Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-04-03
WHEELING. W.. VA. FRIDAY MORNING. APRIL 3. 1885.
the assessed value of each, enumerated


as follows:
Household and kitchen furniture...-....-. si5i6 so
Farming and gardening utensils and i'm
plements z.eSoli
value OF hogs ----..:'a-'''.-- t'Iou ~
Xhlre OF cattle e,oS9iS
value OF sheep l,Z0uJ-'
value Of horses, mules, eic-............ 6,3Si IS
80 Ii27i 10
Deduct from this total Of personal prop
erty chiefly owned by the farmer, one hall
the household and kitchen furniture, and
two ffihs the value Of horses supposed to be
owned by all other classes amounting to
gelher to 81, ,s32, ,0Sl, we have left belonging
to the agricultural class 81, ,295,082 Sub,
tract this twenty.one millions from the total
valuation of all the personal property in the
State, being forty.six millions, and
we have twenty-five millions left.
But upon further examination
of the Auditors report it will be shown that
the sgriculturists OF the State own a large
portion Of the twenty-five millions of prop,
erty not included under the heads above
enu1r Grated such as bonds, notes securi-
ties, deposits, pianos, organs, money, DC.
Now, lei US add the twenty one millions of
personal property which was assessed to
the farmer, to the eighty nine millions the
value of his farms, and we have total Of
property taxed to the agricultural class OF
SllO,0O0,000 Then add to the forty-two
millions total value Of real estate and rail
roads, owned by all other classes than sgri.
culturists the twenty-five millions balance
Of personal property stated above, and we
have total of sixtyseven million dollars
worth, or less than two.hfths OF the
property of the State charged with taxation,
so that it will be seen that it IS not merely
coDectural that the agricultural interest in
the State pays three fifths of all the taxes.
Indeed, that interest pays much more than
three.fftbs Of all the taxes, because the
figures | have given only include
such items as are valued separately, so that
it can be ascertsined to what class they be.
long. BY further examination Of the
AUDITOR report, it will be found that the
agricultural class pays large portion OF the
remaining twenty-five millions Of person
slitv, not included under the headings enum-
eiaicd above; on such things as notes,
bonds, securities, deposits, money, pianos,
organs, wagons, carriages, etc. Now, let
US see what the agriculturists pay on the
supposition that they pay only threeffths Of
the taxes on personal property. 1t has been
shoHn that they pay on eighty'nine millions
he value OF FARMS add to this three.htths OF
folty-six millions of personal property, say
tvtnty-eight millions, making one hundred
ard seventeen millions, then add twotifths
of the forty six millions OF personality, or
eie hieen millions, to forty-two millions,
value of all lands, houses and railroads not
owed by the agricultural class, and
We lave sixty millions of dollars worth
of proputy taxed to all other
rhsn agriculturalists, or ten millions less than
two ffhs Of all the property Of the State,
which the sgriculturalists Of the State pay
taxes on ten millions more than three
fitths of all the property Of the Stateor only
a small fraction less than twothirds Of all
the taxes.
have already stated that by the census
takers in 1850 all the farms in the State
were valued at 1873 millions and that their
assessed value for taxation is about one
half the value placed on them by the
census takers 60 their value
for the purposes Of taxation
would be about sixty-six millions. This is
capital invested in farms alone in 1850, &C
ccrGiug to their assessed value for taxation
Tie census report for that year shows that
the total value Of farm productions sold aud
consumed, was worth nineteen millions oil
dollars. he same report shows that the
total value Of live stock was about eighteen
millions. About one,fourth of the. value
of live stock being produced each yeaT, which
being added TO farm productions, makes
the total annual productions Of agriculture
about tweuty.three millions, by the employ.
ment of capital of sixty.six millions as it
is valued for taxation. There were EN-.
ployed in the production Of this twenty
millions of products l01, 900 hands, turning
out grogs product to each hand employed,
$2l4.95.
The next largest producing class 10 agri'
cutturists is the class engaged in manutac'
lures, mechanical and mining pursuits. In
these pursuits, according TO the census OF
1850, there we're 26OOO persons employed,
ofwhom 1000 were engaged as operatives
in manufacturing, and IL 600 in mechanl-
cal and mining pursuits, employing caPl'
tai, according to the census reports, OF near
" Il 900, ,O0O making gross product OF
nearly 90, 900, 900; the capital, however, for
taxation purposes being only valued at halt
the value put upon 1t BY the Census Mar
abas IS in the case of farms, would be
but 100000, 60 that 100000 Of
capital produced gross value OF product OF
tytn,yyihree millions or eight hundred and
forty.Tx dollars of gryss product TO each
hand bling within fraction Of four times
as much to the hand as was produced to the
hand in agricultural pursuits.
The census reports do not give us the
amount of wages paid in sgriculturei but IN
manufacturing, mechanical and mining
pursuits there was paid in wages in 1880,
$43l3.965; for raw material, $l4 OF ,3S5i !
which added together make SIC, ,344, ,353. Now
substract this last sum from S22, 1867 l26,
the total products, and gross profit is lett
of S4525.773, which exceeds the total
amount of wages paid By S2l $50, and all
this on.a capital, as it is valued for purposes
of taxation, OF only $1,000, 900. We see,
therefore. that in manufacturing, mechan-
ical and mining pursuits 81 100000 OF as
sessed value OF capltSl piOuuCeo % " = =
in value Of product as S66, ,OOO, 900
of capital invested in agricultural
pursuits, which profits probably
largely in excess IN the one case over the
other.
| have reasons for thinking, however,
that the profits are chiefly derived by the
manufacturer rather than BY the miner and
the mechanic.
These illustrations show that while we tax
nothing in the hands Of the manufacturer
relating to his pursuit, except bis capital IN
vested, that he, although the largest pro
ducer Of wealth in the State, pays so little
taxes that the amount is not in any reason
able proportion to the protection he re-
ceives from the government, whose burdens
and protection should be common heritage
of al. have shown BY the census report
that the total number oi persons employed
in the State in some gainful employment Il
one hundred and seyenty-six thousand.
Their occupations are as follows: -
In aRTieultura i1sf
In professional and personal serTics.--, S!,os|
nerbapical and mining