Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-10-15

me that il is matter with the PEG
pie as to maintenance of militia
Public printing and binding must be
done. 1t cost s4g.925.43 to have il
done. Mr.. Chiffon certainly can not
kick about that. VIII you ask where
the kick is, and will say that il
there is any ground or reason fol-
any; II there has been a waste OF the
peoples money at all, it is in the
next item; legislative session, 1909
at cost of $72,33722. If Mr.. Chill
ton raises an objection on this
ground. | will agree with him that
the legislature of 1909 had more
clerks employed than was necessary
But in his connection ! want TO fur
ther say that the Democrats voted
for this as we'll as the Republicans
and are alike guilty with them, be
cause the legislature is a law within
Itself and the governor nor any other
power outside of it's own body could
control it,
NO WASTE OF PEOPLES MONEY
So you see my friends all this howl
about wasting the peoples money is
like the three carloads of frogs a Ger.
tain man thought he had In his pond,
Judging from the noise they made
but when he drained the pond and
gathered the crop he had five; and
so when you analyze the expenditure
of the state government, you would
inlr 10 Mr
makes of waste and extravaganza OF
the peoples money that there were
hundreds of thousands going to
waste, but when you drain the pond
you will only find a few hundred dol
lars that may have been wasted by
a legislature.
You will further note from the first
item mentioned above in the receipts
that we collected from the ive-cent
state tax ON the real and personal
property s329,95S46, and we paid
back into the state general school
fund that year $3l7 ,253.46, SO we have
practically run the state without di
rectly taxing the people as whole,
and each county has practically Local
self-government.
In fact, nearly, If not quite all the
taxes paid by you are for the support
Of your county and municipal govern
ments. IL any of your family, your
friends or your neighbors become az
fiicted in such a manner as to make
them charge upon the state, then
we have arranged at our state hos
pitfalls to give them the best of care
and treatment, and II any Of them are
unable to pay their bills at these hos
pitfalls they can get the same treat
ment, the same watchful dhre as is
accorded the more fortunate inmate
The state has taken care of the high
er education of your boys and girls
and today West Virginia and West
Virginians are proud of the fact that
this grand young state is expanding
as much per capita as any other state
on the education of her youth, and
dare say there are none who will say
that it is money wasted
We say to the deaf and to the
blind, to the workman. to the farmer
to the miner and other citizens of
the state, we bid you welcome to the
institutions that have been provided
in the days when misfortune comes
and when you are no longer able TO
support yourself. Is this a subterfuge
and a snare? And in spite of the fact
that the revenues of the state had
been reduced on account of some OF
the counties eliminating the saloons
the state had more money in the
treasury on August 1, 1910, than 1t
had for many years, and these results
were obtained with practically no d.
rect taxation on the people.
SHALL WE GO BACKWARD?
Do the people of our state desire
TO go back to the old methods Mr.
Chiffon advocates? In 1896 under
the old law and Democratic rule, the
public service corporations paid to
the auditor $400,9S31S. He took from
1t in the state treasury and disbursed
the remainder among the counties,
districts and municipalities. Under
the new law and in 1909 the public
service corporations paid $1,944-
061 63, and instead of the auditor TAX
ing 35 per cent and placing it in the
state treasury, he took per cent and
disbursed the balance among coun-
ties, districts and municipalities.
Jackson county's share in 1896 was
$l,966.56, and on practically the same
property in 1909 1t was S20042.S3.
Jackson county collected from all
property, exclusive of public service
corporations, in round numbers $685.,
900 last year, and $20042,SS from
public service corporations. In 1896
there was collected directly from the
people in Jackson county $66,991.21
and from public service corporations
sl,966.56. The state tax collected in
1896 in Jackson county under Demo
ractic rule amounted to $9,2S255.
Under the new law for the year 1909
the state collected only $3.076.90 and
then handed il back to the county