Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-03-04

Of the Republicans Very Clsarly
Shown
To Be the Cause Why the Question Of
Constitutional Exemptions Was Not
Acted UpOn---A Letter From
President Price.
To TIE Editor Of ne Register.

\Wnich we nave gatoereuD VIII SHOW mat
the Democratic majority IN the Senate has
been much misrepresented and falsely &C
cused by those WHO we're seeking to make
political capital. The great matter which
agitated the public mind during the cam
paign last fall was taxation for State pur-
poses, growing out of the decisions Of the
Court of Appeals and the Governors sup
Elemental assessment order. Every men,
Der came to this Legislature full of this sub
iect. The question presented itself in many
different aspects. Some believed that q
constitutional amendment should be sub
mitted to the people containing exemptions,
but as to what classes Of prop
erty should be exempted, whether
simply farm products or farm
products and live stock, or all the classes
that were exempted by the act of 1881, or
50 much property per capita, and there was
great difference Of opinion. Others con-
tended that there ought to be no amend
ment, that the constitution is right as it Is,
but that the assessment laws ought to be
amended 50 as to equalize taxation and
make all property OF any kind bear Its lust
proportion of the burdens. Whilst q third
class claimed that the act Of 1881 is not I'M
constitutional, and that the law ought to be
allowed to remain as it is, with the exemp-
tions allowed in that act. The difficulties
of the subject are apparent at once to any
man Of reflection.
These different views manifested them
selves from the very opening of the session
in a great variety of proposed constitutional
amendments on the one hand, and numer-
Gus and various bills changing the assess
ment law on the other. These constitu-
tional amendments were all referred to the
Judiciary Committee, the bills to the FL
nance Committee.
First as to the constitutional amendment,
both Mr.. Flournoy, a Democrat, and Mr..
Morris, q Republican, introduced the matter
on January l4th, the first day of the SEES
sion, in different shapes, Flournoy's amend
ment proposing to exempt only farm pro-
ducts and live stock. Whilst Morris pro-
posed to exempt these and also manufact-
ured articles, but left out the product Of
mines, salt wells and oil wells, which are in
the law OF 1881. These propositions, along
with Others tfat were introduced from time
to time, went TO the Judiciary Committee,
and on Jan. 29th were reported back to the
Senate with q substitute proposed by a ma
j~orityiof the committee, proposing to exempt
only agricultural products. Another sub
stitute was proposed by a minority
of the committee consisting Of one Demo
crat and two Republicans containing sub
startially Morris proposition above named.
These resolutions with the proposed substi-
tutes vent on the calendar and were not
reached for consideration until February
IL, when on motion Of Senator Scott, of
Wheeling, and at his urgent request that
the manufacturers Of Wheeling might have
a hearing before the committee, they were
all recommitted to the Judiciary Commit
lee, with instructions to report them back
on February 18th. February 18th, Messrs.
Hubbard and Caldwell made arguments be-
fore the committee on behalf of the manu-
facturers. On the 10th Mr.. Flournoy intro
duced another proposed amendment, pro-
viding that whilst there should be
no exemption from State taxes, which
should be equal and uniform, the Legislature
might authorize the County Court and
other local tribunals to exempt manutac-
tured articles and other classes Of property
from local taxes, his idea being that whilst
the State taxes were light, the local taxes
we're generally heavy, and by this provision
any locality could foster manufacturing or
other enterprises, without interfering with
the equality of State taxation. February
II, the Committee reported back two
propositions without recommendation, being
equally divided on them, two Democrats
and one Republican ~fsvoripg the proposition
that contained all the exemptions now in
the Acts Of 1881 from State taxation, and
three Democrats favoring Mr.. Flour
noy's proposition which exempted these
same classes from local taxation only.
These resolutions were not reached until
February oath By reason of the flibustering
resOrted to By the Republican Senators on
the license bill and to prevent any con-
sideration OF the assessment bill, and also
because of the large number of other bills,
etc, on the calendar. On the oath when
the proposed Constitutional amendments
came up for consideration they were then
on their second reading-it was necessary
that they should be read on one other day
in the Senate, and three days in the House;
there only remained three days of the ses'
sion, so that it was a physical impoSsibility
10 pass any one of them unless the session
was extended. In view Of this they were
laid on the table to await the result Of the
effort to extend the session. The effort
failed, the Republicans fought against it,
and finally defeated it.
From the above statement, which can be
verified from the journal, the difficulties at
tending this matter of submitting a Consti-
t~utional amendment on the question Of tax
alton can be readily seen, and can it also be
readily seen that whilst the Republican
Senators, most Of them professed to be in
favor Of an amendment, they are response
bic for the delays in considering it, and
thus prevented any definite action being
taken on it. 4 part Of these delays were
~occasioned by the courtesy extended to the
representatives of the Wheeling manufactu-
rers, who have been since led by interested
political managers to believe that the Dem
ocrats of the Senate have not treated them
fairly. The Democratic members Of the
Senate fully appreciate the great import
ance of the splendid manufacturing indus.
tIies Of this city, and as an evidence OF this
they very willingly accorded to them a full
and impartial hearing through their able
counsel-s privilege that / believe was
not extended to any other single
interest on this great question. The action
ofthe committee and the Senate as above
stated, besides many other facts which can
be produced, show that there never was
any disposition on the part of the majority
to do wrong or injustice to the manufacture
ing interests of the State, yet so skillfully
were false representations made and the
real facts concealed BY the Republican a
ayers, that these interests became alarmed
and insisted on an adjournment of the Leg
~islsture before some great imaginary wrong
were perpetrated. l am one of those who
do not believe any amendment is
necessary. l believe the constitution is
right, that equality and uniformity of