The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-11-07
BY THEIR FRUITs Shall
KNOW THEM-READ WHAT
coRNvtELL HAS DON e.
HIS POSITION AND THAT Of HIS
PARTY SHOWN UP IN ITS
TRUE LIGHr

Any one listening to the speeches
OF State Senator John ]. Cornwe11, the
Democratic nominee for governor,
| would think he had beenan advocate
Of the bills Of the Tax Commission.
Mr. Cornwell claims that he was an
original tax reformer. He asserted
this in his speeches at Clarksburs and
at Wayne, and doubtless elsewhere.
He bases his record az an original
tax reformer on two facts. First, that
he voted for bill in 1880 to tax ea-
constitutional and was vetoed by the
governor. The bill was copied from a
law passed IN Kentucky ten years ago.
| which was declared unconstitu tional
by the Supreme Court of the United
States. The same law was passed in
Indiana and also declared unconsti-
tutional by the same high court
Second, that he introduced reso-
luton in the Senate in 1899 request
ing some committee to inquire wbeth-
er any State taxes could be taken off.
He was so in earnest about it that he
says he never heard of the resolution
after that
SO, Mr.. Cornwell's record as tax
reformer resulted in-nothlng.
In 1901 the Republican Legislature,
against the solid opposition of the
Democrats, including Senator Corn
| well, passed the Dewson Corporation
Law This law greatly Increased the
license tax on the charters of corpo-
rations. The most the Democrats ever
collected in any one year from this
source was less than SSO,'9c. Under
the Dawson Law $4,000 is collected
yearly from the same source Sen
ator Cornwell opposed this law
The same session of tEelesis1ature
created the West Virginia State Tax
Commission. Everybody nearly ad-
mitted the necessity of the amend
ment and revision OF our taxation
laws There We're only Six votes in
the entire Legislature against the ere
alton of the Tax Commission. Ore of
these six votes was that of John j..
cornweIl Evidently he wanted no
amendment of these antiquated and
inequitable laws.
In the Legislature of 1908 one day
Mr.. CornwelI voted IN favor of con
sidering the bills of the Tax Commits
sion. The very next day he voted
against consideration and voted to kill
the whole matter.
On August &c, 1909, Nj. Cornwell
made an elaborate speech to his con
| stituents of Jefferson county on the
bills of the Tax Commission. Cover
nor White was present and advocated
| consideration of the bills BIZ thu Legis-
lature. In that speech Senator Corn.
we'll said that he had been studying
these bills for nine months, pouring
over them, and he said;
a MUST SAY THE IMPORTANT
PROVISIONS CONTAINED IN THEM
ARE IMPRAcTIcABl.E, iMPossi-
BILE AND UNCONS TiTUTIONAL."
OF the proposed license [aN Of one
third OF cent on ton of coal Mr..
/ Cornwell said:
It say to you that in leyying the tax
upon the producer Of coal ard not
upon the owner in fee of the mineral
/ lands they have caught the wrong rat.
They are placing this FAX upon peo-
pie upon whom it should not be
placed and exempting tile very people
| that ought to be taxed
In this same speech Mr., Cornwell
quoted from the decisions of 4 num-
| Der of courts to prove that The pro
posed license taxes OF coal, gas and
| oil We're unconstitutional
Yet in the special session of the
Legislature of August, 1904, Mr.. Corn
well, on his oath as StMe Senator,
voted to take up. consider- and pass
these very bills of the Tax Commission
which he had denounced as impossi.
Bile, impracticable and Nnconstitu-
tional."
Thus Mr.. Cornwell voted against
creating the Tax Commission; voted
for considering their bills. and voted
against considering them and to kill
| them" then he denounced these
bills as Impossible. impracticable
and unconstitutional" ana voted to
| pass them.
1t should be remembered by the
reader. that every important feature
and provision of the new tax laws
were contained in the Tax Comnais-
sion bills and were advocated and rec
ommended by Hon. Henry G. Davis,
! Democratic nominee for Vice presi-