West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-11-23
MORE ABOUT TAN REFORa
And How IL Increased the Valuation OF
Union District Property

| btSuiSt md that the brethren over there
will have reason TO remember the new
assessment as well as we Renoites II may
not be amiSs TO cite few cases TO show
the difference between the old and the new
assessment Il is evident to the most
casual observer that the home aud the
farm has besn assessed higher than any
other class of property Here are few
picked out at random;
Peter Fixes assessment was raised from
so7 to sS3s. n. h. Browning from $50 to
A.Soo. ID. ~ Bolyard from 80 to ESQ ID.
X. Bowman from sara TO sI47s. Amelius
Fike from tS to sS7S. ]. +. Miller from Cas-
to ts7s
Now this may be the true and actual
value" OF the aforesaid property according
TO the judgment OF the assessor Under
the old law property was supposed to be
assessed at "a fair cash value" IL will be
hard TO convince the tillerS Of the soil that
their property has increased so enormously
in value within the past few years. Most
OF the farmers have sold the timber and
coal on their farms in the last few years the
very thing that made the farm valuable.
Now that the timber aud coal has been
disposed OF II don't stand to reason that
the farm would increase so wonderfully in
value. II is the judgment OF the farmers
who have sold their timber and the coal
that The farm is worth less money. Indeed
l know coal operators who bought the coal
under the Reno farms and paid from Gao to
$50 an acre for the same that would not pay
one dollar Tor the soil. They considered u
worthless. But 10 we accept the Judgment
IN.
acting under instructions from the powers
that be-. our farms are worth from thu ee
to ten tunes more since we got rid Of our
timber and coal
My farmer brethren arc you so void OF
reason aud common.senSe as to believe
such buncombe OF course not. That is
one OF the outrageous Misrepresentation
that cannot swallow.
But they tell ms that we farmers have been
let OF easy compared to the co operations.
According TO their representations they
have simply con6scated the property Of
every corporation in West Virginia by as.
sessinE them so high that they cannot pay
the taxes Now II this was true want to say
that would be as bitterly opposed to the
unjust taxation OF corporations as any other
class OF property. We farmers are neither
fools nor anarchists. All the farmers ask
for is equal and uniform taxation. We
have sense enough to know that labor and
capital must work hand In hand IL the un.
precedented prosperity which our beloved
country has been enjoying Is to be contin.
ued. The farmers above all other class OF
people, are the last to try TO array one
class OF people against another The farm.
er Is the man who feeds the world. and
when times are prosperous he gets "a fair
price tor products OF the farm. Why should
he want to cripple or destroy industries1
IL would be exemplifcation Of the old say.
ing-"cut OF your nose to spite your face"
Well. the farmers are not engaged in that
kind OF business and I pray to God they
never will be-
But We farmers do believe. aud the rev
assessment confirms that belief. that the
Dawson tax laws discriminate against us.
We think, aud we are honest in thinking
So that our farms have been assessed much
higher than any other class OF property.
The assessment as published ~ rHE ARGUS
clinches this fact.
Hold, says the Journal and my "Repub.
lican' friend, have you noticed how much
less your taxes are this year than last year,
This reduction in your taxes IS due to the
Dawson tax laws"
To the unthinking and those who will
not investigate for themselves this looks
good" as THE ARGUS correspondent re-
marked. But am not taking the advice Of
the Journal and Republican any longer.
AS they say about the man from Missouri.
they have got to show me" IL the farm Is
the only beneficiary Let us investigate
and see how the other class OF tax payers
find their tax receipts this year When we
take the time to investigate, instead OF be.
lieving the Journal and Republican" we
find that the railroads in West Virginia will
pay $1,000 less this year than they did last
year.
But stop" saws the Journal and Re
publican" you forget that the railroads
are paying taxes this year under the old
assessment and the old tax laws"
Now. my farmer brethren. what do YOU
think Of lhat2 They tell us that the slight
reduction In our taxes is due to the Dawson
tax laws and that the great reduction In
the taxes OF the railroads Is due to the old
tax laws They surely place a low premium
on our intelligence when they expect US 20
believe such nonsense II is really an In.
suit to the intelligence OF every farmer IN
Preston county. But I must be frank and
say that there was time when a statement
Of that character from the Journal aud the
committee would have been accepted by.
myself as the truth withou investigating to
find out II IL were true or false.
IL cfrfkne thai haar anr,o 90.
mark what fatal admission" Not all
my friends. not at all. had explicit con
hdeHce in the Journal and the committee
and Il did not occur TO me once that they
would falsify the facts. had unlimited
faith IN their honesty and readily accepted
any statement they made concerning poliu
cal matters. You see I was politically
blind. How many Of you my farmer
brethren. are suffering today from the same
malady2
When I would visit the committee "a
Kingwood was relieved with the greatest
cordially. The committee appeared 10 be
always glad TO see me and remarked IRE.
quently to me thst I was pillar OF great
strength to the Grand old Party up in
Reno. The Journal would always have a
kind word 10 say about me when I visited
Kingwood and would invariably refer 10
me as It's "staurch and stalwari Republican
friend from Reno" ! suppose. like every
other human mortal was susceptible TO
their iulsome battery and IN this way they
found no trouble IN leading me along
imagine that this Is the reason they refer TO
me as "a two year Old" But " what The
Rambler says Ia true about BRO WhetscU
he has had hiss troubles with two year olds
before made my appearance
will tell them now, however. that they
will never lead the Reno two year old again
O 4. a..