N.D. Ward of Rominger, N.C., Complains About High Taxes, 1922

“Who Should Foot the Bill,” N.D. Ward’s Letter to the Editor in the June 8, 1922, issue of the Watauga Democrat, Boone

Editor Democrat: The tax burden has been shifted down the line to get as much as possible on the under fellow so that the people has got to thinking that whenever any more taxes are raised they must come from the young and poorest ones in the county.

Now the people under 50 years old are taxed $6.00 in compulsory road labor and $2.37 in poll tax just because they are under 50, and an equal amount of all other taxes, if not more, for usually the little farm is valued far higher than the larger ones.

Now the question is, if compulsory labor is abolished how will the money be raised? As I have already said, the under fellows think it must all come from them, well, this is just what a great many fellows would want to do, but there are many other ways to raise money to keep up the roads and relieve the poorer fellows instead of burdening them more, and this is just the legislation we need right now and what we must have.

The man that has no home nor cow must pay just as much road tax as the man having thousands of dollars worth of property, with teams, automobiles, etc. included (I mean just as much according as he is worth) this is not fair, for a lot of fellows have no teams, no home, and not much of anything else, looking most of the time for a job at low wages, living on less than a lot of folks are spending for chewing gum, tobacco, etc.

Now if money must be raised to keep up our roads, then we must look to the fellows who have it and are making it to chip in, and relieve the poor people as possible, making fellows who use the roads most keep them up, the automobile is taxed but our county roads get none of it, the teams, bicycles and other things are taxed also but our roads get none from them, now the way to get money to keep roads up is, to tax automobiles, teams, bicycles and all official salaries from Constable to Sheriff, SCHOOL TEACHERS and Postmasters included, a tax of an official salary of 1 per cent up to $500.000 and 2 per cent for all above $500.00 would not hurt any office holder or school teacher, but would soon provide a road fund big enough to make Watauga county proud instead of ashamed of its roads, then there is the tax that is still provided for roads to go on to if it is needed.

The office holders and school teachers are the ones that are sucking the taxpayers and getting all the money, and the ones that are using the roads most and making the most money are the ones to bear the most burden, for they are prepared to bear it better than the poor people, and I am sure that the majority of the people in this country are in favor of this kind of road upkeep, and the majority must rule if we have a Government of, by, and for the people.

                --N.D. Ward, Rominger, N.C.