The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-10-20
Unfair Taxation
Rx Il l. BASIN.

area and yet our inhabitants are the
poorest. Why should this condition
exist? Is there not reason? Let rs
see In coal, oil and gas we are won
Gerfully rich in products, making mil
lions of dollars annually for some one.
WHO is it? No; the laborers of our
State, but men in New York, Pitts
burg and other cities, who come here
70 pile up great fortunes. believe ,
that nine tenths of this great wealth 7
goes to non-residents OF this State |
and they pay no production tax,
whereas the soil being exceedingly |
poor, has nearly al the taxation 10
bear. There is no wealth in the SOIL
of West Virginia, men and women
may dig out existence by hard |
work and scanty living; raising their
children as slaves, but as for COM
Portable homes but few can attain
them and II so it is by extreme ex-
ertion and economy, and yet this class
has the burden Of the taxation to bear
We might say our poor soil bears IT.
all.
We have two classes of property.
realty which belongs to land includ'
ing railroads, coal mines, oil and gas
wells which are assessed at their es'
timatcd value and paid in like pro
portion. but when we come TO personal
property which bears almost half OF
the burden, it is far different. THIS
class may he divided into two classes.
One including implements, tools &c.
and the other productive articles
being produced for the markets, coal
oil. gas, cattle, etc. In this last class
"" find all the wealth that is produced
i'll the state and we find the discrimi-
nation in the interest of the great
corporations controlling the resources
or wealth. For instance the assessor
is sworn to assess everything of value
ne finds on January lst that is not
it includes his feed fer the year for
his stock, etc.
To illustrate, the farmer has a fine
brood mare valued at $500 and the
assessor finds that she is with fold
inquiries the amount Of the Insurance
tS25) adds 1t to he price of the mare
Gan evidence of va1ue). the following
year he finds the colt. assesses il
at s1o. the next year $40, the next
thus making in all $1,000 that the far.
n1er has paid taxes on besides the feed
which would amount to $3.50 max.
ing S1250.O0 he mas paid taxes on for
producing one $3.50 horse. Eve times
his value. which cannot be made more
or LEGS than one product of the soil.
III raising cattle it is the same. For
a rot 90,
raising a steer he must keep him unIii
ne is four or five years old. thus he
pays taxes four or five times on him
besides the feed he eats and the chan
res of him dying. How is it with the
wealth created by oil. gas and coal.
the day it comes out of the earth i.
goes into the cars or pipe lines and
are gone. Are they not product or
the earth the same as the horse or
steer that has been taxed four or five
times their value. common sense or
reasoning would say more as they
give Il quicker return Tor the labor
that produced them and a wonderful
profit.
Let us figure a little, I suppose our
state is producing about 10000. OOU
tons of coal annually and il we tax It
At its selling price about $l.5O per
ton 1t would amount to sos OOO. 900.
TINS taxed at our rate in Kanawha
county would amount to sac 900 and
then add for oil and gas combined Il
IKE sum We would have the wonder
ful sum OF S1.TS4 900. Can anyone give
give any reason why this tax would
not be just. is there any reason why
A product that it requires four or five
years to produce should be taxed each
wear and the articles that is produced
in single day should not. If We
should look at it in d interest of The
common people We would be compeil-
ell to say that the source of wealth
should bear the greater part of the
burden of taxation as they are the
moro able to pay and the wealth goes
out of the state aad we never reap
anything from it. While on the 9th er
hand the soil in our Stat. is growing
poorer \ few crops on the mountain
sides and the soil is washed off so
that It will not produce. Whereas If
they were srasSei (Which is all they
are fit for> would last for generations.
out the farmer is TOO poor 10 think
IF putting his land in grasses he nll st