The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1906-10-25
Audience Listens Attentively To the
Chief Executive of
West Virginia.
REPUBLICANS ARE RIGHT
ON the Great Question of Tax Re
form That Has Reduced the
Taxes Of the People

Governor W. NJ. O. Dawson made
convincing address to represen-
tative audience Tuesday night here
on the new tax laws and the meet
ing was decided success. Hon.
Raymond Maxwell presided.
Governor Dawson after expressing
great pleasure over the opportunity
ef addressing Harrison county folk,
said in part:
= spoke here in 1904 and in COM
ing back here to talk to you again,
/ am glad / can say after that cleo
ltion what ! said before that cleo
lion. ! hs5e nothing to take back.
notbing 10 apologize for, nothing to
explain away. Not a sinble predie-
ton I made has failed. I hold il
my hand printed copy Of speech
/ delivered here in 1904 as the can
didate of my party for the Office OF
Governor. twas issued by the Re
publican State Committee in PAM
phlet form, and entitled 'SThe Truth
about the New Tax Laws" Ten
thousand copies of this pamphlet
we're distributed and read. I con-
fess it is no little degree of salts
faction to me to be able to come be-
fore you now with this document
In my hand, and tell you that every
promise and prediction therein
made has been fulfilled. On page 8
of this pamphlet. it IS stated that
the state taxes in 1905 will be but
"A. cents, but they were only 20
cents; twas stated that in 1906 the
state taxes would be but 10 cents !;
but in 1906 the state taxes are on:y
S. l-2 cents.
Democratic leaders had a great
deal to say about the laws, the Daw-
son fake laws, The ubiquitous laws.
! There are no Dawson laws Our
Democratic friends are very cute,
very smart, very opposite. They
said there was an inventor of, told
all sorst of stories and tried to at
tach the pnpopularity of the per-
son to the new tax laws. But ! am
willing to be classed as the father
Of them. though they came from
the tax commission of 1901, COM
posed of three Republicans and two
Democrats. The latter were John
H. Holt, the Democratic nominee
for governor in 1900, and former
United States Senator Henry Gass-
away Davis, the Democratic nom
inee for vice president in 1904. The
bipartisan commission agreed unan-
imously on the report and a num-
Der of bills, and there is good Dem
ocratic authority for the new laws.
Choose, my Democratic friends,
which leader you wish-McGraw
and Cornwell or Holt and Davis
The latter are as deserving as the
former. and we we're glad to have
the cooperation OF Holt and DAVIS
and will be glad to have yours We
wanted, no politics in the matter.
The question should never have been
brought into party politics. Thete
com he no nartv politics in the mat
Ter Of taxation in state. 1t may
enter into the national taxation
Question when it involves the ques-
sJion of protection and free trade,
hut nothing Of the kind enters into
the consideration as regards the
state revenues.
ssThe necessity of reform in our
revenue laws was very generally adj
mitted. The attention of the legls-
lature was called to the fact BY
Democratic governors, was empha-
sized by the reports Of the state tax
commission appointed in 1888 by
Governor Jackson, but the Demo
cratic leaders seemed unable TO 40
ANYTHING. For the twenty-five long
I Years in which they were in power
IN Shis state they failed to Tighten
she burdens of taxation on the prop
ertv Of the people a penny.
I'm 1901 the legislature almost
unanimously said the state needed
new tax laws. There were only sls
dissenting votes in that body asl 11S
creating the tax commission. Mt
Maxwell has very well said that thu
primary object of the new tax law V
4 moi 10 raise more revenue but Z
make equal the taxes Of the people
j. Is have a square deal with al I
taxation. ] have read IN Demo
cratic papers that Governor Rawsol
saws the new laws are not perfect
I hope the governor never will pro