The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-10-24
BY THEIR FRUITS IEs38Ss n AL
4. KNo wv. IT HI M--RE FAD VIA -:
coRNWELL HAS DONE
HIS POSITION AND THA7rBoF HIS,
PARTY SHOWN UP IN 1T So
TRUE LIGHT.

& . 4 ( 4 49,
Any one listening 70 tie speeches.
of state Senator: John5J. Cornwel1, the.
Democratic nominee for governor,
would think he had been @an5advocate
of the bills of the Tax Commission,
Mr. Cornwell claims that he was an
l=origina1 tax reformar. He. asserted
this in 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 a 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
t2law passed in Kentucky ten years ago,
which was declared unconstitutional
by the Supreme Courl 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 a reso-
luton in the Senate in 1889 request
ing some committee to inquire w'1eth-
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 a tax
reformer resulted in--nothing.
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-
ratfons The most the Democrats ever
collected in any one year from this
source was less than $4,000. Under
the Dawson Law $4,000 is collected
yearly from the same source. Sen
ator Cornwell opposed this law.
The same session of lie legislature
created tie West Virginia State Tax
| Commission. Everybody nearly adj
mitted the necessity of the amend
ment and revision Of our taxation
laws There were 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..
CornweIl.l Evidently he wanted no
amendment of these antiGuated and
negotiable laws.
In the Legislature of 1903 one day
Mr.. Cornwel1 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 26, 1903. Nj. Cornwell
made an elaborate speech to MS con-
stituents of Jefferson county on the
bills of the Tax Commission. Cover
nor White was present and advocated
~. l. h, T1C
| lature In that speech Senator Corn
well said that he had been studying
| these bills for nine months. pouring
over them, and he said:
81 MUST SAY THE IMPORTANT
PROVISIONS CONTAINED IN THEM
ARE IMPRACTicABLE, imPoSSi-
BILE AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL"
OF the proposed license AK of one
third of a cent on 4 ton of coal Mr..
| Cornwell said:
81 say to you that III levyiug 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 exemptins thervery people
| that ought to be taxcd.''
In this same speech Mr.. Cornwell
| quoted from the decisions of Il Num-
Der of courts to prove that the pro
posed license taxes or coal, gas and
oil were unconstitutional.
Yet in the special session OF the
Legislature of August, 1904. Mr.. Corn
well, on his oath as State Senator,
voted to take up, consider, and pass"
| these very bills Of the Tax Commission
which he had denounced as impossi-
BILE, impracticable and unconstttu-
| t1onal."
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, irnpracticable
and unconstitutional" and voted to
pass them.
It should be remembered by the
reader, that every important feature
and provision of tbs new tax laws
were contained in tho Tax Commits
sion bills and were advocated and rec
commended by Hon. Henry G, Davis,
Democratic nominee for Vice Presi-
Jc1t