Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-10-03
Gov. WHITE SPEAKS.
DISCUSSES TAX QUESTION AT MASS
MEETING ar CHARLES TOWN.
Believes That the Coal, cas- and on An
tcrest should he Made 90 Bear
Their Just Burdens.

The citizens mass meeting held in
CHARLES Town Saturday in the interest
of the tax reform movement was large
ly attended. Maj. Il. II. Mcdonald
called the meeting TO order and John
w. Rider was named as chairman,
with George W. Haines. III. L.ISnyder
and X. @. Ressler ms secretaries.
State Senator William Campbell was
the first speaker, stating he.was hearth
IL in favor of the proposed law, and
had done all in his power in the
Legislature ITO aave commission
appointed. Representative wetzell
followed Senator Campbell Ialong the
same lines.
In the afternoon Gov. Albert b.
White, who is a strong advocate of
the proposed measure, was introduced.
Governor White said he was after the
coal. gas and oil interest OF the state /;
that they paid very small part OF
the tax and should be made to bear
the burdens. and that the present tax
system now in existance wassthe worst
ever known, and could not be made
poorer. Governor White also'made an
attact on the3railroads. and said they
were paving small share of the taxes
He said that the coal interests of the
state were controlled largely by the
railroad companies, and that an inde-
pendent operator stood no more show
than a SNOWFALL in hot furnace.
he said that the question of taxa
ton and the question of administering
the state governm emit are both involved
There are two questions" said he
lone is what you might term the
administrative matter II the legis-
lature should ever take the tax COM
missions report, with an evident
intention of discovering whether
there is anything of merit in it or
not. all the questions will be gone
into. and we Will get in the act. the
consensus OF opinion as to what should
be done. This is, to me, the main
point to discuss, namely. tie raising
of the money to run the government.
"There are six counties in this state
that are getting one-half of the total
official charges OF all the state. Why
is it that you should be called upon
more largely than other counties with
larger resources. and at the same time
whv do those other counties get so
much more of the appropriations?
Now. the tax commission, after a
study extending over two years, came
| to the same conclusion that / think
every gentleman in this room would
come to if he would study and ac-
quaint himself with thu facts--the
| conclusion that the grossest inequali-
ties exist in this state land not only
| the grossest inequalities in burdens,
but that there is large amount OF
subjects of taxation in this state that
go scot free and do not bear any bur.
den. let alone just proportion.
There have been phenomenal
Developments in the counties of Mar
ion and Harrison within the last ten
wears, and when the assessment OF
1900 was completed. the valuation of
land in Harrison county. including
improvements. coal, ETC., had decreas-
ed and they we're worth less than in
1892. and in Marion county they have
fallen from $16.16 per acre TO SIS. is
per acre, and that was in Maron coun-
ty, nearly the banner coal county of
the state, where extensive improve
ments have been made since the as
sessment of 1899.