The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-09-30

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Rcourt ora state oftlcial charlles7
|Iona#sEho would be$in bette pos
IfsirinIi#To bring aborlSthis collection
|iffaan county court when the sheriff
faiIsstoSdo his duty? on earth5is
lsgoing to he hurt by his law?
=Wesfnd also objection TO section
EEof this bill providing hat interestat
1.-the rate of 10 per cent e annrm
Shall be addedsto al1tasb bills after h
first day OF January. This Democratic
prophet predicts thai this provision
viii bear harshly on tax payers in the
Interest Of tax collectors. As the law
rs now, taxes must be paid between
September Goth and October 31st in
order to getSthe legal discount.of IL
per cent Under thenew51aw the tax
Epayer is given two months$in Which.zhe
may get II discount The time has
been doubled, and ne may e pay
lin December when no interest is
charged and no discount given. The
t1aw Is acknowledgements over the.
Told method and will be welcomed by
the tax payers.
Senate bil 24,35Senate bill &c, Sen
IEateabiIiE29 andsHouse bill &c are pass
IedHoyeruwithout commentsand with
IEeyident approval.
Il, mr.. -no.+Hse1, ton IF thd E1ro1naut
IteIsSus#thatacounty levies are limited
lighthouse bill % ITO 60 cents On the
hundred dollars valuation. The limit
jEof the @county4levy $3.50 cents is one
of the best:featnres EofSthe special ses-
IEsionslegislation becausesit reduces AK
Iiation and no argument is presented
1Eagainst 1t. Would the Democratic
Iparty repeal these provisions in the
t{new law?
Fair Proposition.
paragraph in this bill which pro
l{posed to limit the collection Of taxes
fto4what was paid in 1903 was defeated
|Eby#the Republicans, and this action
aroused the ire of the Democratic writ
Ter. He thinks that there was a good
Ichance to make good the promise that
there should be no Increase in the col
Election Of taxes in any county and he
Ijcflarges badGfaith on the part of the
IRepub1icans. The majority in the Leg
I%is1ature was wise in striking out this
paragraph as a be easily shown.
f3Suppose the county should be visited
ff33by plaques OF floods. Suppose some
l$great catastrophe shculd sweep over
the Suppose that extra money
twas absolutely necessary to meet
these emergencies, tina paragraph
Ewould bar the way to the collection
tf3ofthe needed revenues. 1t is a act
that the revenues viii be reduced IN
der the new law. but the party in pow
Eerleft the way open for the raising
of additional revenues in case they
are needed. This is (. fair, plain prop
osition, and any school boy can under
stand it.
Mr.. Democrat does not criticise the
creation of the tax commissioner, but
merely states what the law provides.
He seems to approve, of this measure
which is a feature of the best tax sys-
TENS in the greatest and most progress
sive States in the Union.
Reassessrnent.
R~eassessment comes in for some
consideration and he uses the stock
Democratic argument citing the proba-
5bIe raise of assessment at the true
value. but he fails to ecord the cor
responding reduction in the State and
county 1eyies which will fall to the
rate of one-half of What it is at pres
,ent. This subject was referred to ear
lier in, the document and We think it
has been pretty fully answered. 1t
VIII not work larshly on the me
and land owners in the State as charg-
ed. 1t. is evident that in any system
which aims at iustice.and uniformity
the basis must be the true value. That
true value may or may not be the cash
value, IS made very plain in the discus
sion of this subject IL the report OF
the Tax Commission. It is clearly
shown h a the assessment Of property
at its real and actual value is right
and proper, and works 10 the benefit of
the smallest taxpayer. because for the
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