Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-02-11
done and produced great inequalities and
injustice and was $3.50 -

rate Of taxation. The latter would be
wrong because il would be based on the
assessment of 1875. He knew of no county
which objected to a fair assessment, and
believed the proposed bill was the best We
had ever had, and so believing, he hoped
the bill would pass. -
Mr.. Mofett said sentiment was so divided
that he had not made up his mind on the
question. BE believed in the
W Principle Of Reassessing,
And being in doubt, he would vote for it.
He would saw. however, that he did not be
Heye il would produce as much as was ex
fected. He thought the assessors would
about average it as at present. Along the
line of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad,
4f fcourse, the increase would be greater;
p some cases it might be doubled, as in the
oase of Kanawha The State was entitled
b the revenue derived from this increase.
bnt in the other counties, where there had
been no development, the land had not in.
creased, and it was doubtful il there would
sHy iassssse s,s, at AZ, Y ,5;ss s,,,..
was assessed at 52K cents per acre, but it
was rough and mountainous; and while he
cared little about it, as one of his counties,
Nicholas, was opposed to it, he would vote
against it.
Mr.. Ferguson stated that a report from
the Auditor showed that the cost of the last
assessment o. 60
.s Was si7, ,IsI.4I.
and that the value of lands in 1880 was
$1O4, ,746,05i.06, and 1881 $l05, ,956, 641.0 He
said the gentleman from Pocohantas Mr..
Moffett) seemed to have the happy faculty
of speaking on one side and voting on the
other, notified him that his (the speaker 81
county would be increased. He knew
that, and was willing TO have his people
pay their Just share of taxation. He would
take care of Kanawha. The present bill
provided that Board of Public Works
should act as a Board of Equalization, and
could increase when too low and decrease
when too high, and he was satisfied that i
would prove the fairest assessment We had
ever had.
Mr.. Moffet said as to the charge that he
had the happy facility of speaking OH one
side and voting on another, he
Repudiated IL EmphaticaIly.
He supposed the gentleman referred to
his vote on a m meaSure, yesterday, in which
the gentleman seemed to have a warm
interest, the defeat of which seemed TO
reused his disposition. He had stated his
reasons to the House frankly, on that
measure. He had never lodged a vote, or
shirked question, and did not propose to
do so, and was willing to compare records
as to consistency with the gentleman.
Mr.. Depue opposed the bill, because there
were improvements going on, and the mat
ter shouldIbe delayed until these were com.
pleted.
Mr.. Cresap favored the bill and cited
numerous instances of injustice in the
present assessment.
Mr.. Holt considered il an important
matter 1t affected the material interest of
the whole State. The state was not in q
financial condition which required an
Increase I'm the Revenues.
1t would cost about $4,000, and there
was no assurance that there would be any
return. To his own county it would make
no difference, for the lands there were
largely in q state of nature, and while they
were well timbered and intrinsically valua-
bic, yet until it was developed, the timber
was valueless.
Mr.. Riley opposed the bill. He could see
no reason why the assessment should be
made now. 1t would not, probably, add
much, if anything, to the revenues. He
then discussed the subject at length, claim.
ing that it was wholly unnecessary, and
should be delayed until the public i'm
provements now in progress should be
completed.
Mr.. Leonard replied at length, showing
that while the county OF Wood was assessed
at $l293 and the county OF Mason at $500,
the county Of Jackson, which laid between
the two, and was represented by MIR. Riley,
was assessed at but Si.Sl. He then
Read From ''The Homestead"
edited by Mr.. Riley, that the unim.
proved lands of Jackson county were worth
from So to $40 per acre, and then asked If
this were true, and of course the gentle.
man would not so state if it were not,
what would improved laudS be worth? In
reference to Lincoln county, the lands
there were .essed ut but $3.50 per acre,
and yet the member from that county as
assures us the lands were..yaluable and Web.
ster county is assessed at j2H cents per
acre, yet the other, by the member from
Pocahontas when he advocated the geOlo.
logical survey, said that Webster contained
more wealth
Than all the CALIFORNIA;.
1t seemed that those members that OPP
posed the bill were from counties which
were assessed at figures aStonishingly low.
There was no reason given why an assess
ment should not be had, except that there
were public Improvements in progress
which should be first completed. The same
argument would apply twenty years
hence. 1t was near the same time which
had expired between the former assess
ments, and in should be now passed.
The bill was then passed by vote OF 81
TO %.
Railroad Charges.
House bill No. 367, in relation to railroad
freights and charges, came up on its third
reading.
Mr.. Wilson, (Mr. Kepner in the chair,
sustained the provisions OF the bill. The
distance from Chicago to Baltimore was 900
miles, and from Wheeling to Baltimore
about 800 miles. A train could be run from
Wheeling twice for the same expense as
once from Chicago, and the bill simply pro-
yided that no more should be charged,
pound for pound, from Wheeling than from
Chicago. Was this unjust? Could not the
railroads carry 100 pounds from Wheeling
to Baltimore as cheaply as from Chicago to
the same point? The provisions of the
charter was for the protection of the
people OF West Virginia. The present
System OF Extortion
was ruinous TO every interest in the State.
1t was placing an embargo on our manu-
featuring and agricultural interests, and
was reducing the values OF our lands. The
railroads were now taking 81, 800. 900 wrong
fully from the people of this State every
year, and yet they refused TO pay taxes,
and the B. &. o. railroad claimed that it
was not liable to county taxes, and they
were now going on with these extortions,
of twice as much as it takes to run the
State government Will you continue to
sit idly by and see this robbery perpetra-
ted2 When he got to talking about these
outrages. it was difficult for him to stop.
The whole question was, was it right or
wrong for railroad to charge for short
distance more than itdoes for long dis
tance, and he hoped it would be passed.
Mr.. Lowry said the gentleman from
Kanawha died hard. This was the third
time he had brought this matter up-once
last winter and twice this session. When
it was up the other day, the gentleman
wanted test, and he had supposed it had
been settled but he now had it up again,
and
Inserted the Same Argument,