West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1908-06-18
Is There q Half Million Deficit In
The State Treasury?
EXPENDITURES ARE INCREASING
Under Present Tax Laws Revenues
Failing On--Public should he
Furnished Information.

Inc o'a'e journal somewhat fiip-
PANTY answers the charge OF the
Wheeling Register that when a Dem.
ocratic administration comes into
power next March 1t will find a de.
hcit OF over half million dollars IN
the state treasury by saying 'ahere
amt goin' to be no Democratic ad-
ministration start next March and of
course no deficit In the state treas.
ury." The charge that there Is now
dehcit of over $500. 900 In the
state treasury Is too serious matter
to be put aside with nippancy. If
there is no deficit the charge Is
easily disproved. The auditor has
large corps Of clerks who are not
believed to be working overtime
just now. 1t Is an easy affair for
some OF these to be put to the work
OF preparing an itemlzed statement
of the liabilities and resources OF
the state. The public would be glad
to know from what sources the reve.
nues of the treasury are derived and
for what they are expended.
Such statement has been carefully
aud persIstently kept from the peo.
pie. Even members of the lcgisla.
turc have not been allowed access
to treasury accounts to get the in.
formation that would convince them
as to the truth of the general allega.
tions OF the Republican press that
revenues are sufficient to meet ex.
penditures. 1t is not believed that
this general statement 10 true. On
the contrary every piece of informa-
ton that leaks out discloses the fact
that under the present tax laws the
revenues are falling off and expend.
lures increasing. Taxes on corpo.
ratlons is one item that has been
gradually dwindliDg. Revenues from
liquor licenses reached high water
mark a year ago and are now reced.
ing.
Hon. Sep Hall, Of New Martins.
vile, a member of the finance com.
mittee Of the house of delegates, by
reason OF his connection with the
committee that was called upon to
make up the appropriation bill for
the legislature, was able to get
enough facts to convince him that
even with the revenues remaining at
what they had been estimated a year
ago there will be shortage OF over
$500, 900 when the next Legislature
meets. With the estimated revenues
falling off, as they have done, it isa
safe prediction to announce that the
shortage will reach million of dol.
lars. Mr.. Hall published this state.
ment over his own signature. All
who know him readily recognize the
fact that in matters OF this kind he
would be certain OF his grounds be-
fore announcing his conclusion. II
his analysis of the situation is cor.
rect, and the only way TO convince
the public to the contrary is to pub.
lish an official statement of re.
sources and liabilities which will
prove that he Is mistaken, then West
Virginia will be confronted next
January with the first permanent de-
ficit in the state treasury since the
war. There have been occasions in
the past where there were temporary
shortages which had TO be met by
short loans from the school funds;
but here is a deficit for which no
provision has been made or can be
made except by changing the tax
laws and deyising new methods of
tax leyying or by bringing in new
items OF licenses or property to
charge with state revenues. AS The
ingenuity OF the tax thinkers seems to
have been exhausted ia both these
directions, but one other course is
open, namely, to reimpose a heavy
property tax for state purposes.
Then property owners will not only
have to pay in taxes on a largely in
creased assessment Tor the extrava.
giant administrations that has dou-
bled and In some cases tiebled the
cost Of different departments and
different Institutions of the state
government, but they will have to
be assessed to pay huge outsiand.
ing debt created under the false
promise that revenues could be pro-
vided and state property tax abol-
ished under the new tax laws, neither
of which has been yet accomplished,
though they nave had four years OF
trial and four sessions OF the legis
lature TO repair the weak places in
the new tax system. --Fairmont