Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1903-09-02
Treat your scalp
for dandruf, not
your coat! Ayers
Hair Vigor. s s!::'': s::::

receipts for the fiscal year ending
September goth, 1902, were IS $751;
900, or double the receipts of this
State. They do not levy any direct
taxes In Maryland for the support
Of the State government. The d.
rect taxes levied there are seven
teen cents on the $1oo against our
thirty-fve cents, of which ten and
one.half cents Is for the support of
the public schools, one and three
fourths cents for free school books
and the balance to extinguish the
public debt. They raise twice as
much for genearl State purposes ip
Maryland as we do In this State,
not a dollar of which Is derived from
direct taxation of personal and real
property of the State.
L ook at what has been going on
in New York State, The annual
expenses of New York State are
about what they are In Pennsylvania
approximating $25 1000, 900 a year.
In 1899 the direct State tax In New
York was twenty.four and four
tenths cents on the $1oo; In 1900 1t
was reduced to nineteen and six.
tenths cents on the $1oo; to twelve
cents In 1901, and further reduced
to only one and three-tenths cents
In 1902. Direct State taxes will be
wiped out altogether In New York
If the movement to amend the con-
stitutition so as not to require a
direct tax for the support of their
schools and the funding of the State
debt Is adopted. You see they |
have got the tax down o practically
nothing as 1t Is.
Now my contention Is, and the
contention of the State Tax Com
mission Is, that we do not need to
levy direct State taxes In order 10
produce the revenues to run the
State government, and that we
should move along the line that
have been found to work so we'll In
New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl.
vania, Maryland, Ohio and other
progressive States. 1t Is not new
and uutried method to raise the
necessary revenues to run the State
government by the Indirect system.
1t Is not an unfair method. With
all due respect to the DIRECTORS, 1t
Is not an unconstitutional method.
1t recognizes that the county IS the
unit of assessment and makes the
county the unit for the levylng of
direct taxes, reserving to the county
and Its subsidiary divisions, the
personal and real property con-
t aimed therein for purposes of local
taxation. 1t Is sound as an economic
propositian and wise In statesman
ship. 1t will come sooner or later
In this State.
The men who compose the Tax
Commission include the largest
tax payer In the State, men who
are at the head of railway and coal
attorneys OF great
learning who represent numerous
corporate interests, and they did
not report either an unconstltution-
al method or an untrled method.
They did ros report anything
which would be oppressive to the
development and business inter-
ests of the State. West Virginia
Is no longer an undeveloped State.
1t Is the first State In the Union In
the production of white sand oils
and natural gas 1t also ranks first
In the production of hard woods.
1t Is second In the production OF
coke, and 1t ranks third In the pro-
duction OF bituminous Goals. 1t Is
rapidly becoming the first State In
the manufacture of glass Its
agricultural and horticultural and
manufacturing interests are large
and varied. 1t Is all mistake to
suppose that the conditions In
West Virginia are different from
what they are In Pennsylvania,
Ohio and other States which have
gone to the indirect method of rails
Ing taxes for the support of their
State government.
Excuse this long letter, but the
people should know the facts and
the people should have the right to
a fair consideration by their law
makers of the reports, made by the
authority of the Legislature, which
seek to reduce the burdens OF gen
eral taxation. ,1
am, with respect,
Very truly yours,
(Signcd) ALBERT B. WHITE
ZOO Men