The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-08-15
I1lANsWllIEERs ma. cHlLro,MS,.

Mr.. w. ID. 4 Clifton, OF Charleston,
made a keynote" speech downstate
the other day in which he said Il
number of things not at all compli.
mentary to the Republican manage.
ment of the states affairs. He gave
u few figures and these were his un.
doing! for; they gave Auditor John
Sherman Darsts a chance to riddle his
arguments which he did most effec.
lively In a speech on Thursday last
Eat 2Rayenswood In answering MI.
Chiffon Mr.. Darst spoke in part as
follows; 4 ii
The Republican party is willing
TO stand on It's record on these ques'
tons, but II Mr., Chilton's words are
true, then the Republican party should
be routed from power and others
more worthy of confidence Of the pub.
4 lie placed in authority.
The new tax laws were passed
some five years ago. At that time the
State tax was 25 cents on the 500
valuation and the State School tax
was 10 cents on the 500 valuation,
making q total direct tax OF So cents
for State and School purposes. The
assessments, as made in the several
sconntles on real estate. were very une:
squal, the valuations running from. %
cents on the 500 in some counties
to 60 and 75 cents on the $100 in
other counties. Under these valua
stions some counties contributed more
than their fair and just share TOWARD
the support ,of. the government, while
Others paid much less than their pro,
per share. Under the new law, how.
l ever. real estate is assessed at It's
true value and there is nearer ap,
proach to uniformity than we ever
had before. Gradually the, State tan
has been removed and 1t has been
reduced from So to s cents and only
4 yesterday the Board OF Public Works
announced that 1t would be- reduced
y TO Az cents on the 800 valuation.
$50 It is unnecessary for me to re.
view here today the whole history
-iof our tax laws. What we are III
terested in at this time-after FIVE
years trial, is the condition Of oul
fiscal affairs. Where did the money
4 come from to support the govern.
ment for the fiscal year which closed
September 80, 1909.
ISL have showed you that the d..
rect tax OF IS cents on real and per-
sonal property, in force under the old
laws, has been almost wholly remov.
led. From the 5-cent State tax there
was received last year by the State
the sum OF S329,95S.46; license tax
s$1,051 ,319.64; railroad tax, $122, 63G.SO;
fees for examination of banks, 5000;
Tees from State Board of Health, 81,
si745; fees from Secretary Of State,
4 $16,721.91: fees from Auditor, SAL.
l314.92, and ! want to say right here
had it not been for the constitutional
amendments adopted few years
since, these last two items would have
gone into the pockets of tho Office,
holders: Insurance tax, $112,17156;
fire marshal tax, $6,720.00; license
tax on charters, $406,3SS.15; statutory
attorney fees, S22,S49; collateral in
leritance tax, $115,621.50; from pen.
Ssitentiary S55,000; from West Virginia
I asylum. $11, 229.92, and from the re.
form school, }$13, S20.55. Other amounts
received from the interest on deposits,
santomobile tax, hunters licesses, mar
Fiage licenses, fines and collections,
militia, sale Of books, tax on seal and
smiscellaneous items, bring the total
receipts up to $2,S53.S46.24.
~ e N ssIt can be readily seen from these
figures that the State collected only
$S29;958.46 through direct taxation
I, on real and personal property and we
paid back, to the General School fund
the same year .$317 ,253.4G, so the cx'
penses Of the State government have
been paid without practically a direc,
x tax on the people. The only taxes
4 paid by you are for the support o.
!. your own town and county generally
Is this a subterfuge and n snare as
STATED by Mr.. Chiffon? ! believe vol
Will agree with me when say that
\ II Is only good business methods ap
s,plled to the peoples business.
Do the people Of our State desire
TO go back to the old methods which
e Mr.. Chiffon advocates? In 1896 lin
der the old law and Democratic rule
the public service corporations pait
Y to the auditor $40o,9S3.13. He tool
NJ from this amount IS per cent ant
placed 1T in the State treasury ant
diBbursed the remainder among tn,
counties, districts and municipalities
& Under the.la in 1909. the public ser
vice corporation paid to the auditor
HE sum of S1,944,061.GS and instead
nj, the auditor taking 35 per cent an,
placing 1t in the treasury, he tool
only 5 per cent. and disbursed tn
remainder among the countless. i
! Mr.. Chiffon in his keynote speech
I refers to the Office OF Secretary o
State and asserts that no money wa,
I saved to the State when this oflic,
was placed on salary. He said tina
the pretense of abolishing the fee
and thus saving anything to the Stat
has been sham and n deception. LIE
, us soc about this. b !.
ssIn the first place, the Secretar.
of State and the Auditor, when the.
received a salary and the fees be
III : ? ~ = ! La, ! ~