The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-02-10
CHARLESTON, February !

Yentl0n held at uraitOn, JANUARY ID,
1872, in regard to locating the Capital,
and stating that as it was evident that
the Capital was in its present location
against the wish Of the majority Of the
people OF the State, it seemed to them
proper that the Convention should in
some manner provide for its removal.
Mr., Wilson moved that the proceed
iugs of the convention at Grafton be re-
ferred to a special committee of nine, to
be appointed by the President, three
from each Congressional district, to
provide that the people may by popu-
lar vote select seat Of government.
Mr.. Fitzhugh moved to amend by
striking out after the word may" and
inserting inquire into the expediency
Of" Agreed to.
A motion to lay on the table was
lost.
The yeas and Lays were called-nays
A. 10 yeas 25-and motion as amended
passed.
MI Raymond moved that the legis-
lative committee be discharged from
further consideration of the resolution
of the gentleman from Harrison on the
same subject, and both be submitted to
the special committee to be raised.
A resolution by Mr. Morgan, that the
superintendent Of free schools furnish
the Convention with the salaries paid to
the different officers in his department
also. amount OF tax raised for the school
fund, &c. Adopted.
On motion of Mr.. Travers, the order
of the day was now taken up.
In committee of the Whole, Mr..
johnson, Of TYLER, in the chair.
The Secretary read the report Of the
committee on Taxation and Finance,
and according to rules the report was
taken up by sections.
Mr.. Hagans offered as a substitute
for the first and second sections o! the
report the first section ofarticle s OF the
present Constitution.
Mr.. Raymond had desired to sup
port the report Of the committee, but
upon a cartul reading could not do SO
He considered that the provisions of
the:frs section gave the Legislature
entirely too much scope, and that as
the State and not the county taxation
was looked into, we might have two en-.
tirely different systems.
Mr.. Gushing offered an amendment
to strike out all after the word PRO
vlied" in the, fifth line and inserting:
That all agricultural products grown
from the soil aud in the hands
of the producer, and all other products
of labor and capital, including live
stock, produced within the year pre-
ceding, and remaining in the hands OF
the producers, shall be exempt from
taxation; but the Legislature shall,
however, levy tax upon peddlers,
auclioneers, brokers, hawkers, mer-
chants, showmen, jugglers, inn
keepers, grocers, liquor dealers, toll
bridges, insurance, telegraph, express
interests or business, vendors of patents,
and persons or corporations owning
necessary franchises or privileges, in
such manner as it shall direct, by gen.
eraI law uniform upon the classes upon
which it operates.
Mr. Gushing thought that the only
trouble with the section Of the report
under consideration was that it was not
specific, and his amendment WAS in
tended to supply that deficiency.
Mr.. Wheat, though he agreed with
the gentleman from Marion in his pref
erence for the article in the present
Constitution, still thought it too vague
and easily misunderstood, and that diff
ferent Legislatures on that account had
already put different constructions upon
it, He thought that all taxes should
be on actual valuation, and did not see
either expedlency or right in making a
distinction between agricultural labor
and capital and the labor and capital Of
manu- actures, and that any such dis
tinction would be manifestly unfair to
the latter interests.
Mr.. Brown thoughtthat it was taking
the matter entirely out Of the hands OF
the Legislature, and he much preferred
they should have some discretionary
power in the matter, and if this should
be incorporated in their Constitution, it
would be entirely out Of their power to
change it. The latter part Of the
amendment he considered simply I'm.
necessary.
Mr.. Peerce offered as an amendment
to the Cushing amendment that, after
the word including" there be inserted
increased value of, and after the word
producers" there be inserted the words
cot such increase"
Mr.. Morgan agreed with the object OF
the gentleman from Marion, and though
the exemption went too far, as in some
sections OF the State the agricultural
products were the only taxable prop
erty, and that the exemptions would
ultimately result in the oppression OF
the very interest sought to be be .nefted
by Increasing the tax upon the lands, he
decidedly preferred the section Of the
present Constitution to the report OF
the committee or any subsequent amend
ments.
Mr.. Peerce didn't see the propriety Of
making exemptions at all, but thought
if any should be, it should be done
thoroughly.
Mr.. Travers, on the question Of ex-
emption, thought that it was not right
that the Legislature should have the
power OF saying that certain species OF
property should be exempted from tax
alton; that the present Constitution
gave the Legislature such power, and
that they have probably overstepped the
limits set forth in article 8, as shown in
the Code Of the State; and that it was
the opinion OF the committee, and
which opinion they embodied in their
report, that the power Of the Legislature
in this particular should be restrained.