The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-08
ST A lES|
ARE REDUCED.
Convention Cuts the Rate Down.
to Thirty Gents.
TAXATION REPORT & orr COMPLETE o.. :: T.
ii /. Finally Disposed Of With The Tax Reduc
tlon Section Added, and Sent to the
Committee on Reylslon-suf>
frage Comes Next.
TAXATION REPORT COMPLETE

w sNSs 1890
frage Comes Next.
The report of the Committee on Finance
and Taxation was comp ls,e>..7 ;.
days session of the convention and sent
to the Committee on Finale Revision and
Adjust1nent =
After q long and perilous journey, the
celebE>sad document has reached the con-
vention haven at last, and will rest, un-
less resembling resolution disturbs It's
calm repoSe.
,tacular. The report had run .A..
of thousand amendments, objections
and assaults. Not a single amendment
lad been adopted without beng ci,uti@
nized by the careful chairman. Fairfax,
or the lyn-eyed. and as for that, lynx
Drained Meredith, and approved by them
Ali others had met lgnominlous pu.1a. Dy
the veteran and well-trained majority.
But the irrepressibla and often invinci-
BILE trio, Withers, Keezell, Turnbull.
after the last section Of the report had
been adopted, pressed a twenty-fourth
section, reducing the tax rate, and for
the first time the names OF X walton
Moore, Fairfax and Meredith appear on
the roll call with a -vanquished minority.
But they look ed pleased even in defeat'
relief from the monotony OF success, per
haps, and perhaps they were notEreai1ys
so badly disgruntfed after ALL
That the result of Inc contest was
surprise to the over-confident opponents
of the PROPOSITION was apparent Only
MIR, Moore made any argument against
it. the strong and very able arguments
of Messrs Withers, Keezell and Turn
bull being either unanswerable OF con-
sidered wasted against the prestige OIL
r. committee that had never failed 10
win.
There remains now only the report OF
the Committee on Suffrage to re con-
sidered as a. whole by the convention.
What course will be pursued in regard 70
the time and manner of dispos1ns OF IT.
will be decided in the conference 70 oe
held this morning.
Dr.. T. s. hawthorne, OF Grove Avenue
BAPTIST Church, opened The convention
with prayer, yesterday. sixty-hEet mem
bers being present. A great many leaves
Of absence wore granted and Colonel Sum
mers introduced a new suffrage plan.
TAXATION SECTION.
Mr. Withers resumed his argument be-
gun Thursday in support OF an moe.
pendent section to the article on taxa
tton and finance The section proposed
by hin, reads:
On all tracts of land and lots, and the
thereon, and all tangible
Eel sonal property not exempt from taxa
ton by the provisions Of this article,
the rate of tax shall not be more
than twenty cents on every hun
dred dollars Of the assessed value
thereof, the proceeds Of which snail De
applied to the support OF the government
and further tax of ten cents on every
- Ia
thereof. which shall be applied to the sup
port of the public free schools of the
State: provided. that after the LIST day
OF January, 1907. the tax-1ate upon such
real and tangible personal property 10
the support of the government and Tor
public free school purposes, shall be such
as may be prescribed by law.
knd provided further, that the General
Assembly may, during such period OF
four years, levy in addition to the an
nual appropriation for pensions, prior to
September 80 1901, a special tax for pen
sions on land and lots and the improve
ments thereon, and on tangible personal
property not exceeding 5 cents on the
$40 of the assessed values thereof.
CUT DOWN REVENUE.
He alluded to the Auditors letter to
Chairman Fairfax, saying that the pro-
posed reduction would cut down the
s income the SCdlS revenues CNeL 5folJiNyo
each year. He. showed by figures that
the reduction would be s437, o99.40 and ex-
planned that the Auditor had included
bank taxes, etc, in his estimate. That
class of property was not affected by
the proposed section.
He then went into detailed estimate
of the property values of the State,
showing how hard taxes have been upon
real estate and the visible personal prop
crty owners, which were paid by the
masses of people of ordinary means.
He declared that the reduction would
relieve a burden from them, without
adding it to others. It would check
the tendency to extravaganza, which all
ways resulted from a surplus.
He recounted the savings which would
he effected by the new Constitution which
In addition to the increased taxation paid
by corporations, would amount to nearly
S6oo, 900 per annum. This would not only
make up the S437, 900 reduction caused by
decreasing the rate}to 80 cents, but would
give an additional yearly surplus Of more
than $4,000 greater: than the present.
Mr.. Withers spoke for an hour and a
half and strongly presented his side OF
the case.
OPPOSED BY MIR. MOORE
Mr.. r Walton Moore, of the Taxation
section in an earnest and able speech
He referred to the opinion of the State
Treasurer and Auditor in opposition tc
the proposed reduction in the rate OF
taxation. He recited the many calls that
would be properly made on the present
General Assembly for much needed public
improvements. Among these were the
p1e ssing demands for additional facili-
Ties at the penitentiary, repairs OF the
State Capitol building. the asylums. &c
In the face Of this, it was idle to talk
about any extravagant waste of the sur
plus when its accumulation resulted
largely from absolute neglect of those
crying necessities.
SURPLUS IN TREASURY.
Mr.. Keezell, Of the committee, in reply
to Mr.. Moore and in advocacy Of the
resolution stated that on the list of Oc-
tcber there was surplus Of over $S00,OOt
in the State Treasury. and that after
paying the extra expenses Of a specia
session Of the General Assembly and o.
TIE convention up to that time. He sait
tx. believed the present General Assem-
bly, would not increase the current ex
pcnse appropriations to the various pub
l.c institutions Of the State, and thai
~,-o,,1d Ia he necessary i'm.