The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-09-26


question OF lex reform VII not embar-
iasa die party IN The coming cam
palgn.
Promises IN Il Dolltical campaign
lare very often made and easily bros-
On. and TO ascertain eahaida s
tue POSITION, even upon llie exec
ton q great prime sffeF my be
CONS Part osthe lass 81 The ssste
require 4 caSetuli sttidy 81 bis &
IN this connecticn we lesire to dis !:
licuss tile STA tenents made BY Arnold
cs scheIr "a hts announc cement as =
candidate fort Governor. While we ad.
Emire Mr.. scherr as a man and for
what he has done as aparty worker,
yet i am forced to admit that his op-
Unions upon certain questions as stat
ed in his announcement are vague
and misleading to those who have
watched his actions for the last four
years and especially as a member OF
1.-The State Board Of Public Works. We
are with him IN his plea for harmony
In the ranks Of the party, and in our
Imagination are proud to return to the
,halycon days Of Lincoln, Grant anil
Mckinley, but we are now living un-
der the reign Of the greatest Of all
Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and
dealing with political questions Of the
present day and age, and the Issue
raised and fought out four years ago
! jn this State was of more Importance
to US than any law that has been en-.
acted during the history Of the
State.
What is Mr.. scherr's position upon
the new tax laws, or to be more ex-
plIcit, does he still occupy the same
position that his actions in the last
four years would indicate, or has he
been convinced Of the wisdom of the
leaders Of tax reform? Has he in his
announcement given us any light up.
on this question? He has this to say
Of the new tax laws:
ut would be my aim to execute the
tax laws on the statute books, and
would not consent to take step back
ward but give every person and every
interest square deal. Our constitu-
ton demands that taxation shall be
equal and uniform and that no species
Of property shall be taxed higher than
another, and this mandate requires
that no property shall escape It's just
share of taxation"
is there a man in West Virginia
that desires such an important place
as the Governorship that could no.
as consistently say as much as this?
Even John j. Cornwell co Id say as
much in favor Of the tax, laws now up
on the statute books as Mr.. scherr
says in his statement. I wonder IL Mr..
scherr knew that the people Of this
State realize that if he be elected
Governor that he would be required to
take an oath to execute the. laws of the
State? Does this statement tell us
where he stands or does he mean to
convey to the minds of the tax reform
ers that he now is willing to accept the
will of the people four years ago and
carry out the platform Of the party,
or does he mean to deceive us by TAX.
ing neutral grounds and awaiting an
opportunity to carry out the lnten.
tons of those who have persistently
endeavored to defeat those laws,
The Republicans of this State will
demand of Mr.. scherr bill Of partic.
ulars and not merely generalitles in
defining his position upon the tax ques.
ton.
They must know where he stands
and whether or not he proposes to use
his influence II elected to bring about
such changes in the tax laws as he
has advocated both in private and pub
lie while they were being discussed by
the members Of the Legislature and
since their enactment.
In our next letter we propose to
take up Mr.. scherr's announcement
and his official record as member of
the board of public works and conf
pare them and see If he is consistent
in his position before the people of
this State as a candidate for Governor.
INVESTIGATOR.
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