Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-10-08
THE SCHOOL TAX AGAIN.

great pleasure IN NuDIlshlHS lic coHmunlca>
ton of Mr. John e. Cockrell, one of the mem
bers of the Board of Education of Charlestown
township, with reference to the tax which has
bsen assessed by the Board for educational
purposes. This letter Of Mr.. Cockrcll is in
tended as a reply to an article which appear
cd in our paper two weeks ago, in which We
charged that the assessment was exhorbitant,
and that it would yield revenue greatly be-
yond the real necessities of the Board. In
these charges we are fully borne out by the
card of MIR. Cockrell, and we have from him
an expression of willingness to modify the
tax of those who have not yet paid, and to re-
fund to those who Lave paid. This is fair
aud just, and we hope the matter will at once
receive the consideration of the Board.
Mr.. Cockrell confesses that the assessment
was made under the law of 1866, instead of
the amended law of 1SG7-and that at the
time, 'the Board had no knowledge, that
there was in existence such law as the amend
cd law Of February, 1867" The fact that
there was such n law in existence was brought
TO the knowledge of the Board By the provi-
sions which wequoted in the article referred
to, and to which Mr.. Cockrell attempts re-
ply. Thus far then, our article was a bcne,
cit to the Board, inasmuch as it instructed
them in their duties, and furnished them an
opportunity of correcting a very serious blum
der into which they had fallen-whether
through '-inexcusabie ignorance" or other
wise, we leave the community to judge. Ger
I L.
great amount Of official wisdom; nor does it
eviUce any superior business capacity in those
entrusted with the school affairs of the town
ship. That it was an error of the head and
not Of the heart, We cheerfully cOncede; still,
If uncorrec;ed, would be just US oppressive
upon those who have the taxes to pay.
Again, Mr.. Cockrell asserts the Board had
no idea of what amount two mills in the dol
lar-on the taxable property of the township,
would produce. This assertion follows i'm
mediately after calculation as to the amount
produced by tax of one and one half
mills on the dollar. We are sorry that Mr..
c. found it necessary to make this confession,
because, if there is boy in any one of the
public schools who has ever advanced as far
in arithmetic as simple interest, who could
not have furnished the information, his teach
er ought TO be dismissed the service and put
to clerking for West Virginia squire.
Mr.. Cuckrell does not, in his card, deny
- the existence of fund of s ,O9G in the Bank
of Martinsburg, to the credit of this township.
We stated the amount at 81 100, but it seems
we overshot the mark by four dodars At
this point We stand corrected. Our estimate
of the cost of school houses, Mr. G. thinks too
small. We do not agree with him, but yet
are willing to concedc the point, and allow
two hundred dollars additional for each
This would make t,ro thousand dollars for two
new houses. Add to this $465 for repairing
the stone school-house in this town, and $50
for enclosing the yard, &c, and $500 for the
Fleetwood house, and the whole amount for
four school houses will be in and about So, 100.
We have no authority for saying so, but we
are sa;iied there will be nothing to pay for
the house at Wiltshire's, although it stands
upon ground to which the county has never
acquired any title by deed. For repairs, we
are informed. it will not require more than
s2j. This, for building purposes, would
run the sum up to s3.12O. To be liberal,
we will say, $500 Now Mr.. Cockrell es-
Inmates that the nett amount which one and
one half mills will realize, will not exceed
$4,000, although the aggregate amount as
sessed is ploced as high as SIS 800. This dis
crePaucy is accounted for as follows First,
there is one hundred thousand dollars worth
of property assessed that is not in the town
skip-second, $3.50 must be allowed for col
Letting and discussing the fund, under the
law-third, the probability is that there will
be delinquency in the payment of the taxes
to the amount of 5000. This estimate Gre
ates heavy deficit in the sum assessed, but
/: may not be excessive. According to this
showing, the Board has made another mistake,
and have assessed less than the amount real,
Iy necessary to do what they have undertaken.
And yet the law under which they were OPP
Grating allowed them to 90 as high as seven
mills on the dollar This part of the question
we now dismiss, and leave The Board TO rec>
tify the error they have committed in their
estimate, as best they can.
We return now to the assessment of two
mills Oh the dollar for educational purposes
a calculation already made by the Free
Press shows this assessment ought to produce
S4,666G6. Add to this the fund in the
Martiusburg Bank-sl, O9G-and we have
an aggregate of S5,762GG. Add again the
State assessment of 10 cents on the hundred
dollars, or one mill on the dollar, which the
Sheriff is now collecting-and which will re-
,lize thf sum of 50 1888 Sand we have al