West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1907-08-22
Read and Compare.


declined TO do so. Probably another
part of that great deal in 1904. -Ex.
VIII The ARGUS please copy and
compare TO some of its editorial par
agraphs of 1904 and 1905 when il
was as dishonest in its assertions as
1t is at prcsent.-Journal.
"None SO blind as those who can
not see"
The editor of the Journal may be
so thoroughly lmbucd With the idea
that the Republican state admins
tration is au'agonistlc to corpora
tons that he has unwit,ingly worked
himself up 10 tina, SKATE Of delusion.
The medIcal authorities claim that
once person becomes q lusive on
a given subject It is impossible to
convince the person by fact or logic
that he is suffering from an acute
ballucinatiun. From the editorials
of the Journal its EDITOR seems to
be struggling with a we'll developed
and defined case OF "anti-corpora.
ton" 1t is only quite recently, we
are told, that he has displayed such
symptoms.
We shall endeavor in our humble
way to dispel the deluslon and at the
same time prove to the taxpayers of
Preston county that there has never
been any foundation for thinking
that the Standard Oil Company has
not been befriended by the present
managers of the Republican party
in the way of taxation, and the Jour
NAILS repeated declarations to the
contrary must be due to other causes
than mental soundness ard the pub
lie records.
We will omit the assessments of
the oil companies for the year 1905
as they were assessed under the old
law ga fair cash value') from which
the present state administration
claims immunity. We can afford
to be fair In this matter as the evi
dence is so overwhelming that we
can convict the Journal before an
impartial jury of taxpayers in less
time than it can frame an excuse for
its party's betrayal Of public trust.
To begin with, we will take the
Standard Oil Company's assessment
for the year 1906 when the new tax
law was IN full operation and was
executed by those Who claim to be
the creators of the iniquity. All we
ask is this, that the taxpayers of
Preston county examine the public
records before rendering their yer
dict. The figures offered by the
Journal and ARGUS can be easily
verified or disproved by the public
records. There is no going behind
the records.
THE ARGUS shall submit the as
sessments of the Standard OIL Com
Pany, which were made under the
"true and actual value" A com
parison Of the Standard assessment
and that of certain other corpora.
tons is the most convincing testi-
mony that can be offered as to the
Migrant impartiality of the assess
ments. One comparison will suffice.
In 1906 the b. * O. railroad was
assessed al $50. 600, 900, and in 1907
like assessment was made. In 1906
the Standard Oil Company was as.
sessed at $40, 900, 900 and in 1907 it
was assessed at $32, 900, 900. How
does that read between the lines?
The Standards double in one wear
while the B. & O.'s did not Incease
in value I cent. Queer, isn't it? Is
there person in Preston county
who can conscIeniiously say that he
believes the Standards property
doubled in valuation in one YEAR,
Hardly. The Pure Oil Company
was assessed at S16o, 600 in 1906 and
SG25o, 900 in 1907, an increase of
almost ten times in one year.
As the delusion seems to have full
possession Of the Journals reasoning
faculties, We propose to throw
little sidelight on the assessment Of
the Standard Oil Company in 1907
which may be a revelation to the
Journal as we'll as many well.in-
formed people who have formed
their ideas Of the assessment of the
Standard by reading the Journal.
The assessment Of the oil and gas
companies for the year 1906 was 50
VIGOROUSLY low, compared with the
assessments Of the property Of other
corporations, that the Legislature
when d met in Igo7-many Of the
members who bore their commission
from ,he p'aInpeopie declared that
they intended % probe the Stand
ards holdings in oil and gas and see
if they could not enact laws that
would compel the oil and gas inter.
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