The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-03-05

ne rlity'thlfuCongfcksW Win us uSlnE ofcath
4 did good thing In passing tho West Virginia
direct tax resolution .-HtQtSter. ISL Is,N
when tho dire Ct tax bill was pending
before the Fiity.frst Congress (the
Reed" Congress). and was passed by
the Republicans Of that body, nearly
every Democratic paper and tho Demo.
Gratis in Congress howled tina. it was IN.
constitutional and a Republican scheme
to plumber the treasury.
The bill passed the house by l72 to
l0l., Only rs, Democrats voted for it.
Only Z Republicans voted against it. At
that time West Virginia was represent.
ed in the house by two Republicans,
Messis. Atkinson and Smith, and two
Democrats. Messrs. Anderson and Will
son. The Republican, voted for tho
bill to pay back to West Virginia $751;.
sos 9S. One Democrat, Nj. Wilson,
voted against that bill, aud the other
Democrat, Mr.. Anderson. is not record
ed as voting at all.
It was for services supposed to have
been rendered in this matter that ex.
Governor E. Willis Wilson and the late
Beverly Tucker, OF Virginia, set up
claim for $4,000, being 10 per cent OF
the amount. This a Democratic legis-
slature agreed to pay, although there ia
in the bill an explicit provision that no
part OF the money shall be paid out by
the governor OF any state or territory,
or any other person to any attorney or
agent under any contract fol, services
now existing or heretofore made be-
tween the representative ofany state or
territory and any attorney or agent"
There was no need OF the services Of
.claim agents and it was not intended
that they should prof. by the passage
OF the bill.
IS As for the Register, its position with
regard to this bill.is odd; in fact, it is
two-fold. It now thinks that the Dem
tocratic Fif.y.third Congress has done
something to redeem itself by passing
the direct tax resolution. Four years
ago. .o-wit, on March 81, 1891, it
thought the Republican Fiity.frst Con-
gress had done a bad thing to pass the
direct tax bill. In that day the Register
thought the legislature should have
spurned the money aud refused to ac-
cept it. Here is what the Register
thought in its own words:
THAT DIRECT TAX
There Is very little doubt that the states gen.
orally would be better oil In the end II this mon.
ey collected BY direct taxation quarter OF cen.
fury ago. were not distributed among them The
tendency Is dcmoralizlng 10 thrift and economy.
The states which will get these SIS OO0, go arc
bothering their heads over the question OF what
I TO DO with II. II must. Inevitably, In u degree
& lt least inspire extravaganza, rs all unearned
money does Already In Ohio the Politicians
are figuring out the way In which It eau be made
10 pnAs into or through the bands OF pHrt!sans
on Que side or the other t- 81.
The situation, indeed, Is fast becoming a rcpe-
titlon OF that which followed the nc. OF Congress
in 1876 distributing the treasury surplus OF that
dhle among the States The demorallz!ng effect
of that gratui!y Is Il matter Of history. There
was n scramble tor the money among rival inter.
4 td III tlt slaIes, winch " WAS Wusteu
In almost every instance, and, instead OF a bene.
faction, 1t generally proved u curse 70 the com.
munity receiving It.
The Register opposed the Direct Tax Refund.
Ing bill from the start, on the grounds stated,
md 1. would have been n credit to West Viz.
gin!n and an example worthy TO be followed by
other states had the legislature refused to accept
the portion credited 70 Nest Virginia, and Thus
put the stamp Of It's dlsapproyal on this looting
. OF the treasury. But since tho legislature did
not possess so much Spartan virtue and accepted
. the money, the Register advised, aud still nd
.viscs. as the best method OF d!sposns OF It, that
I It be used for the improvement OF county
roads. Having accepted this unearned money,
that, In our opinion. Is tho best use 1t can be
putto.
vetoed this direct tax rebuilding bill, bRsng his
constitutional objections TO tho bill on the
gtound that 1t provided. not for m act OF repay.
meut. but nn outright gift TO a certain number
OF citizens OF money rnised by taxation OF all
Congress has no power 10 do. As for Its prncii.
cal injustice. Senator Blair at the same time
showed TINT the state oil New Hampshire would
receive less ont OF this gtatuty than she would
have 10 pay as her share OF the taxes npprop,l.
ated for that purpose. He
II has been suggested already. In the case OF
New York. that the matter bc brought before
tho courts By an application for a writ TO re.
strain Governor Hill from using the money for
which he has made reputation.
81 II 1t would have been highly expedi.
ent rs we'll aa suDlimoly virtuous to 70.
fuse TO accept the money in 1901,
wouldn't it havo boon rs meritorious to
let the thing alone in 1885, making no
effort TO got the money? Tho Register
had doubtless forgotten what it said
four years ago, and remembered only