The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-03-29
Letters from the People.
FROM MARSHALL COUNTY.
sessments-Remarka Dtscrimi
1ation-Disposition Of school Fund.
MARSHALL c. H., w. Va,
March D. la67.

Editor of the Register:
Ibelieve that the citizens Of county
are oppressed with taxation such as no
people was ever before subjected to, and
it behooves them to scrutinize very
carefully the official acts of those to
whom the power has been intrusted to
levy and collect taxes. / respectfully
ask II small space in your very excellent
paper in order to bring before the pub
lie certain transactions connected with
the subject of taxation hare, which l
think is wholly at variance with JUS
tice and fairness. The Reverent Joseph
Turner was appointed to reassess or
value the lands of One-half of this
county, and on looking over the records
that he makes on the land books, / find
that he has affixed valuation on the
fine farm of Hon. James Burley
of thirty-four dollars per acre,
and upon the lands Of Cap
tain David Roberts, X. 1. Curtis, b.
w. Price, Richard Morton, and Colonel
Vim. Alexander. all adjoining or in the
immediate neighborhood, valuation of
from sixty to eighty-ive dollars per acre.
1t is obvious, therefore, that by this as
sessment or valuation Mr.. Burley will
not be required to pay anything like
his fair proportion of the revenue of the
State and county, and that Others of his
neighbors Will be compelled to make
good the deficiency thus created. There
is no one here but will at once say
that Mr.. Burleys IS one of the very best
farms in the county, and rs to improve
ments, such as houses, barns, orchards,
| &c. il cannot he eXcelled i'll this part of
the State. Its location and soil are as
good as any in Marshall, and yet Mr.
/ Turner upon cath, for | suppose he was
! sworn to do Justice rs an assessor, makes
Mr.. Burley pay taxes ut the rate of but
! thirty four dollars per acre on his lands,
and all the other land holders in this
part of the county, at the rate of from
sixty to eighty-fve dollars per acre. Can
he account for the difference he makes
in the price of these lands, upon any
principle of justice. If he can it would
be well for him to do SD. AS the mat
ter now stands, the people believe that
gross injustice has been done them, and
will continue in that belief until they
have sufficient evidence from him to
convince them that Mr.. Burley's lands
should only be taxed at the rate of
thirty-four dollars per acre. Some OF
us unsophisticated country people are
of the opinion that an undue influence
has been brought to bear upon the
| Reverend assessor, for it is well-known
fact that the Senator can make some
people believe that he Is almost q saint,
and the moon made of green cheese.
Might not this influence have been at
work with Mr.. Turner and compelled
him, against his better Judgment, to
commit the error complained off Again,
it is surmised that as Mr. Tur-
ner is an aspirant for office,
and his ambition in that partic'
ular has never as yet been fully satis-
fed, that he has thus been lavish of his
favors upon his friend Burley, hoping
thereby to secure his influence in the
!furtherance of his political schemes in
the future. One or both of these causes
must have operated upon his mind, and
led him to make this unequal assess
ment. Be that as it may, the act has
been done from some cause or motive,
and one or both of these gentlemen
have been guilty of perpetrating gross
wrong on this community, and most
assuredly Mr.. Burley is the last man IN
this county that ought to ask favors OF
this kind, for he has had, and has yet,
public paying offices enough, the sal
aries of which should enable him to pay
his full share of the Indebtedness of the
county and State.
MARSHALL.
N.B.-A friend suggests that should,
i'm this communication, ask our School
Commissioners tor Washington town
shin to inform the public as to the
whereabouts of the scheol fund that has
been paid in the last three or four years
I'VE have as yet no schools or school
houses. What has been done with the
money. Has the Treasurer or some one
else been speculating upon it! Some
information on this subject is demanded
1 by the people of this township. NJ.
A Nebraska man tells the Rardi Ae'
Yorker how to cure warts on horses