The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-12-11

The LSPtlrond Question.
The railroad question took sudden
and unexpected turn in the House yes
terday afternoon. About three o'clock
there being IuIl in debate. Mr.. Fergu-
son moved that the subject be referred
to a special Committee OF nine, 10 be
appointed by the Speaker, three from
each Congressional district. TIE prop
os;tion was acceptable to all parties, for
it was becoming apparent that there
were several distinct theories on tho
suDjsc: aud numerous amendments
were TO be proposed upon which the
House could not harmonic wiihuu: the
lnIerPosition OF u Committee.
We understand this 10 be an HbanG
oament by Mr.. Ferguson and those who
hold similar views, 10 the plsn embod-
ie2 in the chapter. Enough has been
developed TO sGoT that plan co1ld not
carry. What are the tactics on that
side We 10 not profess to understand
but we presume the Committee will be
fairly constituted, and chat all sides Of
the question will ba represented in it
and have hearing.
The position held by Mr.. Ferguson
land we take the liberty OF referring to
him because he seems to be the visible
head OF what we may term the railroad
party i'll the Legislature, and has defined
his views) we understand to be sub
sianiially THE: He holds that all the
railroads are taxable (the Baltimore &
Ohio inc!udedJ; that the Legislature
may grant power to the cocuties and
townships to tax them, or it may with
hold tina: power, constituting the nsti.
tutioCal provision to apply only to tax
alton to- the State treasury while the
Legislature may by statute regulate
taxation by counties for their local pur.
poses. Claiming thus the power to ex.
empt railroads from local taxation by
enactment OF the Legislature, he holds
1t expedient to so exempt and impose
no taxes on them except for State pur-
poses. In accordance with this view,
he moved to strike out OF the chapter
the provision for levyinS Il tax for the
counties, proposing only to lay the
same tax as is laid on all other proper
ty for general State and school purposes,
and 10 ascertain the basis by naming a
fixed value per mile in the statute, TO
be raised or lowered in the proportion
the stock of the road might be above or
below par.
Those who for convenience wo may
call the anti-railroad party construe
the constitution as applying to rail.
road property precisely as to all other:
and as comforting the same power on
counties and townships to tax dd "a
toTen all the property in their limits
for their own purposes which the State
has to tax all the property within its
Limits for It's purposes; and that thera-
fore the only power the legislature has
In the premises Is to make such regula-
tions as will insure that the true value
oil the property to be taxed shall be as.
certained. They are in favor therefore
OF Just what they believe the Constitu-
ton requires.
Ihese appear to be in general the po-
sltions OF those who stand opposed
though there are exceptions. for Mr.
W. Chambers iavors exempting the
roads altogether, and Mr.. welch while
he differs with Mr.. Ferguson ma IN
county taxation agrees with him tho,
the value shall be fixed in the statue.
As it regards the Baltimore d oato
Rail Road we understand the ftiends
OF that road admit It's liability to tax
alton, but claim thatit should be taxed
only by the State, und as we understand
at low valuation.
The main fight ls over the question
whether the roads may be exempted
from county and township taxation by
the action OF the Legislature; which
involves, frst, the question of power,
and second, that Of expediency.
Then follows the scarcely secondary
question, how the value OF the ro,ds
shall be MISUNDERSTANDING the Ipyis.
Iature is to declare 1t and set it down In
the statute unchangeably, without in.
quiry and without in formation wheth.
er the accounting officers of the compa-
mes shall be required to furnish the
Information on oath, and they falling
therein' the assessors make the uaIua-
uon from the best information thew can
ootain' las the present law requires y
VI whether some plan not yet proposed
snall De adopted instead of either. 1t
seems 70 us there may be better ways of
arriving at The fair value of railroad
than that in the law of 1868. There can
hardly be worse one we think than
that proposed by tho Committee on Ra-
vision.
First, no two roads now existing. or
to be built are of the same value, or