The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-01-16
The Tax Compromise.


The Tax Compromise.
The Intslhgencer Of last Saturday re-
ferring to the compromise made by the
State with the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company in the matter OF
taxes, says:
THE so-called compromise made by
the State was made upon the authority
Of a Joint resolution crowded through
the Legislature, in the last hours OF the
session. under extraordinary pressure,
and by the sharp tactics employed by
Mr.. Lamb himself, then member OF
the House Of Delegates.
Mr.. LAMB has stated, in communl-
cation which we publish this morning,
his connection with the joint resolution
referred to. In its original shape, it
would have empowered the Board OF
Public Works to compromise for taxes
due to all the counties along the line
ofthe Railroad. The power thus placed
in the hands of three men might have
been abused. At least, it was not
deemed prudent to place in their way
such powerful temptations as the BaIti-
more and Ohio Railroad Company could
afford to offer. The amendment to the
Joint resolution, which Mr.. LAMB insist
ed upon, is of vital importance and de-
prived the measure of its most ohjec-
tionable feature.
The resolution under which the
Board of Public Works acted in COM
promising with the Railroad Company,
is as follows:
mo. l9) Joint resolution creating a
Board to settle with the Baltimore d
Ohio Railroad Company for back
taxes.
|. The Board Of Public Works, con.
sisting of the Governor, Auditor and
Treasurer Of this State, is hereby con.
stituted board or committee, with full
power to adjust compromise and settle,
on fair, equitable and liberal terms, all
State and school taxes assessed against
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Compa-
nv and Parkersburg branch thereof, up
TO December thirty-frst, eighteen hun
dred and sixty-eight, and upon payment
into the State Treasury Of the amount
agreed between said Board and said
COMPANY, the said company shall be
discharged from all liabilities for the
same.
2. The Board of Supervisors OF each
county through which the Baltimore d
Ohio Railroad notwithstanding Branch
runs, are hereby authorized and empow-
cred to compromise and settle, on fair
and liberal terms, all taxes assessed
against said Company by any OF the
said counties and townships.
Adopted, March IA, 1869.
1t will be seen that the resolution is
not mandatory in its terms, but simply
empowers the Board TO make the COM
promise referred to. They were not
bound TO make any terms, but might,
il they chose, have pressed their
suit in the courts and thus settled the
principle for which Marshall county,
eingle-handed and alone, has been con-
tending so long. They deliberately pre-
ferred to accept a compromise of the
States claim, throwingoff interest and
costs and accepting less than the princi-
pal claimed to be due, and now the
Intelhqencer censures Marshall county
for doing the same thing, and Governor
STANTON considers the compromise the
first fruit of the Democratic victory
last fall" The Legislature that passed
the Joint resolution authorizing COM
promise by the State was overwhelming
" Radical in both its branches. The
Board of Public Works which, al
though not required to do so, chose to
make the compromise, was also Radi-
cal, and we have yet to learn
that they were ever publicly CEN
sured therefor by either the editor
of the Intelligence or Governor STAN
TON. We submit that it is rather too
late for those gentlemen now to lament
the abandonment Of the effort to obtain
a legal decision Of the right Of taxation
for the future. Governor STANTON
says:
"But this thing of compromising taxes
is wholly unjusti6able in principle and
pernicious in practice. If property is
not by law subject to taxation, let 1t be
entirely exempt. If it is it should pay
the same tax that other property pays.
Boards have no business to exempt one
mans property wholly or in part, and
make another man pay the whole
amount that is assessed against him.
Let it be settled once for ALL whether
the property Of the railroad company
is subject to tax or not If it is, let it
pay like other people, and if not let it
be exempt entirely. This miserable
patchwork of compromising cannot fail
to do injustice TO somebody. If the
property is not legally subject to taxa
ton it ought not to be assessed at all.
If il is it ought to pay the whole
amount that is assessed againstit.
This protest would have been more
timely ifuttered two years ago.