Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-10-27
TAX-DODGEkS.

aire tax-dogers in New York and else
where. Time and again instances of
millionaires returning but few dol
lars as the sum of their personal pro-
perty has been published in the press
In speech ON this subject some time
ago ex-President Harrison said:
"A gentleman of prominence, residing
in one of the smaller towns of New Eng
land, recently told me that there had
| resided in his town for many years man
who was reputed to be wealthy, whom he
supposed to be worth perhaps a million
dollars and who was assessed for $780,
COO He died, and when his personal prop
erty was scheduled by his executor it
was found to amount to about S. 600, 600
if l recall the figures accurately-and
when this property went upon the assess
! ment roll of the town the tax rate was
reduced one-half. In other words, this
gentleman, living in neighborly relations
to his fellow-citizens and di=charging, ap-
parently with kindness, all the obiga-
tons of citizenship. had been every year
of his residence in the town defrauding
his neighbors by compelling them to con-
tribute to the public expense a share that
he should in honesty and in good con-
science have discharged. (Applause.) He
was filching from every hand that was
extended to him in neighborly confidence
His aims were of other mems goods"
(Applause.)
These words of ex-President Harri-
Son were true then and they are true
now They are true of New York City
and they are true of our own Wheeling
In this city to-day, as an inquiring
mind may learn if the searcher after
information can pursuade the powers
that be to let him look at the tax
books, that many man worth tens of
thousands of dollars is not paying as
much taxes as many poor working
man who has worked and struggled
and saved enough to buy his own little
home. And this is not true merely in
isolated cases, but in dozens of cases.
Men of wealth who ought to be taxed
on tens of thousands return as the tax
able valuation of their property but
two or three hundred dollars!
AS Mr.. Harrison stated, this whole
sale taX-dodging by many unscrupu-
| lous men of wealth simply results in
raising the tax rate upon those who do
pay, who cannot conceal the value of
their property from the assessor, or
who would scorn to do so if they could.
Some Of these wealthy tax-dodgers
in Wheeling are prominent politicians
contributors to the campaign fund of
the county and city ring. The assessor
passes them over, taking their own
word for it, knowing his political life
would be in jeopardy if he did not,
while the same assessor visiting the
humble home of the poor emp,oye Of
Mr.. Political Magnate living en- the
next street will carefully and diligent-
ly ferret out the last bit of personal
property he has to his name. And be-
cause Mr.. Political Magnate pays less
the poor devil who has no defense
from the assessors sharp eyes, or is
too honest to conceal what he has,
must pay an added rate, for he must
pay not only on what he has himself
but make up. the difference caused in
the grand total by all that the rich
tax-dodger concsels.
These are not suggestions cases or
conjecture, but POSITIVE KNOWN
FACTS, which any person may verify,
as we have said, if he can pursuade
the powers that be to let him look
over the books.
1t is fair sam pie of the methods of
the Chic county ring, which has gerry
mandered the county in hope that an
| outraged and indignant public may be
unable to turn them out Of power at
the canning eIncticn