Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-02-03
A VICIOUS MEASURE.
The Report Of Senate Finance Committee
FaVOring Amendment of The Tax Law as
TO Assessment of Lands and Lots.

The Senate Finance Committee, which
was In session for several weeks prior
to the session of the General Assembly,
for the purpose Of devising some way
of increasing the revenue of the State,
has reported bill which is an alarming
inovation in Virginia. The bill provides
new methods for assessing the lands and
other real estate. This bill, If it be-
comes a law, will establish a tax inqui-
sition with the Auditor OF Public Ac-
counts as the chief inquisitor. 1t pro-
vides that assessors, after completion of
the assessments in their respective dis
tricts and corporations, shall immedi-
ately forward copies of the same to the
Auditor, whose duty it shall be to ex-
anime the same, and if he is of opinion
that the assessments are placed at q
fair market value, then he shall return
the same to the assessor who will make
out the assessments in due form and re-
turn to the Auditor. But if the Auditor
of Public Accounts is of opinion that
the assessments are not what he con-
siders placed at fair market value he
is to require the assessor to correct the
same. If the assessor fails or refuses
to do this, then the bill says: .Tt shall
be the duty of the auditor of public &C.
co1nts to make the assessments at he
fair market value.'
An amendment was offered by a Dem
ocratic senator to limit the power of the
Auditor so that he could not in any inst
ance increase the assessments more
than twenty-five per cent. Senator
Noel, of Lee county, offered an amend
ment which would place the power of
advancing the assessments in the hands
of the judges of the circuit or corpora
tion courts of the State.
1t was my fortune to be present in the
State Senate on Thursday of last week
when the bill was being debated, and to
hear the speech made thereon by Sena-
tor Noel. He said in part:
This bill is the most drastic. radical
unfair and revolutionary piece of legis
-lation ever proposed in my recollection
in this august body. 1t 7deprives the
people of this Commonwealth of any
voice or control over the question Of
taxation and puts it in the hands of a
political oligarchy as conscienceless as
the Gar of Russia. 1t violates the
very spirit of our free government and
every tenant of the Democratic party
proclaimed heretofore in its platforms.
The majority party of this body has al
ways claimed to stand for the principles
of local self-goy but if Won
pass this measure you will thereby have
given the lie to your heretofore profes-
sions upon this great question. Taxa
ton without representation was the
principle for which our forefathers
fought in the establishment of this gov
ernment, yet this bill proposes to take
the question of taxation from the peo-
pie and put it entirely in the hands OF
the Auditor of Public Accounts, a DO
litical partisan in every sense of the
word and who is in no wise answerable
to the people for the competent dis
charge of his duty. This bill was de-
vised not for the purpose of lesseninp
the burden Of taxation, but for the pur-
pose of imposing greater burdens on a
downtrodden people and class of peo-
pie least able to bear an increased bur
dan, to-wit: the agricultural and rural
people OF this Commonwealth, to meet
deficit in the treasury brought about
by legislators who have squanderei the
peoples money with the prodigality Of
q drunken spendthrift.
1t is not intended to impose additiona
taxes upon rich public service corpora
tions and the large personal property