West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1907-12-19
Merely Suggests.

ooSSeSs
We would suggest TO the editor
OF the Preston county ARGUS that
his several times confessed ignor-
ance of a practical knowledge Of
politics in West Virginia should
make him a little shy about chal-
longing his contemporaries to
mortal combat upon the political
questions of the day In his re-
Gently adopted state. He would
better confer with his friends and
become better acquainted with the
history of the state about which
he claims 10 be ignorant 10 so
large an extent before charging
with so much ferocity into the
"serried" columns of his Ropub-
lican contemporaries who are bet
ter acquainted with West Vir-
ginia political affairs, and who
are probably more familiar with
its political history than the new
editor of the Buckwheat county
Democratic organ has himself
confessed that he is.-Grafton SEN
tinel.
If THE ARGUS was seeking po-
litical knowledge of the history of
the state of West Virginia it
would scarcely engage the Senti-
mel for its preceptor. Unfortu-
nately for the Grafton organ THE
ARGUS has pretty fair insight
into the politics of the state TO
be diverted into the channel of
billipgsgate. What the people are
interested in is whether the polit-
ical machine which our contem-
porary applauds and extols has
been deceiving thegpeople by its
new tangled tax laws. If the Sen
tinel is so weighted down with this
information which the people de-
mand it cannot refuse TO answer
the questions of THE ARGUS.
1t is apparent to the casual oh.
server, however, that the thing
which most offends the Sentinel
is the knowledge of its own weak
ness when it comes to defending
the machine and the tax laws. II
can hardly expect the taxpayers
to wait another year for the proof
of the tax laws reducing taxes
when the sheriffis presenting them
with the tax receipt of 1907.
The ARGUS makes the charge
that there has been an increase in
the tax receipts TOR 1907 over 1906
and it challenges the Sentinel to
contradict it by publishing the
tax receipts for both years. THE
ARGUS does not propose to allow
the Sentinel to evade the issue by
promising to reduce the taxes i'm
1908. The taxpayers are familiar
with the effort which the Inachir e
is making to call a special session
of the Legislature to pass laws re-
stricting the county courts from
levying beyond a certain per cent.
THE ARGUS does not pretend to
deny that the tax receipts for 1908
can be reduced by such methods,
but if such a reduction is made
1t will mean impossible county
roads and dangerous bridges. Also
the sparsely settled school districts
will suffer, being unable to pay
living wages to the teachers. This
IS scarcely compatible with the
age of progress in which we are
living, Already there is loud
protest from the poor school dis
tricts which can afford to pay but
$50, $50, and $50 per month.
The Sentinel cannot plead ig-
norance of such a state of affairs,
for it has told us with much gusto
and bombast that it has a thor
ough knowledge of the practical
politics of the state of West Vir.
ginia." If this is true and it has
faith in the doctrine which it
breaches it should be only too
willing to produce the tax receipts
for 1906 and 1907 to prove to the
taxpayers of Taylor county that
THE ARGUS is in error when it