Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-02-24
MOa6pOIizss The Tins Ofths House,
Yesterday.
Finally Ordered to Its engrOssment---
Republicans Seriously Delay
Business.
Resignation Of DR.. Reeves ~ Secretary Of
the state Board of Hsalth-FOar New
Cases of Small POx-FunerSl Of 3.
A. MiIlsr-Ths Nail Dispute.

ing machines htty dollars per year, TOOK &C.
casion 10 denounce machine agents as the
greatest nuisanees and swindlers with which
| the State is inflicted He said his own
county Of GreenbIier was overrun with these
agents, who always sought out the house
| wife as the person with whom to make =
/ bargain, sold her q machine for forty or
fifty dollars which could be bought of re-
putable merchant for half the money, and,
taking bond with bed clothing, the only
COW, or horse for security, often sued on
that bond and stripped the family Of arti'
| cles or animals indispensable 10 their CON-
fort or necessary in the work eft farming.
| He thought people Of the class he described
should be made to pay . round sum, and
he was rather inclined to make the license
| 500. The amendment, fixing the tax at
$50. was agreed to.
Mr.. Taylor moved to add q paragraph
fixing license tax of FIVE dollars on book
agents. Mr.. Dyer moved to amend by add
ing except peddlers Of books Of religious
| character" Mr.. Edwards moved to strike
ont the latter clause. Mr.. Robertson hoped
the whole matter would be rejected. The
books generally sold by agents were Of q
good character, such as manuals, eneyclo-
psdias, etc. BE said any law which pre-
vented the diffusion of knowledge was bad
law. There were many people throughout
the State who had built up fair libraries
through the medium of book agents, who,
had Il not been for that much abused class
of people, would scarcely ever see book.
Mr.. Edwards was surprised at the remarks
of the gentleman from Ohio. While IT was
true that libraries had been built up in the
manner stated, i. would be found that the
prices charged were Fifty per cent. more
than merchants asked for the same books
Mr. Sayre protested against any tax on
books. IF there was anything the people Of
West Virginia wanted, it was inteligence, but
gentlemen here wanted to tax the desire
to acquire that intelligence He was in
favor Of distributing books free throughout
thhss State if necessary. BE would 90 furth-
er, and exempt from taxation the private
/ libraries of citizens Of the State. The
/ amendments to Mr.. Taylors motion were
I Withdrawn and the motion agreed to.
/ The next amendment of Importance to
/ the bill was offered by Mr.. Myles, who
| offered the following: ION each telephone
company, FIVE dollars upon every box or
transmitting instrument rented or leased
out by such company in this State. liz
support ofhis amend nent Mr.. Myles said the
| telephone companies were imposing on them
habitants Of the country. He doubted if the
I instruments used cost the companies over
/ FIVE or six dollars each. They claimed
that they paid 8 royalty of twenty-five dol,
lars on each instrument, but he did not
know about that. The nearest instrument
to the central Office, in this city, was rented
at fifty dollars per snnum, while at the out
/ skirts Of town the rent was seventy-hve dol
lars. The company was so protected by its
wealth and patents that the owners Of far
better instruments could not put their
system into operation. TELEPHONE compan-
| les had thus far escaped taxation, and ne
thought il time they were made to contri-
butte something to the State. Mr.. Chew
moved to amend by making the tax three
/ dollars. Lost. The original motion then
prevailed.
There was great opposition, at the after
noon session, TO section u, imposing tax
Of one dollar on deeds, leases, powers of at
torneys and contracts admitted to record,
in q clerks office. MesSrs. Edwards, Sta
pleton, anO Dean opposed the section in q
| vigorous manner, while it was defended
| BY Messrs. White and Dorr. The section
was finally stricken out. Mr.. Chew offered
. substitute for the section so rejected, i'm
posing an annual tax of ten dollars on cor
| porstions and joint stock companies doing
| business in the State, and fifty dollars on
companies and corporations obtaining char
tiers in West Virginia bat doing business
elsewhere, the charters Of such companies
and corporations to be declared for,
feited in case the tax vas not
paid. In supporting his substitute,
| Mr.. Chew said companies from all over
| the United States came to West Virginia to
obtain charters, in order to take advantage
of our liberal laws, and it was nothing more
than right they should pay something for
the benefit Of the State. The substitute
vas agreed to, after the insertion of clause
exempling from the tax corporations form.
ed for educational scientific, literary or az.
ricultural purposes. The remaining sec
lions Of the bill we're then passed upon, 'sf
ter which the question of State levy was
taken up Mr.. Crockett moving that the
levy be made twenty cents on the 500.
There was call for some definite idea OF
the amount of money required to run the
State government for the succeeding two
years, in response to which Mr.. White read
. statement showing that the two appro-
priation bills called for SSH 1868. 10
and anticipating q deficit of about
$4,000. Mr.. Dyer thought there should be
such a levy made as would ensure enough
revenue to meet the needs Of the State gov
eminent After much desultory discussion
the motion Of Mr.. Crockett, filing the blsnI
with twenty cents, was agreed to. Mr.
Chew then proposed an amendment making
an additional levy of FIVE cents on the hun
bred dsllars for building purposes. This
proposition provoked a running discussion
Of considerable length, in which polite:
seemed to play an important part. Mr.
Post endesyored to stay the flood of elo
quenee By a motion limiting speeches tC
FIVE minutes each, but the House rejected
the proposition, and the talk ran along unit
nearly FIVE O'Clock, when, on motion Of Mr.
Gilkegon, the House took recess.
After supper the pslsvering over the bill
was resumed. Mr. Chew plead for the
adoption of the motion fixing 6veceni
levy TOR building purposes; Mr.. workman
thought any such action would be prems
ture and unbusiness-hke; Mr.. White de
manded the honest opinion of the gentle
man from Marshall { Mr.. EdWards) as Ia
whether or not twenty-cent levy would be
sufficient to meet the liabilities Of the
State; Mr. Edwards would snsEer-he
thought twenty cents would be sufficient
after the appropriation bill had been
scanned and the various items cut down;
Mr.. Gilkeson thought it would be uniyer
sally conceded that twenty Eve cent levy
would Lot more than pay the running
expenses Of the State and lift the
present debt, and therefore be hoped the
biH would be completed and ordered to its
ensrossment before adjournment, so that il
might be passed to-day; Mr.. Ssyre had
not the slightest doubt but that q twenty.
Eve cent levy would be required. Mr.. Nc
1 l. a A., I'll L.. a.