North Carolina Newspapers

THE GASTONIA ■ _Published Twice a Week—Tuesdays W. F. MARSHALL, Editor ud Proprietor. DEVOTED VOL, XXIV._ GASTONIA, N. C.t FRIDAY, FEBRUARY A WHIFF FROM THE PAST. What a Sale of OM Book* In Philadelphia Revealed. Dr* Uoiim ItiiNti ind Lndtr. An Iowa man who happened to witness a sale of book* in Philadelphia a few weeks ago yielded to the charms of the antique and bonght a bundle of pamphlets that came from the garret with the dust of several generations upon them. Later investigation showed he had fiossessed himself of an odd cob ection dating back to the 30'* and 40's—the period of Webster and Clay, Emerson nn<1 Beecher, Irving and Longfellow, still la mented by many as the golden age of America. Surely the cur rent publications of that day would carry the tme heroic fla vor. So thought the visitor from Iowa when he made his invest ment, bat he has since been, as Mark Twain says, "harassed with doubts." First among the pamphlets was a "Political Catechism" by a writer who had considerable vogue several years ago, bat is now wholly forgotten. He seems to have been somewhat ahead of his time, for away back in 1833 he delivered himself thus: "What great danger besets ns pervading the whole mass of society? The excessive and rest less struggle of every one to get rich! and it is a matter of regret that so many have a profound reverence for nothing but money.” ioe oia wmer j*ocs ou to de clare the country sinking in the year of grace 1833 into "exces sive anxiety for wealth" with the inevitable accompaniments of "luxury and private and public corruption." Another of these pamphlets shows, however, if the fare of statesmen in the Capitol was somewhat different in those brave old days they got much the same treatment when candi dates before the country as now. Witness the following charac terization of Henry Clay, then a candidate for the Presidential nomination: "A Christian, who has three or four times shown his bravery by attempting to take away the life of bis fellow men in a duel. "A statesman, who is for a high protective tariff in the North, for a horizontal tariff in the Middle States and a free trade in the South. "A Christian, who fights duels and curses worse than any other man in his State. "A Philanthropist, who, if he cannot have black slaves, is de termined to turn his fellow men into white ones. "A Republican, whose wife and daughter are too good to work in the kitchen.” In view of all this, especially the last specification, it ought to be plainer to later generations than heretofore why Clay never got to be President. The White House Expense*. CUtlMn Neva and Courier, Seme of the Democratic breth ren, tbree-for-a-quarter states men made quite a demonstration in the House the other day against the appropriation of $80. 000 for White House expenses, instead of $25,000 as heretofore appropriated for this purpose. There were all sorts of protests against such extravagance, the Hon. John Wesley Gaines oi Tennessee, declaring among other things, that the White House had been remodelled at an expense of $800,000 so that now "we have a building with a tun nel on one side and a coal house on the ether,” and that as our sovereignty expanded onr entertaining also expanded. Is not that natnral and proper? We cannot be a World Power without payiug the prke. It is utter nonsense to speak of con ducting the White House now for the amount that was neces sary for this purpose fifty, or even twenty-five, yean ago, and the' howler* against the appro priation asked Tor the other dsy would doubtless be the first to protest against the adoption of very cheap method at the White House. ■a Pays Hie Meaey and Takas Hl» Cbe Ice. Wtlataeiaa Star. Secretary Root U quoted aa aaying that he is losing *1*5,000 a year by staying in tbe cabinet. If that’s so onr advice to Secre tary Root would be tn get oat of the cabinet, unless be enjoys staying in more than he does *125,000 per an.__ Tbe fifth anniversary of tbe destruction of the battleship Maine was celebrated by four hundred Americana at Havana Sunday. Listing of Taxes. Ullrich Tim**. The arranging for the collec tion of taxes, the State requires the tax-payer to list his proper ty; sud m a general way it may be said that all a man’s property is to be given in snd valued, and the rate of taxatiou applied to the amonnt, so that the taxes he is to pay will be ascertained. Inequalities in distributiug the burden of taxation inevitably at tend this process. While the tax rate is uniform, one insy es cape paying bis fair share of the taxes cither by not listing all his property, or by its not being as sessed at its real value. In the present machinery act au at tempt lias been made to elimi nate as lar as practicable these possibilities. The lists contain ing a statement of the property of each individually are to be actually and solemnly sworn to. Formerly the oath was some what perfunctory; and in many instances it was not reqnired at •11. it is somewhat