The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-01
Gte4ttelEiaeneer.

The Railroad Tax Exemptions.
Contract Ratified by the Super.
visOrs-.-Mr. GaTrett's Hamlet will
Hamlet Omitted.
A meeting Of the Board Of Supervisor
was held Saturday. The proceedings ap
pear on the third page 1t will be seer
that draft Of the proposed contract be
tween ths county and the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad Company, signed by Mr.
GARRETT, was presented 10 the Board by
President SALISBURY, who said he did
not feel willing to sign 1t without addi
tional action by the Board, inasmuch as
he did not regard It as drawn in accord
ance with the understanding held by tue
Board when they granted the release ask
cd for by the Company. Tho draft was
rejected by the Board, and at an evening
meeting they adopted another drawn by
the Company's attorneys In this city. An
examination of these papers, both printed
in extenso in our report, shows that fol
ways that arc dark and tricks that arc
vain the Heathcn Chinee Is not rs pecu'
liar as he might be supposed. The drafl
presented by Mr.. SALISBURY was drawn
by lion. GEO. II. LEE, the Company's at
torney. twill be seen that 1t proposed
to bind Ohio county, in addition to other
releases, to exempt the Company from all
school district taxes-a thing the county
is utterly without any pretencG OF author.
ity to do, they being levied by the State.
1t also exempted all the property Of the
Company, that including, as our city
readers know, a good deal oil real estate
that has no connection with tic business
Of the railroad. (This was something
not In the original proposition) 1t went
still further, and after making these
sweeping exemptions undertook to bind
thccounty to indemnify the company in
full ii ever in the future any Of these taxes
were levied and collected. That is to
say, il the courts should decide that the
release from future taxation was invalid
and void and some future board should
levy and collect taxes Alen under this in
demnication clause, having complied
with its part Of the contract tho Company
would have acquired vested right bind.
ing The county 10 protect il against this
taxation forever; and whenever in com.
pliAnce with the law and under its ma.
Chinery taxes should be collected, the
county would be compelled TO refund
them. a.,a..r ..... -
When the Railroad Committee inter.
viewed Mr.. GARRETT, he was told that
they doubted the power of the county
under the constitution 10 grant the release,
He expressed u willingness TO take the
risk, and If the courts should decide
the agreement unconstitutional would moi
complain; Yet hero was an attempt to
slip in proviso 10 save himself against
any adverse decision, which Mr.. GAR
RErr proposed to be willing 10 abide, by
tying up the county with contract 10 re,
fund taxes in case the courts should de.
eide they had to be paid. This
was something not suggested in the com
pany's proposition through Vice Presi,
dent KEYsER, which the Board had nc.
ccpted, and something the Board had not
contemplated at all. Such serious mis-.
apprehension Of the points agreed on
seems remarkable In so careful a business
man US Mr.. GARRETT, or so accurate u
draughtsman as Judge LEE. But Mr..
SALISBURY very properly declined to ex.
ercise the powers vested in him in ratily.
ing what tue Board had nOtinlcnded, and
the Board were less complaisant than,
possibly, it was presumed they would be.
And so the scheme was defeated and the
county saved from the snare set for It. d
In the agreement adopted, 1t will be per
ceived these Objectionable features were
eliminated. That agreement gives the
company all it asked through Mr.. KEY.
ssR's proposition and therefore leaves 1t
nothing to complain oG