and MrsJr C Duke, spent .Sun day with Mrs. "John Powell, of Grove Hill. ' We are glad to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Walter Collier in our neighbor hood again. Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Pridgen and children and Mr. Sands vick, of Nor lina, spent Sunday afternoon ' in the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Powell. Miss Fannie Fern Davis spent one night recently with Misses Ruby and Lela Clark. 1 " - - Mrs.' W.' J.-James, of Norlin'a,; spent the week with her father of this place. Mr. Cleary Haithcock attended the cream supper at the home of Mr. Jim Cheek Friday night. Misses Fannie Fern Davis and Ag nes L-neek with tne Misses rlartont. and ,Mr. Robby Cheek were pleasant visitors in this neighborhood one night last week. Mr. Willie Harris, of Embro, visited in tne nome oi ivir. . i.. uiarK sun- day night. Mrs. W. J. James and Miss Bessie Powell spent Tuesday afternoon in the home of Mrs. M. C. Davis. Miss Janice Fleming returned to her home Thursday bring her friend Miss Annie Norman, of . Halifax county. MICKIE SAYS: ehwe. vvosc oovrreou OP Wt4 VKOVAC qecoz. -cuchos. A V)QGM CJrtN VS ViVJTUNU CUT 09 owvs vcrvu General Local News From Buffalo Number 57 juiJy JUL WANTS DRASTIC LAW TO STOP PISTOL CARRYING Representative Davis Tells Pub lic .What He Proposed To Bd Atj Special Session General Assembly Next Month. Please, permit me to state through the columns of your valuable paper what acts I have in mind toask the Special Session of the Legislature x to pass, so , that : the people may advise me concerning these, and any others which they may care to. An act making the sale of pistol cartridges unlawful, as all deadly weapons now ? are, except by permit from the Clerk of the Court. (See Chapter 197, Public Laws 1919) Aisv. an act giving the County Commission ers power to appoint one or more law enforcement officers in each township, who shall have power to arrest any person at any time or place without any warrant, and search such suspect ed person for concealed weapons, and if any are found then-the officer shall take such person before some officer for trial, and, if found guilty, shall be placed on the county road" for a term of six to twelve months, and fined the cost in the case, which shall include $25.00 to go to the officer making the arrest. All enforcement officers should be given the same power and authority as the Sheriff has to sum mon and deputize such help as may in his judgment, be necessary. Some such drastic law as this should, in my opinion, be passed and enforced, which will make the great number of young pistol toters "gun shy." An act amending Revaluation Law so as to make the valuation of prop erty on the first day of May of each year the basis for taxation, and have" the lists taken during the month of May, as it has been done heretofore. Also one to do away with any exemp tions except that of debt. I shall also undertake to have a con stitutional election called to reduce constitutional rate of taxation oh real estate as much as the Valuation has been increased on it. Also to reduce the constitutional rate on personal property in the same proportion as the valuation has been increased on that, so that no greater amount of taxes can be collected than heretofore. I did what I thought best in the Regular Sesson, and I shall do the same in the Special Session. I commend to the public my succes sor, Hon. J. M. Coleman, whose hon esty, intelligence, and progressive ideas guarantee to us wise and faith ful service. Respectfully, ' J. S. DAVIS, Creek, N. C. July 13, 1920. Experienced . Sweeping his long hair back with an impressive guesture, the visitor faced the proprietor of the film studio, according to a current story. "I would like to secure a place in your moving picture company," he said. "You are an actor?" asked the film man. .."Yes." "Had any experience acting with out audiences?" A -flicker of sadness shone in the visitor's eyes as he replied, "Acting without audiences is what brought me here." The Christian Register. MRS. A. A. WILLIAMS HOSTESS Mrs. Alfred Williams delightfully entertained Tuesday afternoon at a "Golden Chain" party in honor of her sister Mrs. McCann. For the infor mation of those friends of Mrs. Wil liams who do not know what a "Gold en Chain" party is, we will state that we have coined the word, and that it means "simply the kinfolks" are ask ed to come around and chat over a "cup'o tea." However the simple re freshments were delicious, and all the kin-folks enjoyed the evening. Mrs. Edmund White Entertains Mrs. Edmund White entertained a number of her friends Thursday morning at a "Forty-two" Party. Those knowing Mrs. White expected the occasion to be delightful, and were not disappointed. Our "Society Re- porter" has failed to come in and give "mere-man ' tne details oi mis cnarm- ing occasion, so we hope to get the facts and personel in Tuesday's paper. jo o nil i L