remarkable hovr forgetful a man can be about his property when listing it for taxation; and how prone he is to underrate it on that par ticular occasion. Men who will fight for their property will at assessment time lorget their ownership. And so when notes and ac counts, credits, ore to be listed, many are entirely forgotten. Still when the day tor collecting the interest comes, the memory is amazingly refreshed. Some tax-payers never have any money on hand, nor any balance ip bank. Some claim that all their money is in United States notes, which are not lia ble to State taxation; and others have the habit of investing just before June all their cash in bonds of a non-taxable charac ter. By such means the amount of property which should be listed is somewhat reduced. The law seeks to prevent such evasions, and it requires a full disclosure of all the property a tax-payer owns. And this is done in a spirit of fairness to the other tax-payers on whose shoul ders an additional burden would be thrown If any property is un lawfully withheld from the lists. A still greater evil arises from the practice that is almost uni versal of not valuing property for taxation at its real value. If a farm could under favorable circumstances be sold for two thousand dollars, it is quite like ly that it would be assessed for taxation at something like one thousand dollars. In t o w n p houses and lots have a more cer tain market value, and they are apt to be assessed at what they would sell for at an ordinary sale. Here then Is aa inequality between town and country prop erty. Besides, in the agricultu ral districts themselves, the va riations in assessments are nota ble. And this is done in regard to live stock no less than with respect to land. It is perhaps, the general rule to undervalue more residences that yield no income to the own er, while stores and premises yielding an income have the taxes piled up on them. The law seeks to reduce to a minimum these Inequalities which in practice cannot be en tirely eradicated and the abso lute market value, a value at a fair sale, it called for, under oath. II these provisions ot the ma chinery act could be perfectly carried into effect, not only would there be considerably more property listed, but the aggregate of the assessed valu ation would be largely increased; and a lower rate of taxation would raise more revenue then the present rate does. But the macnloety will not work per fectly. There will ever be trou ble in putting the system into practical operation. Whenever the stringent provisions of the present law were sought to be enforced with reasonable strict ness, opposition was apparent. It is herd to overcome the bsblt of a generation. Our habit has been to have our property as sessed at less than its value, and objection is made to the change. Still the effort should not be re linquished. Year after year, by systematic endeavors, we may approach still nearer to a per fect iaventory of the property In the State and to a more correct assessment of its value. When that is inally accomplished, the burden of maintaining the gov ernment will be more equitably adjusted than now when so many, by one aray or another, escape paying a part of their just share of the necessary taxa tion. _ Subscribe to Th* Oasutt*. Twice a week, one dollar e year. : DEATH OF PREP . SCOTT’S OWNER. Mrs. Chaffec Who Set the famous Slave Free Dies In Sprtnftfleld Massachu setts. New York Sun. Springfield. Mass., February 12—A former owner of the fainoua slave, Dred Scott, died here yes terday. She was Mrs. Irene San tord Chaffee, widow of Dr. C. C. Chaffee. She was 88 years old and of a leading Virginia family. Her first husband, Dr. John Emerson, surgeon of the regular army, bought Dred Scott at the negro's earnest solicitation, be cause his former master had whipped him for gambling. Dr. Emerson owned no other slaves, but used to employ Scott about bis office iu St. Louis. When Dr. Emerson died Mrs. Chaffee, who was about to move to this city, told Scott that he was prac tically free. Scott worked abont St. Louis at odd jobs and foond employment among other places with a yonng lawyer who thought he saw the opportunity of mak ing some money out of the nan. The snit for Scott’s freedom was brought in 1848 ou tbegronud that he nad become free when he weut to free territory north of the Missouri line. The lawyer hoped to secure the wages of Scott for fourteen years, during which time he said he had really been free. These would amount to some $1,700 and Scott had be tween $200 and $300 saved. i nc case went against the es tate in the local Court at St. Louis, previous decisions in the Missouri Courts having been that a slave was freed upon be ing taken into a free State. It was then taken to the Supreme Court, where in 1852, the de cision of the lower court was re versed. The importance of the point in dispute was then under stood and it was fought through the United States Circuit Court aud in the Supreme Coart at