Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1881-02-19
Auditors Office,
Wheeling. January -, ISL.


nlent 90 the school districts on the 25rd day OF
July, lSSO andagain on the ith day of Noyem-
Der. lSSO.
As the Court friled 10 apportion the value of
railroad property 90 the several school districts
in that county. ] was unable 90 make any as
scssmcnt for tax due the several districts OF the
county upon the property of either the Balu-
/ more K Ohio Railroad Company or the Shenan-
doah Valley Railroad Company. i however
made an assessment upon the property OF each
, OF said companies IN said county for state anu
county taNo- The Baltimore 4 Ohio Railroad
Company paid iuto the Treasury the amount of
state taxes SEP assessed, but declined To pay the
county tax. claiming that q had been or ,rOuid be
s-ftlcf direct irifh tie county authorities. | have,
however added ten per cent 20 the amount OF
such county tax and certified IL 90 the Sheriff
Of Jefferson County for collection.
Very respectfully,
JosErH : MILLER Auditor
Here is direct issue between the Auditor
and Mr. BAYLOR, who SAYS, 'thc Road has no
qrrruqspcut NTH he County Court They
can settle that matter between Themselves.
Now as 70 the :. Y. K. Road:
Auditors Office,
Wheeling. November y, 1850.
CLERK COUNTY Court,
CbGrletoirH, ". "a,
Dear Sir. Il have not received the apportion-
mcnt of railroad property TO the several districts
iu your county for the year 1850. viii make
/ the assessment of railroad tax early IN neat
month .hv the 10th of the month at the latest
and unless / get your apportionment 10y that
time ] cannot include anything for the districts
/ i'm your county, in the assessment
Yours truly, Jos. ;. MILLER Auditor.
Clerks Ohice of the County Court of Jetier-
son County, ". Va,
Charlestlwn, November % 1850.
JosEpH 5 MULLER. Esq Auditor: -.
Dear Sir Il send YOU list of fines aud OF
county officers elected October 18th, 1850, and
will send the copies of bonds, etc, which am
required 90 make ioryou IS soon as they can be
prepared.
The Court made no order this year on the
subicct of taxing railroad property. There was
am order made some ycarS ago va.uinS the BAL
+ timore x Ohio Railroad 40 $1,000 per mile in
each district which the Court thought would
stand good until altered. The shenandoah
Valley Railroad is still I'M the hands and under
thcc1utrul 90 the contractors. as We are inform
+ ca and believe Yours respectfully,
THoNAs \. MooEE,
Clerk of County Coart
4 Here 4, ,rlers he Information cer,es from
! tbqt Mr. B,,yior Gsks tor. and the presumP-
. tion of ANY one reading the above cores
poudencc would bee that the clerk spoke ly
some authority, and did not assume the re-
sp0u,iliiity himself and | do not hesitate
90 say tha, il was the duty OF some one in
authority 20 SEE that the above road was
properly assessed for taxation for county
purpose, and not have il running over the
/ county paving state taxes, but not county,
being Vet in the hands of the contractors
What difference was 10 If the road was IN
the hands Of the contractors Why was II
Not assessed. Was IL not the duty of the
Court t0 DO this a. IN 49, Aud did not Mr.
BAYLOR know /, was not done? Ii not, II
was his bu,inc,, 20 know; and from whom
did the clerk get his information?
+ A. 90 the 81 200 paid 10y the city of Mar
tiu.burg to the Auditor, this was only an
illustration as 90 whom ali taxes should be
paid. hy counties or corporations, and any
school boy would have known the Court
had mo- authority over municipal taxes, and
the extract never intimatcd II had in any
way.
Again. as 20 IT, and his friend not being
$50 much concerned about taxes IL their
own advancement This is idle vaporing
and I give him cheeriully all the benefit he
can derive from IL Us the Scion of the Court
but will say have no political aspirations
and have never been a chronic othcc-Sceker,
and DO not ran the country over on free
+ passes.
Thccharge ofmy opposition TO the County
Court Is false I'm every respect, Is | voted
agaius, the amendments, but thought then,
as now, some improvement could be made
on the system.
When thec0mmu1icatiOn was handed the
SPIRIT the editor was instructed 10 give my
name 20 any one and to say the letter could
/ be seen on application to me; no conceal
meut was attempted.
The writer Of the letter from which the
extracts were taken. Is fully able 70 vindicate
himself and the public can now judge as
between the Auditor and Mr. Baylor
The publication was not intended TO east
an imputatiOn on any individual, but 70
accomplish. if possible, just what II seems
/ To- Doe now doing. namely; 70 open up a
question that for some years has been dis
cussed by the people to see what amount OF
taxes are now due, past and present, 70 en-
force. 10 possible, the collection OF same, ana
10 see where the responsibility for non col
lection exists. and 10 place the same where
+ il properly belongs, and that under the new
order of things a system would be lnaugu-
rated that would Unsatisfactory 70 the people
aud prevent further trouble, and that courts,
boards of education and other bodies know
their duties and powers, and hereafter con-
form strictly 70 the law, and that taxes as
sessed by commissioners of the State At 500
600 aud S47l 600, respectively, should not
be compromised for S34006O, by what au-
thOrity we have never as Yet learned and
that corporations. Like other ax-payers, pay
their assessed values.
In conclusion. the people wish just what
the writer 50 much desires, az he says, and
have for some time been anxious TO get, the
facts.
Since writing this communication, have
learned that the b. x 0. r. r. Co. has pro-
posed 10 the County Court now IN session.
and presided over by Mr. Baylor, to pay It's
county taxes. The law requires that the
taxes should be paid tothe Auditor, and the
terms of the law are well knownto the Com
pany. and | respectfully ask, if what the
Auditor says in his communication 10 Inc
Legislature Is not true, namely: that the b.
4 D. has a special arrangement with the
county as 10 It's taxes. if not why Is It that
r eo,ces directly to the Court 70 settle, and