Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-09-09

i
Oats ats 1853 81: oss, value per acre, 5;s7
And Of this Agricultural con-
or IS per cent. ''' ''''''''-
AS with the individual. the country
that produces more than it consumes /.
| doing business on the right basis. The
farmer is careful first to raise enough
| for his own wants, then the neighbor.
| ing towns and cities are provided for
and finally he helps to feed other coun-
tries. The amount consumed on the
| farm is part of the running expenses
| the profits come from the surplus and
from improvements made from year to
year. Should all the crops fail for a
single season, famine would be upon
the land. West Virginia is natural
| grazing country, rich in grasses, with
excellent ranges for its cattle.
The timber development of the State
has just begun. 1t is only recently that
her forests have been invaded and her
wealth in woods has been Appreciated.
Spruce, 80 valuable for making paper,
is found in great abundance in the
higher attitudes of the State This led
to the introduction of pulp and paper
mills and kindred industries. Oak and
hemlock abound, and through these
agencies tanneries were brought into
the State.
With the construction of additional
railroads, immense acres of timber and
other valuable lands will be made
available in the State, and it is pleas
ant to contemplate that West Virginia
has in reserve such valuable assets in
its minerals and forests. And this leads
to the thought that nothing advances
the prosperity of the State more than
ample railroad facilities. Wherever
they have gone they have improved the
condition of the people. They have en-
HANGED the value of the land; encour-
aged its greater cultivation, and made
remunerative labor and toll which had
been profitless. They have been fol-
lowed in the counties through which
they have gone by the greatest increase
Of population of any in the State. They
bring into the State large capital pay
taxes promptly and lessons the amount
to be raised by the people. At times
opposition to railroads has manifested
itself among some of the people, but |
assume that this results more from re-
cent agitation against corporations in
general than from dislike to railroad
service do not believe among the
many farmers of the State any of them
would consent to the removed of the
tracks which carry their products to
market, or would not welcome the lay
ing Of the rails to nearer and more
convenient point Of shipment. The
geographical position of the State is
such that it is traversed by four great
railroads. These trunk lines between
the east and west find their way
through the Allegheny counties in the
State of West Virginia. They furnish
the best railroad accommodations of the
day; but what the State needs is local
road, running north and south to con-
meet these great systems, and to bring
into closer comn1nion with the rest
of the State races now inaccessible.
In my opinion, with generous treatment
and proper encouragement by the State,
before rlany years such roads will be
built.
The State of West Virginia is one
Of three or four of the States of the
Union with no public debt. Its county
and municipal debt is very small. The
per capita debt of West Virginia, ac-
cording to the census of 1890, was the
lowest of all the States of the Union.
The total combined debt of the State.
including county, municipal and schooi
district debt, was 1892 per capita. AS
matter of comparison, the per capita
debt of few of the other States is
hereby given
of oil ha
Pennsylvania ..........'.'.. 3 10 81
Ohio ...... ............... 1922
Maryland ............ .'.'.... -'''''' ~ ~ 30
West Virginia ......................' o'o-
The taxes of West Virginia are also
low. Capital can come into the
State feeling assured that it will not
be hampered by undue taxation. The
following table from the census re-
turns give light on the subject:
West Virginia Taxable Property; D ..
! 1870 1870 .sl4o,5sS,27s $50 s.. 49, .,
1880 isS sSl,?ao q 18SS54sSi Is
This shows an increase from 1880
to $780, in assessed valuation, in
round numbers, of $39,000,000, or q
per cent, and in true valuation Of
$S9, 900 600 or % per cent.
The tax per capita in West Virginia
in 1890 was only little more than
half the average of all the States.
The general average was ..........$l.53
In ONO ........ OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 80
In Pennsylvania NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 10
In West Virginia NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Az
From this it appears that the citi-
zens of Pennsylvania and Ohio were
called upon to pay about twice as much
taxes per capita as the citizens of
West Virginia. And the comparison is
more favorable to West Virginia if you
broaden the inquiry, for in the North
Atlantic, Central and Western States
the average is from $500 to $500.
irhe rate of taxation is also favor
able to the State. On each 800 the
1oOa olo,ol H. - ~