The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-10-27
BY' THEIR FRUITS N SHALL
4 KNOW :THEM-READ tVtiA
A coRNWEEL HAS DONE
HIS POSITION AND TIL IF is
PARTY SHOWN Up IN ITS
TRUE LloH3

s y =
Any one listening 10 the speeches
sof State Senator John J. Cornwel1, the
Democratic nominee for governor,
would think he had been an advocate
Of the bills of the Tax Commission.
Mr.. Cornwel1 claims that he was an
original tax reformar. He asserted
thisEin his speeches at Clarksburg and
at Wayne, and doubtless elsewhere.
He bases his record as an original
tax reformer on two facts First, that
he voted for bill in 1899 to tax ex,
press companies. The Bill was un.
constitutional and was vetoed by the.
governor. The bill was copied from a
law passed in Kentucky ten years ago.
which was declared unconstitutional
by the Supreme Court of the United
States The same law was passed in
Indiana and also declared unconsti-
tutionaI by the same high court.
Second, that he introduced reso-
luton in the Senate in 1859 request
ing some committee 10 inquire w5eth.
er any State taxes could be taken off.
He was SO in earnest about it that he
says Ire never heard Of the resolution
after that.
So, MIR. Cornwel1'sIrecord as a taxi
reformer resulted in-noth:ns-
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 $50, zoo Under
the Dawson Law $4,000 is collected
yearly from the same source. Sen.
ator Cornwell opposed this law.
The same session Of TIE Legislature.
crea ted 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 Gre
alton of the Tax Commission. One Of
these six votes was that of John J.
corawelI Evidently he wanted pc.
amendment of these antiquated aid
inequitable laws.
In the Legislature Of 1908 one day
Mr. Cornwell voted i'll favor of CON
sidering the bills of the Tax Commits
SION The very next day he voted
AGAINST consideration and voted to Kill
the wt1 ole matter.
On August &c, 1909, Mr.. 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 by the Legis-
lature- In that speech Senator Corn.
well 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 MPRAcTlCABLE, iMPOSsI-
BILE AND NcoNsTiTUTloNA
Of the proposed license FAX of one.
third of cent on a ton of coal Mr..
Cornwell said:
upon the producer Of coal ana not
upon the owner in Zee of the mineral
lands they have caught the wrong rat.
They are placing this lax upon PEG,
pie upon whom it should not be,
placed and eXempting the very tpeople
that ought to be taxed"
In this same speech Mr.. Cornwell
quoted from the DECISIONS of Il num-
Der of courts TO prove that The pro
posed license taxes CIR coal, gas and
oil We're unconstitutional
Yet in the special session Of the
Legislature of August, .3Gi, Mr.. Corn.
WE'LL on his oath as State Senator,
voted to take up, consider, and pass
these very bills of theTa& Commission
which he had denounced as inpossi.
bic, impracticable and uncons5itu
tional'
Thus Mr. Cornwell voted against
creating the Tax Commission; voted
for considering theic bills. ana voted
against considering them and to "islll
thcrn;'' then he denounced these
bills IS Impossible, inrracticahlc
and Unconstitutional, and voted TO
pass them.
1t should be remembered by the
reaGcs', that every Important feature
and provision of the new tax laws
were contained in the Tax coHn0ais,
sion bills and were advocated and rec
omnlended by Hon. Henry G. Davis,
Democratic nominee for Vice Presi,
dent, and Hon. John H. Holt Demo.