The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1903-09-09
IS THERE A Mor1vE2


ton to criticise the recent legislature for
not considering the Tax Commissions
report. The fact of the business is no
one knew anything about the report un-
til it was sprung unexpectedly on the leg
isEature, and yet there are persons who
expected that body to adopt it or act
upon it ut once, but the members show
ed better sense. They recognized the
fact that it was of too much Importance
to the people to do anything hastily and
so they deferred action. That having
been done, the men who consider this
their pet measure are now going over
the country trying to agitsrte in its fa-
vor.
A. B. White is the governor of the state
and very good governor is he, but why
should he devote his time in advocating
this measure and make stump speeches,
if we may be so allowed to call them,
in favor of this, that, or the other? SO
far as 1t is understood in this state, that
is not one of the duties prerogatives
OF governor.
The secretary of state may try to
force this issue on the party, but why
has he the right? The legislature is the
supreme Iaw-making power long
that body conforms its actions to the
constitution, and there is no reason why
a man appointed to office should place
himself above the body of men which
makes the laws of the state. 1t u
presumptuous act for any particular set
of men or one man to say that idea
is right over and against the regularly
elected set of men to make the laws of
the state. For one man, or a few of
ficers, to say that the legislature is
wrong, because that body does not think
in the same channel and allow itself to
be dictated to is ridiculous, and really
shows an egotism and bigotry that no
man elected to Office in West Virginia
should suffer himself to have. So far
as w. M. o. Dawson is concerned, he is
n very good man. He has done much
for the Republican party in the past. He
has been rewarded well for what he has
done, but he is entitled to more, pro-
vided he is willing to allow the party to
be greater than himself, but, If he falls
into the mistake of saying that the leg
isIature is all wrong, the sooner he is
made to feel that he has made an error
the better.
The legislature was elected without
reference to the tax reform movement
and the members of that body acted "a
they thought best under the circum-
stances A bolt of lightning was thrown
into their midst and they were expected
to railroad the pet measure through, but
they did not, preferring that their con.
stituents should know something about
It, Since that time there were no efforts
on the part of the advocates of the
scheme to inform the people, until Daw.
son decided to run for governor. Then
the governor of the state gets out on
the stump and begins a tour of the
country. The question arises here, is he
doing this for the purpose of advocating
the nomination of Dawson, and if so,
why.i
The one thing that has been neglected
is general distribution of the Tax Com
missions, report and the proposed laws in
connection Herewith. Not one person in
one hundred knows anything about it
and fewer still know the real purPort
owing to the fact that the bills are very
adroitly drawn and for a purpose. All
in all, it is a situation that but few un-
derstand and many fear.
Tax reform may be necessary. and
doubtless Is, but the sort that ia propos-
ed, and which no one scarcely knows
anything about, is to be questioned. The
advocates of it, when pinned down to the
point, do not know what they are about
and have no definite knowledge of its
meaning 1'he more one talks with them
about it, the more they show their ig
l1rr NhR
only idea, or Mt least the important ono
with them, is, that "tax reform" sounds
well and is popular win the masses, bnt
there is where they are mistaken. The
masses Of this state want to know, and