The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1904-10-14
CAMPAIGN OF rRIcKERY.

perate effort to hide from the peopl.
the great fact that for the first time in
the history of West Virginia and by tae
Republican party that state taxes are
practically wiped out. This is the most
tremendous and important fact in the
financial history of the state, and the
Democratic leaders fear for the people
to know what It means. Tney hope to
postpone this realization until after the
election. by raising cloud of false
hoods and misrepresentation.
That the laws of the state respecting
the assessment md collection of taxes
were long out of date and inadequate
and unjust, wholly unsuited to the de.
Eeloped conditions existing in this state
was admitted by every one. Ta&t there
was gross and rankest injustice every
one who Is fair-minded and honest at
heart admits. Tdis unfairness was rec
ognized as far back as 1888, when Gov.
ernor jackson, Democrat, called the at
tention OF Democratic legislatures TO
these conditions and facts. he appoint
ed a Tax Commission. II could never
agree and that ended the movement then
toward tax reform, and during the quar-.
ter of century the Democratic party
had full sway and control of the state
government nothing was done along
this line.
1t was left to the Republican party
to act and that party began TO act, when
in 1901 it passed the Dawson corpora
tion law. This law increased greatly
the license taxes on corporations and as
the result proved great revenue get
ter. The most the Democrats ever were
able to do was to collect in single
year from this source $4,000, while
the Dawson law increases this amount
five times and brings the aggregate
amount collected from this source up to
nearly $40O,OO0. to be exact. $3.50. 900,
which you see is 100000 more than the
Democrats were able to raiss in one
year from that source This law was
the beginning of tax reform in West
Nirginia and it made possible the move
ment. This revenue. rs all other rev.
enue, derived from other than real es-
tate, is certainly a relief to real estate
and the farmer.
The same legislature also provided for
thorough investigation of the tax
question in creating tie State Tax
Commission, consisting of W. p. Hub
bard, l.. j. Williams and John K.
Thompson "a farmer), Republicans. and
Democratic nominee for governor. As
was State Senator John j. Cornwen, the
Henry G. Davis, the present Democratic
candidate for vice president of the
United States and John H. Holt, Demo.
cratic nominee for governor in 1900.
They made a unanimous report to the
state legislature and recommended a
number of bills.
There were discussed for many months
All their provisions naturally did not
meet with general approval. Many
Democrats and Republicans approved
them in the main. Some Democrats
and Republicans opposed them, and a
few We're opposed to considering them
at all.
Among the small number VINO opposed
the creation of the Tax Commission
has been stated time and again by the
Telegram and never denied. he denounc-
ell them in his Charles Town speech,
September &c, 1908. little over year
ago only, as "impracticable, impossible
and unconstitutional" Concerning the
license tax of one half cant on
coal he said:
in laying the tax upon the pro-
ducer of coal and not upon the own
er in fee of the mineral lands they
nave caught the wrong rat. They
are placing this tax upon people
upon whom it should not be placed
and eSemptiug the very people that
ought to be taxed"
Senator Coruwell voted one day in
The session of the legislature of 1908.
in favor of considering tine Tax Com
mission bills AMI the very next day ne
reversed himself and voted to kill them.
But IN the extr. session OF the legis-
nature of last August he voted "to take
mp, consider and pass" these very bills
he had denounced only year before
as 'impr"eticrble impossible and nn.
constitutional" and the main provisions
of which ne condemns to this dsy. But
this is only in line with the policy he
and his party have adopted, that is to
dodge every question and shy away
from every issue by denunciation.
The Republican party agreed on
program. They prepared bills and pass
ed them and THESE bills embody the
principal features of the Tax Commis.
sion bills. There is not a single i'm.
Portant feature of the new tax laws en-
acted by the special session that was not
contained in the Tax Commission bills
and advocated by Henry C. Davis and
John NJ. Holt, and yet Cornwell in his
egotism and the Democratic politicians