The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-10-13

AoVV-1S, 13b,9N
,oor 90. ooo a. = Xi8
1904, 693,756
The population of the State in the
year
1900-958,SOO
10-1,200,000 approximately
The length Of school term in the
l896-5.55 monthly average
l90s-6.75 months average ...u
amount of money expended for publ
+ 1896-$1,79S,6O4
$4,000
Amount OF the distributable school
as. fnnd In the year
1896-$3S0.995,0O
1sQs-$6o6.s57.00 ... .-
The bank deposits in the year.
lS9G-State Banks, G0-Deposits
$4,000, SS1.OO
l909-state Banks, 117-Deposits
$54,472.0S3.0O
National Bank Deposits not avail
able).~
Number Of school houses in the
state in the year
1S96--5.475
1909--G,SSS
me taxable wealth of the State in
1906 215,GGs,s32.oo
l309-$1, 063,274,S51.O
Ihe value Of the Public School prop-
erty Of the State In
1S9G-$3,227,141
19O9-$S.15O,7O
The New Tax Laws.
'Note-ln consideration Of this mat
ter 1t should always be remembered
that 1904 was the last year under
the old tax laws, and that 1906 was
the hrst year under the new laws:
i9o6 was transition year, part Of
the old laws and part OF the new laws
onl y operating in that year,
A portion Of the platform Of the
democratic party Of the Eighth
senatorial District Of West Virginia
Tor this year, reads as follows:
we charge that the Dawson Tax
Laws have tended to retard the de-
Velopment Of the state; that they are
unnecessary, and were enacted by a.
rev political bosses in this state as
an excuse and opportunity to build
up a political machine through the
creation Of useless and unnecessary
offices for their henchmen to fill"
This language is a fair sample of
the average platform Of the Democra-
TIC party wherever they have as
sembled In convention. In 1904, and
IN each succeeding campaign, this
same charge, in effect, has been made.
The people Of the State have not for
sotten the abuse and the ,villainou GUS
attacks which were heaped upon the
republican party and its candidate
for Governor in 1904, because Of the
proposed changes i'm the tax laws:
neither have they forgotten the
splendid RESULTS thatilhave come to
the people of the. State as a result
or these laws. The above plank in
the Democratic platform Of the
Eighth Senatorial District is the one
upon which ex-governor MacCorkle
is running for the State Senate. Elk
Governors MacCorkle is AN, acknow-
lodged leader Of his party. He was
the last Democratic Governor Of the
stale 1t is to his administration
that the Democrats point with pride,
and with which administration that
they. make all comparisons. Inas-
much as the Ex-Governor is running
TOR o1flce upon platform which de-
clared that the Dawson Tax Laws
are unnecessary" then it follows
that the Governor would repeal them,
Tor what is not necessary ought not
to be the law; and, moreover, be-
cause he declares that these laws
have retarded the development Of the
State. Therefore, the Governor
would go back to the state Of aairs
that obtained when he was Governor,
and to the law as it then existed, a
condition criticised by Governors
Jacob, Mathews and Jackson, good
Democrats Under Governor Mac
DR.
other> car lines paid no taxes at all
and the telephone, telegraph and ex-
press companies paid only a ridicul-
ously low amount. The Governor re-
ferred In his first message to the
Legislature to the fact that the Pull
man Company paid no taxes. He is
now attorney for this company and
for certain telephone and railroad
companies In declaring that the
Dawson Tax Laws "are unnecessary"
and therefore ought to be wiped out,
does he speak as q citizen or as an
attorney?
Whit Would MacGorkIe- Dep
If Governor MacCorkle is elected
to the State Senate will he move to
repeal these laws? If not, what
changes will he move to make in
them2 Will he favor the reduction
of taxes on the Pullman Company,
the telegraph and telephone COM
panles, the express companies, the
pipe lines, the gas and oil companies,
the steam railroads, the street and
electric railroads? Will he move to
put back the State tax rate to from
B cents under Glasscock to 35
cents under him? Will he move to
reduce the saloon license from $1,000,
as now, to about $500 or $500 when
he was Governor? Will he wipe out
the inheritance tax? Will he
abrogate any other license tax now
on the books, thus making increased
taxes on property necessary? Will
he go back to the old fee system as
1t was under him, whereby the Sec
rotary Of State and the Auditor and