The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-08-01
DEMOCRAT
lENOONGES
DEMOCRATS

At the Ohio county Democratic
convention in Wheeling yesterday
afternoon for the purpose of nom
mating legislative ticket, Col.
Thomas o'Brien, ST., a lifelong
Democrat, hurled a thunderbolt IN
to the Democratic camp, denounc-
ing the dual position taken by his
party on the tax question A COM
mittee on resolutions had brought
in batch of them, including the
following planks:
FsThe West Virginia state admin
istration Is incompetent and extraya-
CANT, and we charge that the present
Republican political machine seeks
to continue its control of the state
government through legislative
measures and administrative policies
which are designed for thar object
alone, and not for the public good:
eve favor a proper revision of
the new system of taxation, which
has failed to bring about the uni
formity in assessments and reduc-
ton in taxes promised by those who
designed 1t; but which has through
the generalization of property, Great
ed standing temptation to waste
and extravaganza on the part of tax
levying and discussing bodies
Speaking against the adoption of
the above planks, Col. o,Bren said :
feThese resolutions were prepared
evidently by some one not so famil-
lar with state affairs as he should
have been, or he wouldn't have re-
corded such sentiments. That reso-
luton, Mr.. Chairman and gentle
men, is not true.
EHThe tax laws are not all what
they should have been, but they are
great improvement over anything
that has gone before them. The
corporations heretofore have not
been paying one-fourth or one-fifth
of their proper proportion toward
the public tax burden, but If the
present assessment of them rs fixed
by the state board of public works
stands, as I trut and hope it viii.
thee corporations have been placed
upon an equality with US"
Col. O'Brien then discussed the
increase of the valuations of the
Baltimore & Ohio railroad, and
showed the millions for which the
road was bonded, how its preferred
stock was selling above par and its
common in the vicinity of par, and
he good judgment of the board OF
public works in Increasing its form
ar assessment six or seven times
higher.
SEI won't pretend to give the hoard
credit for doing its whole duty, but
they have done it in a way, not en-
fitting them to the language of this
resolution" said the Colonel. He
next discussed the increase OF the
Wheeling Traction company's prop
erty, and asked; SIsn't that whack
IN the farmer, and the small proper
ty owner? Not much. 1t is step
in the right direction.
FEThe Democratic party commits
itself to false doctrine by the adop-
ton of this resolution and with it
we 90 into the election with handi-
cap. When you go before the farm
er and he shows you his tax ticket,
WHICH Is SIudllGE Lld4 4d5b JGthAS SAh9
smaller than the year before-when
you are confronted by his reduced
tax bills, how are you going to
meet it %
Taking up the declaration for a
return of the license taxes to the
counties, Col. O'Brien said the new
system was just and wholly right
eous measure intended to remove all
the state tax from the counties
and support the state government by
license and other privilege taxes,
and to upset the system would ben
backward step. he recited the fact
that under the new system Ohio
county would look after its own
criminal charges, it's own poor and
its own county roads and bridges
Under the old system Ohio county
was taxed to support the emergency
hospitals and criminal charges of
counties like Marion, Mcdowell,
Mercer and Fayette.
'HThere is only one thing the Re
publican party deserves credit for, "
he continued, "and that is this new
tax reform. had earnestly hoped
that my colleagues in the COMMITTEES
would strike out these two clauses,
but they didn't agree with me, and
you have the report before you, but