West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-03-15

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la accordance with an act of the
Legislature Of West Virginia Gov
ernor Jacob b. Jackson in 1883, APP
pointed Commission to consider
and report on the question of taxa
tion, Messrs, James NJ. Mason, OF
Jefferson, Joseph Bell Of Ohio and
Edward A. Bennett of Cabell, were
named as the COMMISSIONER.
On the 10th, of June 1884, this
Commission filed preliminary re-
port with the Governor, from which
the following is quoted as of interest
to the current discussion of railroads
and other taxation problems.
The Commission said, "much of
the country remote from railroad
and water transportation is richer in
natural resources than the territory
already developed, but although
these interior lands have a great
and well assured (prospective)
value, yet they cannot be now sold
except for very trlhing price. 1t
will be remembered that property of
this character does not yield any
present income, and its owner, un-
less he commands other means, can
not meet the taxes however small
they may be; hence it results that
large quantities of "Wild land" aie
annually forced on the market,
chiefly because resident owners are
unable to pay the taxes which have
accumulated. Under these circum-
stances. as may be expected, a large
proportion of our interior lands is
passing rapidly from the home or
original owners into the hands of
two classes of capitalists; to wit, %
those who purchase with an inten-
ton to hold the lands in their un-
improved condition until the con-
iiguous territory has been developed
by the labor and exertion Of others;
(2) those who, having exceptional
access to foreign capital, first pur-
chase large districts Of country, and
then build a railroad to it.
The picture thus drawn is more
fully elaborated, but we quote only
so much as will be necessary for
recognition at this time to illustrate
what follows. On page 40 of the
report the Commission presents a
method Of bettering and controlling
the situation, which while it failed
to persuade to action then, may
now, in the light of experience,
prove method of controlling the
present situation. The report says,
under the head of
estate DEVELOPMENT"
"The interior Counties of this
State are, for the most part, lacking
in necessary roads for the conven-
fence of their Inhabitants in trans
Fortation of their products to
market, and so far as their grea,
wealth Of timber and minerals are
concerned there is no means Of
their development and utilization.
Perhaps no region of country extant
possesses so varied and rich re-
sources in the way of minerals and
timber, and only in exceptional
eases, can there be found an equal
extent of territory that is possessed
of so fertile soil as is to be found
here. Under present conditions
there is little or no incentive to the
population to exertion beyond that
requisite to procure a bare subsis-
tance.
The cost Of transporting farm
products to market more than con
sumes its value. Such Of the young
men, natives Of these remote Coun.
ties, as have or acquire an ambition
to keep abreast OF the times, find
there no hope Of bettering their
fortunes or conditions and, when
their circumstances at all permit it,,
they journey westward IN pursuit OF
that ambition. In this way, and
because of this condition, the most
sturdy and excellent Of her citizens
leave the State during the period OF
their early manhood, and the pub.