The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-01-09
the last session of the Legislature.
Assessments Of public Works.

| the last session OF the Legislature.
Assessments Of public Works.
"The object of amending the law
concerning the assessment of prop
erty by the Board of Public Works
is, principally, to give the board more
tirlc. 80 that re.hearings may be
granted by 1t, and the railroads and
Others feeling aggrieved be not COM
PEELED to go to the Circuit Court for
relief. A bill for this purpose was
agreed upon last winter, but failed
to get through the Legislature. This
change would save considerable
money; It has cost the State several
thousands of dollars to defend the
Lappeals from the assessments by the
Board of Public Works instituted by
railroad companies in the Circuit
Courts. Under the present law there
is no central body to hear these ap.
peals, and the appeal must be made
in every county through which the
railroads run in order to get prac.
teal hearing.
Amendments to License Laws.
1.-THE next subject is to amend the
license laws. The social club law
should either be repealed or re-writ-
ten. Many persons In this State do
not take out the required licenses.
When the field men of the State Tax
Commissioners office catch them do
ing business without having compli-
ed with the law, the only remedy Is
, legal prosecution, which is too slow.
AS the law now is these persons pre-
fer to take the risk. for they find 1t
costs no more. 1t is desired that
there be attached q penalty other
than fine, which shall be added to
the license tax and collected from
those who transact business unlaw-
fully. This is in line with the wise
and efficient provisions Of the laws
of the United States.
Delinquent License Taxes.
and for similar reason is the
tenth item of the call put IN: to pro-
vide for the speedy and summary col
lection Of delinquent license taxes By
representative of the State Tax
Commissioners Office on the ground,
without having to go through the to-
dIous process of visiting the, county
clerk. the county assessor and the
sheriff, and paying the money over
to the sheriff and paying him COM
mission for collecting 1t.
Selling Liquors on Sunday,
Going back to the ninth item
again, it is very desirable that the
remedy against selling liquors on
Sunday should be made more eff
fectuaI. The decision of the Supreme
Court of this State in a recent case
makes It very desirable that the
words Of clause c. section 1. chapter
80, namely, solicit and receive or
ders for intoxicating liquors, should
be defined. Under the decision a
retail liquor dealer in Kanawha coun
ty can go into any naighborlng coun.
ty and solicit orders for liquor. This
ought not TO be allowed; he ought
to be confined to the territory cover
ed by hfs license.
Grange in License Year.
THE last session OF the Leglslh-
tnre failed to make the act changing
the beginning of the license year
from April LIST to July LIST, effective
from IT'S passage. This caused a
troublesome hiatus. To cure this is
the object OF the eleventh item in the
call.
persons doing business in this
State without license as required
by law can defy the authorities of
the State, because the remedy is too
slow. In such cases the State should
have the right to sue out an injunc-
ton to stop the illegal business In
stanter. This is the object, OF the
twelfth item.
Defects In the Ballot.
1.-THE object of the thirteenth item
is to amend section "a of the election
law so as to cure the defects now ex-
listing In the act passed by the last
Legislature as to the form Of ballot.
1t is so defective that 1t viii be diff.
cult to put it into operation in its
present form. Also, to get prac-
tical law concerning the registration
of voters
Corrupt Practices Act.
"The object of the fourteenth item
Is to give the Legislature opportu-
nifty to pass thorough corrupt
practices act