Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-01-12


necessary amount for the support OF
the poor. for the pay OF officers. etc.
and the rate OF levy necessary TO be
laid-that the same be published in
one or more newspapers In the county
for two weeks. after such publication
the body to meet again and lay the
levy
Taxation.
Your chief consideration will be the
subject OF taxation. No other subject
within your province is of greater fun.
damental Importance. nor no power
that YOU WELD will tell more for good
or III than the power OF taxation.
We often hear taxation spoken of
as an eyil--"as sure as death and
taxes is common saying Ii Is
not an evil; on the contrary. the pay
ment of taxes is a patriotic duty, be-
cause Il Is necessary TO the support OF
the government. Ii we would defend
our country with our lives, as IL IL
RNlfNh VIC RNhih 40 Jul tAAhGia UIuf
why should we begrudgo It then the
exceedingly less important thing?
The common idea about taxes being
an evil results largely from the In
justice Of their imposition II there
is anything that ought to be just, Il
is taxation, because 1t reaches every
body, aud no person who exists and
eats or wears clothes escapes it. un.
porance economically, socially and
less he never has any property what.
ever. in which case somebody else
pages taxes for him Seeing les i'm.
morally, shall we get weary in well
doing or be satisfied with results un.
ia that we have done all that can be
done?
The governor then quotes various
authorities on taxation and the meth.
DDS of taxation
The New Tax Laws.
The new tax laws are the result
Of years OF agitation Governor
Henry NJ Mathews ds77lSSD called
attention to inequalities and Injus.
tioes Of the old laws Governor jacob
b. Jackson 1SSl-1SS5) took up the
matter ia his vigorous and forceful
manner. and in his message to the
legislature OF 1888, reviewing the
growth OF the state from 1870 de.
clared that the taxable values OF the
state had not Increased in proportion
to the population, and that the large
immigration to the state IN the ten
years apparently added nothing to
our wealth and personal property
which, OF course. was not the case.
The state senate IN the same year
took up The question and adopted
resolution and had report from
It's finance committee, pointing out
and condemning the inequalities and
injustice In the old laws That leg
lslature passed a bin creating the
tax commission Of 1888. the member
ship whereof was designated by Gov
ernor Jackson. This commission made
number Of reports. and no such
scathlng criticism and condemnation
OF the old laws have ever seen else
where It's efforts bore no practical
fruit however. and not until 1901 was
any substantial change made In the
laws. The legislature In that year
passed an act very largely increasing
the revenue from the license taxes
on the charters Of corporations; and
stting interested In the taxation
question, also passed a joint resolu
ton creating the tax commission Of
1901; which commission made pre-
liminary and final report to the
legislature of 1903 These reports
are very able discussions Of the sub
iect from practical point Of view
under the constitutional limitations
and conditions in this state.
These new laws have agreeably sur
prised their friends and disappointed
their critics Under them we have
had bY far the best assessment OF
real estate and of personal properly
IN the history OF the state The as
sessment Of corporation property b.
the state board marks a new era IN
our history
The new laws d,d no arrest de-
golopmant &c was never 50 great as
in this year The production Of coal
has greatly Increased, and even The
deposits in thc banks which are such
a delicate barometer have greatly in
creased The new method Of collect.
ma captau9u Taxes puts $4,000 more
money into The school fund There
81 saving % the taxpayers Of the
state 81 fuiIy 100000 q year ~ gre
magter of state taxes alone; they pa
I'm about S2A0090 Jess and gei back