The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-04-11
GEORGE BAKERS
LETTER no DILLON
lcon.Lnasa from sian Paas:

Continued From Sixth Page
such h mi opinion, L mo- \ fac and
the law IS plain, under section 10 ot
chapter %, which MAKES no exception
whatever that where tho assessors
discover any taxes on personal prop,
erty, which were omitted In former
years, not exceeding A shall be-
entered on;the personal property book,
with intercs. thereon.
Good Law Long Delayed.
am slad to note one thing hy the
act Of 1901 that the citizens OF tho
State and tax payers, urder section
g chapter q, amends section Sc Of
chapter % and includes money to.
gether with credits and investments,
SO that the farmer can onset his
money. as well as credits and ..nvest,
ments, with the debts he owes, but
unfortunately this section does not
take effect until 1903. January I.
Why this was put OF l 4!n not know,
for the corporation and the citizens
ought to have been put on tho Same
basis and the citizen should not have
been loft In n worse condition Than
the corporation for I'VE years from
the time the act took affect. Tile r,ext
Legislature ought to change tbs so
that the corporation has no more right
tlian the private citizen, as 1t surely.
docs under tho law until 1900.
Injustice May Be Dose.
| do maintain that tf we do not make
the attempt TO relieve the tax payer.
the farmer and the homo owner from
this unjust legislation, ant II We do
not attempt 10 compel the corpora.
lions TO pay taxes for I'VE years back,
which they have escaped admittedly,
then the Republican party tfor tho
burden rests 0 N vi now, has com:
mitted m objectionable Sin against
the people OF the State, II We do not
try to make taxes equal and uniform
under the constitution OF the s.ato.
Is this not 50, ard can any honest
man, looking 10 the interest Of tho
people, deny this propositions
An Example.
Let me give you right in tliis con.
nection an example of tho enorint,y d
this wrong IL We do Tot compel them
10 pay their taxes back fer five years
Hero is the letter. which I have before
nc, of Elias J. Eddy. a resident o
Battello district, in this county, In re
ply to a letter I wrote him a few day
ago as to what his ieasehold. whicl
is owned by! the South Penn OIL Com
pany, is actually worth on his, liant
and here Is what he says: stateraen
of royalty, that is the X owned by Nj
Eddy, from July II, 1900, to March ]
1905, amount Of money which lie re
ceiyed for the sale OF the IIs Of TIL
royalty oil, amounted to s5l,.ea.S.l5, tn,
average price being $1.26 per barre
Now the South Penn Oil cen rany; Q
Standard, got seven times as nue.
according to his own letter, III til,
Standard got in the four years an,
eight months in money out OF hi
farm the enormous sum Of sa5S,507
o.. Ys
Shall We Do 1T
Are we going to permit tho ctrpt
ration, which received in four year
and eight months. over one:thiIrd q
a million dollars in cash out Of tina
farm, and from which they have. i,
ceiyed in cash more thai. a hundre
times the value Of the farm. motto b
taxed back for the four years. an
eight months, while they lave gctte
this enormous amount Of money OF
Of that farm? l$5
II that be true then such a Grim
would smell to heaven and justic
has certainly fed from West irginIa
but do not believe this, 1 belley
: we have a governor sig enough an
a platform broad enough, and 5uiicicr
honesty In West Virginia Tor st
. not a question Of politics. but IL As
question of business. a questi5 il {
u right, to see that these corporation
> and trusts shall sleep in nc better be
than the plain people Of tho Stat
The righteous Indignation OF tie pc
pie all over tile commonwealth
stirred, for the tax payers have bee
CALLED under the heavy loud the
have borne and will stand it no lon.
, er. You know It and l lGiow Ii,
One More Fact.
Let me call your attcIilcn to a
other fact The phrase chattcle re.
has been In the code Of West ylrginl
= for many years, and ii WINS . t$nece