The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-02-12
E.-ysIu.tton and Taxe..

Re-VaIuAGfOn and Taxes.
We print elsewhere comparison be-
tween the new valuation of lands and
the old, showing the aggregate and the
value per acre in each county. Strange
TO say, there are about half a dozen
counties from which no books have
been returned, although required 10 be
returned by the first of last December,
(ifwe mistake not.) It is already well
known, and fully appears by this e1-
hibit, thai this valuation has failed 70
accomplish what was designed-a
fair and uniform basis of assessment.
In few counties VERY few the Com
mAsioners appear to have acted up to
the rigid instructions given them by
the Auditor, and TO the rigid obliga-
tons of their oathsi but in the great
majority 1t is obvious they did not. AS
the result of this valuation becomes
known it is exciting great dissatisfac-
ton IN those counties where lands were
put up to about their actual value.
II seems to us this il a matter that
ought to receive immediate and serious
consideration at the hands of the Leg
islature. So far as we can judge, 10
base the next assessment on this valu-
alton will do great injustie to a number
of counties, simply as the result Of their
making a more honest valuation than
the others. For example Harrison
county will have TO pay fifty per cent
more taxes than she did last year, while
/ Brooke county pays twelve per cent.
Marion fftesn, Taylor seventeen;
and Lewis eighteen, per cent. more, than
| they paid last year. Yet the three coun-
ties last named adjoin Harrison and
have each experienced fully as great an
enhancement in values. Yet next year
Harrison will have to pay thirty-two
per cent. of an increase on last
years taxes more than eth
er Of them. We refer to this
simply as what appears to be the most
striking instance of the inequalities of
this ivaIuation. There may be 9TH
ers as unequal. In some cases, indeed,
the inequalities are as great without
being apparent, where the lands were
valued so low under the old valuation
that although the per cent increase is
very large, they are still far below any
thing like true valuation.
In advocating a revaIuation more
than year ago, we assured our read
ers that it would not increase their
taxes, but would simply equalize them,
because if it should make the aggregate
of taxable property greater, the rate
could be eorrespondiugly reduced But
as this valuation turns out it does not
appear that much if any reduction
can take placS; for while few counties
are valued much higher, the great ma
jority are at about the same old figures.
And in some ofthose few there appears
TO be no reason for an increase that
does not exist in others where there is
little or none: for it is to be observed
that it is not alone the counties that suf-
fered during the war that stand at the
old figures, but counties like Mononga-
liza, Brooke and Marshall, that never
lost Il dollar on account of the rebellion,
but haze steadily gone on prospecting.
We should be glad if anything we
might say could impress upon
our legislators the grave impor-
tan0e, as We conceive, OF
making taxation as uniform as it is
possible to make it, and with the least
possible delay. An unequal basis of
assessment is simply unequal taxation
in the outcome; it is just as absolute a
wrong, and if continued beyond a Pc
Rod within which it is possible to
equalize it, it becomes just as unpar-
donabIe an outrage.
We submit that the great question
before our people for some years to
come is the financial one and it is one
that ought to engage the solicitude and
the best reflection of our public men.
Propositions have been made looking
to a remedy for the evils particularly
referred to. We do not know how seri-
ously they are engaging the attention
of the Legislature, but no action has
yet been taken with regard to next
years taxes, and the session is more
than half gone. As we understand, this
questionoftaxation is the great question
in which the people of all the counties
alike feel an absorbing interest. No
party less firmly grounded than the
Union party of this State could afford
to make many blunders in regard to it.
We believe it is our duty to say that,
it will be not only continuing a great
wrong, but it may do serious injury to
the party now controlling the policy OF
the State it something adequate to the
present necessities cannot be devised.