Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-05-06
REPUBLICAN CLUB LEAGUE DEMA-
GOGY.

CLUB LEAGUE DEMA-
GOGY.
The Republican leaders of West Vir-
ginia, having learned nothing from long
and bitter experience, are still at their
old trick Of dealing dishonesty with
the people. 1t has never failed to prove
fatal to their political hopes, and yet
the resolutions adopted by The State
League Of Republican Clubs in con-
vention assembled" at ParkersourR'
which will be found entire in another
column, show in their gross falsity that
the leopard can change his spots as
easily as the Republican leaders can be
honest in their platform declarations to
the people.
Coupled with the dishonesty of these
resolutions are amusing features such
as the denunciation of the Democrats
for constantly increasing" real estate
values eat each succeeding apprais-
ment without reducing the rate OF
law" From this, one who was not up
TO the tricks Of our Republican friends
would be led to believe not only that
real estate values in West Vir-
einis had stood still since the
Democrats came into control, but
that the State had made no progress,
whatever, in all that time In tho
way OF public Improvements. If
this resolution regarding the tax-rate
had been honest there should have been
some attempt to show what public i'm
provements should not have teen made,
that the tax-rate might have been re-
duced. The facts and figures are ac-
cessible to every one, but these Repub-
lican iugglers not only failed to show
wherein the Democrats had spent too
much money, but, further along in their
remarkable but characteristic docu-
ment, actually condemned the Demo
cratic party for not spending more, de-
claring that "we believe the time has
come when the amount OF State aid to
the schools should be increased"
Here we have the Democratic party
''arraigned," first, for spending too
much money and not decreasing the
taxes, and, second, for not spending
enough and not increasing them.
Whatever our Republican friends may
profess to the contrary, without sur
plus in the treasury there can be no
transfer OF funds from the State
levy to be used for school
purposes without an increase of taxa
ton. 1t is simply matter Of addition
and subtraction, and on this point the
Republican Club Leagues resolutions
are as purely demagogic as is the con-
demnation in this connection Of Gov.
FLESuNG's veto OF the school tax bill,
which proposed to reduce the State levy
cents and raise the school levy cents.
In vetoing the measure the Governor
showed that it would have left deficit
in the Treasury. Moreover, 1t was not
a party measure. Republicans and
Democrats alike opposed it, as a glance
at the proceedings of the last Legis!a-
ture will show. And this opposition to
the bill came from those sections OF the
State which furnish the majority of the
taxes.
The magnificent free school system
OF West Virginia has been builtup since
the Democratic party came into control
Of the State government and it will take
more than the paper resolutions OF hun
CRY Republican politicians to make the
people believe that the party Of intoler-
ance, prescription and hypocrisy would
be more friend of the schools or the
poorer counties Of the State than the
party Of the people.
In the general matter Of taxation and
finance, there is no State in the Union
that makes better or clearer showing
than West Virginia, and no State shows
a lighter rate Of taxation in proportion
to population. With all her great i'm
provements, her progress In develop
meut and population, and with
debt Of but s135, 600, West Virginia IN.
der Democratic rule shows clean fnan-
cial bill Of health that is eQualed in few
States.
The people are not TO be deceived in
these matters by the political flim-fam
artists who make Republican platforms.