The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-07-21
BEYOND bus pEpTH.

tAAG1 UuU
the statement OF the News that the
railways of West Virginia are now as
sessed at thirty-six million dollars in.
stead of thirty-one million as for.
merly and after stating that the News
is laundering into the ridiculous In
Its u%tterance. gets of the following
remarkable statement to demonstrate
how foolish 1t can be itself:
Assuming these statements OF as
easements to be true we find that the
taxes on railroads are reduced. trhir-
ty-one millions at the old rate 81 %
cents would produce a revenue OF
s77.50e. but under the ruling Of the
board of public works the thfrty.six
millions Of assessments at 20 cents
will produce a revenue of $4,000.
That is where and how the Dawson
administration takes the taxes from
the farmer and places them on the
corporation. II this proposition of
increased revenues be kept up all
along the line the State treasury Will
need a receiver when settlement day
is reached. Jt
But why are taxes on railroads
reduced? That Is a question OF mo.
ment. because Mr.. Dawson's only
argument in the campaign. and the
one with which he fooled the people,
was that the taxes on corporations.
particularly railroads, were to be in.
creased, to the advantage Of agricul-
tural classes. BY his own figures
they are reduced. He said they we're
paying too little before and now on
his W motion they are hereafter to
pay less. Perhaps this was an ante
election deal"
The News backs out from the dis.
cussion to which 1t is challenged.
and although the Sentinel is beyond
its depth in talking about a matter
like this. its only successful field be.
Ing to sling epithets at people 1t does
not like. the former paper not reply
ing to the above extract the State
Journal will give It a little dab it.
self. The trouble with the Sentinel
Is that its premises are wrong and
Its conclusions absurd. The promise
made by the Republican party in the
late campaign was for a more uni.
form and equal system of taxation
and 1t never agreed to Cypress rail.
roads to benefit the common people.
The Sentinel proves exactly the op.
posite to that which 1t desires to
prove. II the taxes Of railroads even
are to be diminished under a higher
valuation, SO much the more will
those of the farmer and the general
public be under the new valuation of
their property. Why are the taxes
on railroads reduced Brother Senti-
mel? Simply because those Of every
direct and honest paying taxpayer
are TO be. No discrimination is to
be made against the railroads or any.
body else paying taxes on property.
Why, Because the money to carry
on h State government Is beins
largely raised from foreign orpor
lions, from licenses and from other
methods that relieve the people. The
whole contention in all this matter
has been simply that assessments
should be raised where they were too
low and decreased where they were
too high. 1t was said all the time that
even h taxes of the railroads un.or
the system proposed to be put into
effect would be less with an increased
valuation. These propositions we're
disputed by Democratic papers and
the fight was made or the issue with
the result that the people showed that
they believed In the policy of the Re-
publican party. The short time
that has already passed has proved
that the Republicans were right In
their contention and propositions and
before the e State campaign rolls
around the whole question will be
settled. and the course of the Repub.
lican party so approved that the
Democrats will have no more chance
of carrying West Virginia on this
question than IL there were no such
party in existence-if it is so by that
time.
The State Journal in the campaign
last year did not agree with the rail.
roads and other large taxpayers In
their fears as to what tax reform
would do to them and told them what
the result would be and announced
that the Republican party was not IN
favor of depressing them. 1t is glad
to see in the Parkersburg Sentinel an
article which enables It to declare
that this papers prediction has al
| ready heen fulRllnd And nau. .IL