The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-09-04

ties in this city were increased by
the local assessor from four to six
times. Ought the railroads which
have been assessed notoriously low
come below the assessments on homes
and places of business? Again, what
say you?
The Wheeling Register, the lead
ing Democratic paper of the State.
complained that the valuations made
by the Board of Public Works were
not high enough How will the Times
and the Register reconcile their
views? We mean this seriously, and
call upon each for an answer. What
DO the shepherdstown Register and
the GreenbrIer Independent, two
strong Democratic papers, think of the
position taken by the Times? We
shall be glad to hear from them.
What will these papers say?
One of the most telling of the Dem
ocratic arguments on the stump two
years ago was that the property of
private individuals would be assessed
by local assessors and placed at about
its true value, while the holdings of
the railroads would be assessed by
the Board of Public Works, the mem
hers OF which would be "wined and
dined" in private cars and hold their
sessions behind closed doors! We
heard these arguments ourselves
made by public speakers in Marion
county. Now the Time sturns tail on
that argument and censures the Board
for having gone beyond the bounds
of reason. Suppose the Board had
refused to raise the railroad yalua-
tons or had been content with only
doubling them, while other property
was increased from three to as high
as ten times. What would the Times
have said? That the Board had sold
out to the railroads and betrayed the
people. Do we not speak the truth
We leave it to the people to answer.
What have the people to say when
a paper thus takes a stand against
them and their interests and heaps
calumny upon a conscientious Gov
nernor who is trying to make his
promises good? We ask the Demo-
Gratis of this and other counties what
they havs to say? We shall keep a
copy of the Times declaration and
sound it into the ears of the people
many times between now and No
vember 9th. II the people vote for
a man or party which holds the views
expressed by the Times, we propose
to have them do 1t after full knowl-
edge of what they are doing. Our
voice will be raised until 1t can be
heard on this subject and nothing
short of deliberate action, with the
facts fully before them, can be attrib-
uted to the voters who throw away
their rights and surrender completely
to the corporations and corporate in
auences.
In order that the people may know
Just where the Times stands on this
most important question, we repro
duce it's leading editorial OF this morn
Ing in full. We hope the people viii
read it carefully and thoughtfully and
Judge impartially OF the sentiment
there expressed. The Times says:
zones personal antipathy against a
neighbor or foe may be expressed in
many ways. Persons with deceptive
motives often become overzealous and
are discovered in their treachery. This
seems to be the case with His Excel
lsncy, Governor Dawson, by reason of
his hostile attitude against railroads
as expressed at the tax hearings now
going on throughout the State. That
HE has it in Tor the raIffpads no one