The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-02-15
A Voice from DoddrIdEe on the Bal
tImOre and Ohio Railroad Tax Bill.

Gentlemen Of the Legislature: owe
the STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA one hun
dred dollars tdres. / am willing to pay
seUcHty.nUe dollars, on the condition
that you will pass an act releasing me
from all taxes due the county, which
only amounts to seven or eight hundred
dollars, and hereafter assess me at the
rate OF one null on every dollar of my
income, which l calculate will pay the
State about forty or fifty dollars annu-
ally. VIII you agree to this PROPOSE
ton? If not, what say you to the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tax bill?
viii you, gentlemen, that seem so
anxious to do Justice to that COM
pany, and may add iHjustice to the
State, look at section of an act passed
March Is, 1887, by the General Assem-
bly, of Virginia? That act provides
that tits stock, property and profits
shall be subject to taxation, SO far as
the Jurisdiction of this Commwealth
extends" &c; and then, gentlemen,
look at section of an act passed April
., 1888, by the same Assembly, and you
will lind repetition of the seventh sec
ton, above referred to. Now, gentle
men, when you have perused these to
your satisfaction, turn to section of
an act passed Feb. 19, 1915, by the same
General Assembly of Virginia, entitled
IAN act to authorize the Baltimore and
OHIO Railroad Company to complete
their road through Virginia." and you
will find, "that the stock, property and
profits of the said company, within
this State. shall be subject 10 general
taxation" &c; when you have
done this, turn to section 5, of an act
passed February %, 1916, and to section
Z, of an act passed March 8, lS47, and
you will find that there was a provision
in these two last sections made that the
taxing power, shall not be e&ercis-
I oil WWNNW Il H.
the said Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
shall exceed SiE per centum per an
num-" It is not, as some Senators sup
pose until the company has declared a
dividend of six per cent; take it that
the company must be taxed whenever
their "net income" exceeds six per
centum. And with all this, Senators
talk of ompromise-'take what the
company offers for fear we will get
nothing." Do Senators suppose the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad COMPANY
would propose TO pay the State So, 900
If there was no law to make it do it?
Some Senators tell us that "the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad has made the
country" and L reply the country has
made the Company. Sirs, we have
paid back TO that Company dollar for
dollar for every one expended within
our limits. Yes sir We have made it
vastly rich, and by our liberality and
PAOiGSllOh we nave Tlaue II n mighty
power in the land, and if we do not,
now while we can, govern it, it will ere
long govern u.s. Do Senators know
that way passengers and shippers''
pay from II to 81 per cent. more than
foreigners travelling and shipping
Through" over this road? Such is the
case. Mr.. Ohio pays SIO,5O for ticket
to Baltimore: l live in West Virginia, 65
miles nearer Baltimore, and am COM
PEELED to pay the same, or at the rate of
about IL per cent more than Mr., Ohio.
and the rates of freight correspond
with this, and yet the company refuse
to change them.
Be careful how you touch the matter
of taxation; it is "A subject on which the
people are very sore; burden which
Is almost too intolerable to be borne,
You are legislating for the people as
well as the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road Company, and you will do well
to look to their interests.
Ninety-nine out of every hundred of
the citizens of Doddrldge are opposed
TO that abominable bill, and we ask
you, gentlemen Senators, to place your-
selves squarely for or against the peo-
pie, so that we may know your record.
for rest assured we will remember
you. Mac
FebT1tn1.y 10 1857