Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-01-22

an AsylnM-H9W DEBTS are Juggled
to Prevent Their Discovery.
CHARLESTON, Jan. % = Grave
tionality Of the bill to tax petroleum
and oil products introduced by George
A. Laughlin, Of Ohio county in the
house. 1t is said the bill was intro
duced by Mr.. Laughlin by request of
State Treasurer Kendall, the reputed
author of the measure. The main
features of it are that it lays special
tax of one cent a barrel upon oil and
half cent thousand feet upon gas
A grave defect is that it will practi-
cally fail to reach gas piped out Of the
state.
The constitutional question how
ever, is the chief one urged against
the bill. Special taxation is forbid
den by the state constitution An
Aother objection TO the bill is that it
means heavy taxation upon all the
small companies which supply NUM-
cipalities with natural gas and while
ii is aimed at the Standard Oil Com
! pany it will hit the independent
companies the hardest. Gas compan-
I 4es supported by the Standard can
easily meet the tax, but it is differ
ent proposition with the Independent
concerns especially where they are in
competition with the South Penn
which Is under Standard control.
The town Of Warrington will fur
nish an illustration Of this. There
nd hf q a
company are lighting each other. The
Home Gas company is furnishing gas
to manufacturing concerns at cost and
to consumers at very Slight profit it is
said. 1t has been the means of hav-
ing at least two glass concerns locate
at Warrington. The special tax of
half a cent thousand means an enor-
nous cut in the revenue of the Home
company. It may also mean loss to
the South Penn, but the chief damage
. will be done TO the local company.
i The only recourse will be to put the
tax onto the consumer. In the cities
like Morgantown where one gas COM
pany has monopoly this will I'M
doubtedly be done. In cities where
y there are competitive companies the
weakest will be showed to the wall,
leaving the most powerful in possess
ion of the field, a situation which the
surviving company will at once take
advantage of by making the customers
pay the cost Consequently the con-
sumner must finally be the chief loser.
An argument of this nature cannot
help but count and will effect the
chances Of the bill.
This is the first bill introduced af-
fecting the oil and gas interests If
the state.
The Home for Incurables, as such,
seems to be doomed. The legislature
seems to regard it 10 its present shape
as somewhat in the nature of white
elephant, and is disposed to turn it
I, into third insane asylum. The rea-
son for this is SO plain that the pro-
verbal wayfaring man may under
stand It, The Board of Regents of
the Home asks for toe modest sum of
$500, 600 more than it takes to run
!. either OF the two insane asylums.
1The Weston asylum has about / 200
inmates, and the Spencer has over 500
40 inmates. La the past two years
500, 900 was expended upon it, which
causes thinking legislators to believe
1T is failure unless its admission reg
ulations are changed. Both the Wes-
ton and Spencer asylumns are now
filed to overlooking, and need consid-
cradle additions. The Home for In
curables has plenty of room. There
fore, II a liberal appropriation is made
for the last named institution it will
probably be with the understanding
that 1t will be transformed into a
third hospital for the insane. This is
the cheapest solution to the problem
of caring for the state's insane. The
management of the Home for Incur
ables will protest against such action,
but If the facts are laid plainly before
the legislature it will be useless for
them to do so.
Ii any more reports come in like the
3 one from the Home for Incurables it
Awill lead the citizens of the state to
believe that the statements of the adj
ministration that West Virginia is
free from debt are wholly untrue In
fact, it is now the policy Of West Vir-
ginia administrations TO announce
proudly that the state is not in debt,
According to the constitutions the
state cannot get into debt but there
, are hard headed men of business who
do not agree with the cheerful an
Douncements Of the ruler. These gen
tlemen, whenever the state has an oh
legation to meet which is not covered
by appropriation, have al airy way of
describing it as a deficiency, and not
as debt. The difference is not dis
cerpible to most people but there
seems to be an official difference.
Now, according to the report of the
d Home for Incurables, that institution
has deficiency Of the healthy size of
$27, 500. In other words over the
" x6f 600 authenticated nv the last lapis-