The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-06-15


EQUAL NoW?"
At the seeming risk Of impertinence
We want to ask II the tax laws are
not Just, wherein Is the injustice to
be found? Does not the list OF taxes
paid In Marion county show by pub.
iishcd statements and the record that
a large majority Of the people have
been benefited? Not WILL Be or
MAY BE but HAVE BEEN = past
tense, II You please? It may be said
by some and it is still being repeated
BY them, that the railroads have been
taxed too much and that now the oil
and gas people are going to be taxed
too mach. Complaining for the lat
ter Is borrowing trouble, and as 10 the
former 1t has been fought out through
the courts Of the State, and It Is a
direct slap at the honesty and integri.
lty OF our courts to say that the tax
cases have not been SETTLED ON
THEIR MERITS AND SETTLED
JUSTLY. The 3. & o. Railroad Com
pany was hearl--was represented by
able counsel which It had n right to
lemploy-introdnced Its own evidence
and what has been the result? 1t Is
n matter Of common knowledge that
justice prevailed. The railroad was
satisfied that the law had been com.
piled with an upheld or It would
most assuredly have been fighting this
case in the higher courts yet. As to
the oil and gas advancemcnts which
have amounted TO considerable
amount 1t Is nothing more than Idle
buncomb. 10 be criticising the Board
of Public Works at this time on this
score. These interests have not yet
complained themselves. It Is to be
supposed that the board levied these
assessments from facts and AgHres be-
fore It after careful investigation
and that they have had Il better on.
portunity to arrive at the value of
these properties than their progressive
critics would have You believe. II It Is
not the case they have their remedy.
As 10 the Virginia debt question, It
Is only those who are looking through
the gold trimmed glasses fitted to the
eye by the "vested interests" that can
see its connection with the Dawson tax
laws. It would only be an admission
of the weakness Of their position for
the opponents Of these laws to try and
weight down n tax system which they
tell lis is being slowing overpowered
by It's own enormous burdens, with
this gigantic Hsbear.
There can be no better argument of.
fcrpI for the tax laws than the tax
tickets themselves. The people know
what they are They linow what they
were last year In this county, not be.
cause this paper published them, nor
because they were told by somebody
BUT FROM THE FACT THAT THEY
HAVE BEEN COLLECTED UP AS
SOUVENIRS OF THE NEW TAX
LAWS AT a FAR LESS OUTLAY OF
MONEY THAN EVER BEFORE. II
publicity Is what Is wanted aud what
Is needed 1t will he our pleasure to
publish more of this same kind of owl
lence when the taxes are made out
this year. It would not possibly be
interesting to repeat the ones We have
published as they are now matters OF
ancient history. While the first chap.
ter Of this history Is not very comfort
Ing TO the "vested interests" It has
marked n very important epoch In
the fiscal affairs Of this State and the
sooner this Is accepted as an econo.
mic question and no longer treated
as political issue the better of will
be the party which opposes 1t, We
charge nothing for the tip.