The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-09-20
Heavy Taxation In Lewis County.


The following letter from Webster
county appears in the last Weston
Democrat. There is food for reflection
therein:
The tax on delinquent lands, adver-
tsed to be sold at the September term
of the Circuit Court for Webster county,
amounts to ten thousand seven hundred
and forty-three dollars and forty-one
cents, $l0,743.4l,) of which seven
eighths was levied for county and town.
ship purposes, and one eighth for State
and free school purposes, but under the
present Constitution the proceeds of all
sales of delinquent lands goes to the
irreducible free school fund, and Web
ster county must pay county levy OF
two dollars on every one hundred to
make up the deficiency, and Fork Lick
a school levy Of fifty cents. The coun-
ty expenses for the current year, as
estimated by the Supervisors at their
annual meeting, amounted to $4,000,
in order to meet which they levied for
$4,000. Why is this? Why just be-
cause more than seven-eighths OF our
land 10 owned by non-residents who
have no tenants, and consequently
the tax is never paid until the
land is returned delinquent; and then
if paid, as is generally the case, to the
Auditor, or if sold, the money goes to
the school fund. Only think of Web
ster county, who can count $50 youths,
paying annually $500 into the ire
ducible school fund, besides what is
collected and paid into the treasury by
her Sheriff and what she pays at home
for schools, the last item being fifty
cents on the one hundred dollars, while
never since Webster was formed, or
the new State came in existence has
she received one cent from the State
Treasury for public improvements, or
anything else except what little school
money is annually disbursed to her,
generally about $3.50 per annum. Add
to all this the fact that there is not to-
day within the limits Of the county a
copy Of the Code of laws, by which our
State is governed, and no telling when
there will be. Neither have the acts
of the Legislature for 1864 ever found
their way to the vast wilderness" or
the acts of the Extraordinary session"
been permitted to look on the face OF
the rebel county," or the acts of the
Legislature last winter, 1871, ever
entered Little Dixie" and you will not
be surprised at Webster going 800 votes
for the Convention, and six against
But for all this Webster has not alto
gether gone wild. She pays her rev
enue. The Auditors report shows that
she never mas returned a man delln'
quent for captation or personal property
tax. She has never sent a convict to
the penitentiary. She has no person in
Jail, and never has had, except luna
tic, whom we had to support for four
months before we could get room fol
him in the ASYLUM. We have but two
cases on our court docket and one o.
them is against man from another
county, who, it is said, came over anG
perpetrated black deed in war times
We hope the time is near at hand wher
we can have a Constitution that will
give Door counties at least some show
Of a chance, and if it does not help then
by appropriations out of the State
Treasury, will not at least require then
to pay more than their share into schoo
funds, when fat officers eat up all on
substance, and our children never &c
inside of a school house. WEBSTER.