Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-02-23

Responding 10 yoar inquiries. ssy:
l. in my Judgment the Bill 10 equsaze
taxation would, If intslEgentlE executed.
put on the Assessors books idly twenty
millions Of the commercial property which
the present law permits to escape and which
ought 70 DO taxed. If our taxable basis be
increased By adding to the present assess
ment this twenty millions Of commercial
property, Of course the gross injustice now
done 70 fnrmers would DO removed.
The present law fixes s. per cent. OF the
revenue on real estate, and il has been cal
ealated that Of the revenue reported BY the
Auditor, sSp per cent is paid BY the sgricui-
tuFal classes.
2. l am not hopeful The bin is likely
10 Be defeated. As predicted in my reports,
nearly every private intorsss (which now
larreiy escapes taxation) has combined to
defeat n The ablsst and shreWdest attor-
neys are employed to prevent Its passage
and these attorneys are effectively assisted
BY adroit lobbyists We have reached an
are when the commercial classes, although
largely in a minority, control politics, and
the result Is the agricultural class Is com.
pelled to carry a very unjust proportion OF
The load which belongs to, and ought to be
carried BY, the other class. The present
statute is grossly unjust to farmers.
2 The journal win show that the Repub-
leans in the Senate, assisted BY certain gem
tlemen who were elected BY Democratic
votes, are alone responsible for defeating
this effort 10 equalize taxation.
4. The bill proposes no radical innova-
tons; it makes only three material changes:
(lst.) Ii abcliahes the unconstitutional
exemptions, and requires the manufactures
miner and farmer 10 assess whatever pro-
ducts are on hand on the first day of April:
(2nd-) 1t requires corporation to list
its property precisely as she same property
would be listed if owned by an individual
The present statute contains some nom
sense requiring corporations and merchants
to list 'ihe value Of the capital used IN
trade Here is . door through which
vast amount escapes taxation This door
Il closed up; nothing more.
The present statute permits debts to be
deducted fronS both credits and Investments.
Under the proAOsed bill debts may be de
Quoted from CREDITS but not from invest
meuts. Il win, be seen at glance that
this is q proper distraction; credits are
temporary demands created in the course Of
trade; investments refer to capital perman-
emily placed at interest 1t may facilitate
trade to permit debts to be deducted from
credits. but il is difficult 10 conceive Of any
argument in fayor of deducting temporary
debt from q permanent investment. II
man is sufficiently prosperous to keep
money st interest, he Is sufficiently prosper
Gus to pay debt.
These are absolutely the only changes: /
am prepared to say that no man who has
heretofore honestly listed bis property would
ever grumble about the new law, except
few prosperous persons who have been &C
eustomed to deduct debts from invest
ments.
The opponents of the bill wish to perpetu-
ate the present vicious system and grossly
nirepresent the purposes Of its advocates.
For example: very large majority OF those
who are most earnest for this measure have
always declared that they would vote against
It unless section 5l-allowlng debts to be
deducted from eredits-was restored.
Again: Nobody proposed to tax shares of
stock after taxing the corporate property.
There are several omissions which occurred
IN printing which everybody knows would
be supplied before the bill became q Jaw,
and vet these omissions are seized upon
to mislead and deceive thoughtless and ig-
norsnt people
am not surprised at what has happened.
The farmers in Legislature fan an easy
prey to the Vaccinations of shreHd and
adroit lobbyists while the timeserying pol
itician readily trades the public welfare for
personal promotion. make no reflections
on the Legislature as body, but the fact
stands out in bold reEefand thisfa should
20 home to the people, that equalization
cannot be accomplished because and only
because the commercial classes wish to per-
petuate a system under which they escape
a very large part Of their Just share of tax
ation.
have thus responded to your inquiries
because il is important that this matter
should be understood throughout the State.
NJ MacoN