Washingtou, in both of which the decision of the State Supreme Court was upheld. The decision of the United States Supreme Court given just before the inauguration of Presi dent Buchanan, in 1857, startled the North by asserting that a ne gro, free or alave, had no rights before the law, and by practical ly annulling the Missouri Com promise by the assertion that a •lave owner could take bis slaves into any part of the United States he pleased. Dr. Chaffee was at that time standing against slavery in Congress, ana the fact that his wife owned Scott caused no end of bitter comment on bis position. Mrs. Chaffee, however, though not an abolitionist, was always in sympathy with the cause of the negro. Her ownership of Scott was a pure accident, and immediately after the decision in the lower Courts had been an nounced she freed the man. John P. A. Sanford, Mrs.' Chaffee's brother was executor of the estate and acted in this capacity as defendant in Scott’s amt. _ Beauvoir at a Confederate Home. No* Orlouu Ttam-OoBorral. " Beauvoir," once the home of him who waa for four year* Pres ident of the Confederacy, be came yesterday the property of the Sons of Confederate Veter ans of the State of Mississippi, to be dedicated by them as borne for disabled, indigent or Infirm ex-Confederate soldiers. The (10,000 requisite to onrehsse "Beauvoir" has at length been raised, and the work so long car ried forward by patriotic men and patriotic women in Missis sippi and neighboring States has at last been finished. The peo ple of Mississippi have made no mistake in purchasing this his toric building and in devoting it to the nae of men who wore the gray. It ia right that Mississip pi, as well as every other South ern State should provide for the Confederate soldier who may re quire assistance, and it ia especi ally fitting that the old heroes should be permitted to spend their last days ia what waa once the home of the President of the Confederacy. We rejoice that a consumma tion so devontiy wished has re warded the labors of the good P*°P'* of Missippi who in tha lace of difficulty and dlscotirage given tbeir handa and their bearta to thia noble work. The people of Louisiana congrstnlate the Mississippi Sons of veterans and tbs MUtisippi Daughters of the Confederacy upon the high success* that kaa crowned their * Sorts. It is grat ifying alto to kaow that the peo ple of Mlaaissft pi have at length made ample provision for their heroes in gray. The Town Trust. K. Lank BtpaMk. The annomiciuent that the chief pnblic utilities of Spring field, 111., are to be consolidated and operated by a syndicate of Eastern capitalists is full of sug gestion for tbe small town. The syndicate will own Springfield’s gas plant, electric railways, Electric Light, Heat and Power Company, and Hot Water Heating Company: practically all the important utilities except waterworks. Capital la just now awaking to the fact that public utilities in small towns are excellent pur chases, especially when they may be consolidated and run un , der one management. Experience baa demonstrated that lighting plants, waterworks and electric railways in small towns may be operated more profitably with a single central power station, by one manage ment, than with several stations under separate control. Tbe same generating engines are required for lighting and rail way power and the tame steam power will anpply the pumping necessary to Waterworks. Consolidation results in economy of power, and especial ly in saving of fuel. In many places freight or dreyage upon fuel is saved, the hauling being done by the electric railways be tweeu the freight station and power plant. These companies have sometimes found it profi table to bnild aud operate ice plants in connection with the central power station. That Eastern capital is seek ing investment in these consoli dated utilities should be a power ful argument in favor of local ownership, preferably municipal ownership, in tbe small town. Nothing coaid better illastrate the evila of control by ioreigu capital than the conditions which might ensue in a town whose public utilities were owned and operated by a remote syndicate having for its sole object the earning of large divi dends. These utilities adapt them selves readily to consolidation. The towns themselves should perceive the advantage and tbe necessity of consolidation where the conditions permit, and thus guard against _ foreign capital and, perhaps inferior service. What is good for au Eastern trust is good for the town or for its own citizens. Illicit Distilling. Hew York fim The poor mountaineer* of the Sooth [end the illicit distiller of Brooklyn and the Bronx) learned the trade from the bonny High lander. Scotch whiskey of the best anality and flavor has been distilled for ages by men with tbeir apparatus at the tide of a burn, changing weekly from fear of discovery* malting on the open heath fur up the hill*, and hurrying on the whole process to avoid detection; yet with all these