Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1891-10-06
Direct Tax.

/ united states mas RlJnln Ine laSJ lew
months turned over to the Governor
of the State s2s, 900 out of the $751;
600 which by act of Congress passed
at last session was ordered to be re-
funded to the State of West Virginia,
being amount paid by it and its cit
izensunder the Direct Tax actof 1861.
1t will be remembered that about
S2s, 900 of this tax was paid by cit
liens of Jefferson and Berkeley, and
the residue by the State in its cor
porate capacity upon settlement with
U. S. Government for expenses in
Cured during late war. The State
assumed in that way what would have
Ebeen collected from other counties.
The exception of Jefferson and Berke-
ley being due to the fact that at the
time of collection it had not been le-
gally determined whether said coun-
ties were in Virginia OF West Virginia,
and the Virginia collectors, by reso-
luton of Congress, being empowered
to collect in said counties directly
from the people.
1t will be further remembered by
the StaIwart Democracy of West'Vir-
GINA, now and in the next election,
that although the State of West Vir-
ginia, under act of Congress, is en-
titled to recover S181, 900 of this tax
from the U. S. Treasury; that the
Harrison administration, under de-
cision of its Attorney General, is re-
tanning all but S28, 900 of this amount
to pay the debt of the State of Vir-
ginia to the United States, debt
which West Virginia is as much a
stranger to as is President Harrison
and his cabinet to the correct prin-
ciples of right and justice.
This S28, 900 was not retained be-
cause on its face the act.of Congress
returning this direct tax provided
that whatever amount was coming to
private individuals should be paid
over to the Governor of the State in
trust for them, and in no case could ac-
counts and counter accounts between
States and the Treasury interfere with
its payment. This provision prevented
any excuse for the Treasury officials
delaying its payment or defeating
the effect of the act, so far as this
fund was concerned.
Therefore the Governor has re-
ceiyed the $4,000 paid by the coun-
ties of jefferson and Berkeley, be-
cause the Treasury officials were I'M
der the belief that it was fund to GO
to the parties who paid it. Had they
known otherwise, or had they the
slightest excuse to hang hope upon,
the S28, 900 would have been retained
in the same high-handed and unjust
method that the S151, 900, which
should now be in our State treasury,
to meet appropriations made by the
Legislature on the faith of an act OF
Congress, was retained. More than
, two month ago our journalistic in,
quiries had detected this condition OF
affairs and we called to see the par
ties in charge of the matter, and being
apprized of the situation thought il
: better to remain silent until the $685.
: 600 at least was in the hands of the
Treasurer of the State, so that the
Republican scheme to put every diff
fculty in the way of Democratic
State receiving this money should not
be assisted by undue publicity.
When the act of Congress return
ing this tax was passed, it was sup
posed that this amount which has
been repaid was due to the people OF
Jefferson and Berkeley, but it has
been found that the Legislature OF
West Virginia, after it assumed the
direct tax for the other counties and
received the balance due it for war
equipments from U. S. Government,
did what justice required and equity
demanded, passed resolution to re-
fund to the people of said two coun-
ties the tax they had paid, thus equal
izing the people of all the counties.
Whether in the repayment any cit
izen failed to receive his dues we do
not know. but we are informed by
parties taking active steps in the mat
ter, that they have obtained from the
U. s. Treasury exact copies of the
collectors books and are now having
them compared with the records of
the State officials, who returned the
same to see that they correspond, and
if any one has been omitted the omis-
sion will be discovered and corrected.
We think that the people of this
State should fully and thoroughly I'M
dcrstand that Congress has returned
to them S181, 600 levied upon them in
their severest period of financial de-
preston, and that a Republican ad-
ministration, without just cause, with
: