The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-07-13

Ihat poor, diiapidated. hypocritical,
sensational and deceptive organ Of
senile and decadent Democracy, the
Fairmont Times, is nothing of it isn't
a liar. 1t is unreliable in its news
features, and absolutely untrust.
worthy as a political guide. Just yes
terday its vaporings in two column
article with double decker scare
head concerning the railroad news
found in Pittsburg paper of the day
before, made come of its warmest
friends ridicule it, to our certain
knowledge. But that Is not what we
started out to make our principal re-
marks upon. We had In mind to call
attention to basely deceptive arti.
Gle entitled Taxes VIII Be Higher"
That article is in direct line Of the
papers policy as begun last fall in
its, unscrupulously lying compaign
made against the new tax laws. Its
plan works very nicely so long as 1t is
wandering in the hazy meshes of su.
preme Court decisions, or when II is
theorizing on how the corporations
may try TO escape taxation, but when
1t deals in figures as 1t did yesterday
Its hypocrisy can be exposed SO clear.
~ that way.faring man can see Just
what it Is attempting to do. Now to
be specific, the Times said yesterday
that taxes would be higher this year.
In the same article 1t showed a reduc-
ton in the county levy of ten cents
on the hundred dollars; there is pro-
vided by law reduction OF eleven
cents in State taxes or a total so far
of q cents. What does that mean?
Suppose a mans property is listed at
$1,000. Then his taxes this year will
be s2.10 lower than they were last
year. But that is not all. A further
reduction OF four cepts on the hun.
dred dollars may be made in the State
taxes, and the town council will un.
doubtedly cut the rate considerably.
Now with all this 1t must be remem.
bered that the assessment this year
was made according to the old law.
and is not changed a whit from last
year, except that the assessors found
more property by about s1,700, 900
than last year. Now, where did they
find it? Among the poor people?
Not on your life. The oil companies
contributed over 100000 of It, and
tho hankc botwaa, tu,o owl 49,.
hundred thousand. slight change
in the law forbidding the temporary
conversion of money into government
bonds for the purpose of evading tax
alton added quite sum, and the fear
of exposure led many others to pony
up. So take II all in all, the county
will raise more money than last year.
but taxes Will not be higher, and we
hereby brand the Times statement to
the contrary as dastardly political
falsehood, and stand ready TO prove
1t. In another instance where the
Times article gives figures 1t tells
two plain. deliberate lies about them.
1t says, "a cut of five cents is ex.
pected in some of the districts in
both the teachers and the building
funds, but this would not bring the
taxes down to where they were last
year. A conservative estimate places
the increase over last year at from
five to ten thousand dollars, afterl
taking into consideration the reduc.
ton of some $4,000, which will be
made in the State tax" Lie No. one
in that quotation is where it says the |
cut OF five cents in both the teacehrs'
and building funds will not bring the
taxes down to where they were last
year. II 1t had said 1.-THE amount of |
money raised" instead of taxes" that
would have been very different
story. The taxes" on a specific sum
will be lower, but the aggregate
amount raised will be greater. Lie
No. two is concerning the reduction
of some $4,000 which will be made
in the State tax" We ask the Times
IN all kindness where 1t got authority |
for saying $4,000 in that connection.
1t Is either basely ignorant or mali. |
ciously deceptive. A school boy can
make a better calculation than that.
AS stated several days ago in the
west Virginian, Marion county's
share of the State tax at S5 cents
on the hundred dollars amounted to
over $4,000 last year. There is re.
quired reduction of IL cents on the
hundred dollars this year. Now, IL
is almost one-third of IS, so the re-
duction will be nearly one.third of
$4,000. Exact calculation makes II |