disadvantages they receive the highest price for tbeir pro duct. Several of these men have been employed by way of expe riment in a licensed distillery, with directions to proceed is their own way, only to be regu lated by the laws under control of an officer, ret with the advan tage of the test utensil*, the purest water, and the beat fuel they produced a whiskey far in ferior in quality and flavor to that which they made under the thfltf7 m rnr^r rtr I" « flam and wu»e_i market Tobacco Farming In Carolina Wloataa Tobtcn And now they have discovered a district comprising several thousand acres in Sooth Caroli na that will produce a good arti cle of cigar tobacco. The soil has been analysed, end we pre sume aM other conditions thor oughly investigated, and the on ly thing now to do is for the planters to go to work and raise the fragrant weed. If it is true that tbe soil and conditions in the district abovs referred to are favorable the aama conditions will apple to certain sections in eastern North Carolina. It looks now as if Virginia, North Caro lina and 8outb Carolina were go ing to be the great tobacco pro ducing states In the nnioo, in quality and variety. Bernard Oaa Seed f slat, al Least CWuf, ImhSMwU. "I see that Andrew Carnegie thinks Homer didn’t amount to much after ell." " That ’e queer. Surely Homer must have bad one good point in Andy's estimation. Ha didn't die rich. PRESIDENT STANDS _BY CRUM. Declines to Withdraw the Nomination Upen the Ad* vice off Senators. Wubtmtaa tot. IT*. The President will not with draw the nomination off Dr. Craw, the colored man he selec ted (or collector of customs at Charleston, S. C., notwithstand ing the adverse report of the Senate Committee on Pinasae. A number of Senators called on the President yesterday and ad vised the withdrawal of the nom ination, on tlie ground that it would hurt the prestige of the administration to have the Sen ate vote for rejection. The President responded that he had made the nomination be cause he believed It right, and as no one bad yet shown him any reason to change that opinion he should stand by it. Tba Sen ators warned him that if be de clined to withdraw the nomina tion, the Senate might refuse to vote on it, and leave It "hang op* at tht close off the mslniT The President's answer was that he bad a right to expect Hie Sen ate to vote on the nomination, and thus share his responsibility and that if it led the session die without voting either con&naa tion or rejection, bis.presentpur pose was to make Dr. Crain a recess appointee. Always Stirring Up. lahlaan I n ri nm President Hlliot, of Harvard, has again stirred op the country. A while ago he aroused a bested discussion on the subject of union and non-union labor; then came hi* charge that the public school syrtem was a failure, sad now he declares that college or university cducstion is a foe to marriage. Yet President Eliot is a nuld-manered man. and no one can accuse him of being on a bant for sensations. Nor can he be seeking to advertise Harvard, for that university has all the students it' can accom modate. He lias certainly gone Into new fields, and seems to enjoy the opportunities for sport lie has there discovered. A Senator With Delirium Tremens. OmutIIIc ldntx. 1M. The legislature should sot want any stronger argument for enacting a law against whiskey than the condition of one of its members the past week. A sena tor from s western district—a man of splendid appearance, and of brilliant intellect when his mind is not dulled by the demon of drink—moving about iu the hotel lobby as if he was dodging from snakes or some hobgoblin. In other words be had a well de veloped case of the "monkeys.* Of course there were those who could look on and laugh aft the antics of the man iu the grasp of drunken delirium, but to others it was a spectacle to almost make the heart skk. Dally Newspaper Published en Ship Creesiag Atlantic. •t tak UcpkbHc. New York, Peb. 10.—The possibility of maintaining by wire lew telegraphy a daily pa per at sea has been proved. . The Atlantic Transport Com pany’s steamer Minneapolis, which left hers a week ago last Saturday and anitwM London today, reports being in wireless communication either with Cornwell in Bnglaml or Slas coosett in Americh all the way across. The officer* of the ship pub lished a newspaper every day containing the news of the , world as sent by wireless teleg raphy. _ Subscribe to Th* Cazstte. Twice a week, one dollar a year. •f ( I •MUSUW (MDERWEAB. I AT CUT PRICES. Om lot oi Muslin Underwear,/ drawn, cotut covers, to bo closed out at reduced as follows: Drawers which sold at 91M mw ! 1 Gowns which sold at 92.00. now 91.25 Skirts which sold at 92.50, now 91.50 Skirts which sold at 75c, aow 50c MU bargains that cotne oeldotn and they are ofieted now to make room far aow Unto twi to arrive. Our line of waist fabrics Is complete hi all tha newest dcaigarf/ J. F. YEAGER, IAMBS* FURM18HMQS A SPECIALTY. CRAIG & WILSON horses and mtj^eTs*.