The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-07-25
The Farmers
HAVE FAEo WELL uNDER NEW
TAX Laws AND Will NOT
FORGET liT.

FoReET m
yEtll
not Sc forg ot the lsgice
i:rendered them by the 1lican bar
OF the state in giving hem the
ilrncst who'll s0lne tax laws they have
4 ever had says an exchange For
1.-THE frst time In the history Of the
Estate they have been required to bear
fno more than their fair share of the
burdens Of taxa ion. FIeretoto fore the
railroads and the other big corpora
lions OF the state have been assessed
at such q small fraction Of their ac=i
,ftual value that they have escaped
bearing their Just portion Of the tax
Iation of the state. II the Republican
i party had done nothing else in a de-
Icade the new tax law would Justify
Eits further lease In powers
.sThe tax law of West Virginia Is
lnow being talked Of and studied all
over this country as model tax law.
A 1t is said to more evenly divide the
burdens of taxation than the tax law.
of any other State.
"When the State administrato ion
started out to assess the railroads and
kindred properties there were those
who were skepticaI about It'll They de.
clared that when the test would come
the Board OF Public Works would not
dare put up the assessed values OF
the railroads. But how well they pre-
fdfcted may be judged by the very
large increases that were made. AS
a result OF the wholesome law, and
1.-THE fair and impartial manner in
which the Board of Public Works dis
charged its functions, the railroads
have been assessed as much as the
farmers, and the dollar Of the corpora
ton can no longer saddle OFF unjust
burdens on the dollar of the farmer.
1t has brought about a state of square
Ideal for everybody in West Virginia
as regards taxation.
"The question now confronting the
people Of the State in the selection
OF the next Legislature is whether the
i present wholesome tax law shall be
made to continue or whether 1t shall
be repealed. The Democrats have all
along opposed the measure and would
to-day, IL they could, repeal It A Re.
publican Legislature means step
backward, a resort TO the old order
lof things. The people will have to
choose which they will have.
.tAnd right here we want to predict
THAT the answer will be plainly and
Iunequiyocally-by such q large major
lity as to leave no doubt about it
that the people prefer present condi-
ftfons. The record OF the Republican
party has been one of fulfllment. one
OF things done for the good OF the
.lpeople. On the other hand the Demo
Gratis go around theorfzing and saying
what they would do IL they but had
1.-THE chance: but when they get the
chance, whether it be in State or ma
EtfonaI politics, they fail to do it as
Iunglorious1y as they well could. They
tremind one of the story Of . fellow
Iup in Pendleton county. He had been
lentertaining his friends with tales of.
1.-THE things he would do to bear
\ should ne ever 56S 4Du6" WE'LL aO4AS
Eday he had gone out into the noun
tafns to pick june berries. He took his
Winchester rife along and set it down
tby q tree while he climbed up into
1.-THE tree to pick june berries. While
rlhe was busy at his work up into a
lheIghborIng tree climbed bear and
j began likewise to gather in june Der
: ries. When our boasttul friend spied
the bear he did not do a thing but
gun and make tracks as fast
LAS he could for hume. When
The got there he told s his
friends that If he had only had a pitch
, fork what he would have done for
| that bear would have been a plenty.
/ lNow the Democratic party is like that
man. When in rare instances the peo-
i Iple are mfsled b$ their pretentions
and entrust the Democrats with gun
{ they sigh for q pitch fork and do moth;
: ing.
'"rhe Republican party has estab,,