Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-02-03

holders of this Commonwealth. but it is
intended as q blow to the real estate
values of this Commonwealth
Enacted IN its present form it will
prove bountiful source of perjury on
the part OF the assessors and to make of
them crinGing towards, because it gives
to the Auditor the power to cut the sal
airy OF any assessor one-half who has
the couIage to assess real estate ac-
cordlng to the dictates of his own con-
scleBcs but contrary to the dictation of
the Auditor of Public Accounts.
The Senator from Rockingham saws
that this bill is intended to bring about
an equalization of taxation throughout
this Commonwealth and to compel couu-
ties that pay less into the treasury than
they draw out to take their greedy
hands from out the treasury and to bear
OF this government, and he cites Lee
county as one of such counties and at
tacks the entire Southwestern portion
OF the State upon this point.
deny the charge that Lee county. or
any portion of Southwest Virginia does
not pay her proportional part of the
taxes OF this Commonwealth, or that
her property is assessed for taxation at
lower rate than is the property of the
great county of Rockingham or any
other section of this Commonwealth.
Rockingham county is situated in the
garden spot OF Virginia, and is one of
the most favorably endowed counties of
the State of Virginia. 1t has long been
famed for its fine horses and cattle,
which bring upon the markets the very
highest prices, yet l find in comparing
the assessments of Rockingham county
with the assessments of Lee county
that the horses of Rockingham are as
sessed at only $58 81 per head, while in
the little mountain county of Lee they
are assessed at $54.8 .83, difference in
favor of Rockingham of only SO "a,
causing the county of Rockingham to
pay the treasury of this State upon its
bne hunters one cent and three mills
per head more than is paid upon the
plugs of the county of Lee. / find that
the great export cattle of Rockingham
county are assessed at Sl4.97 per head,
while the calves and yearlings and two
year old In Lee are assessed at S12 20,
causing the great county of Rocking
nam to pay upon her prime cattle unto
the treasury of this State eight mills
per head more than is paid upon the
cattle OF Lee county. l notice in the
harrissonburg Times where a farm was
just sold in that beautiful section OF the
State for $147 90 per acre, and yet the
farm lands of that great county are as
sessed at So. 81 per acre. That reminds
me of the challenge of the Senator from
Rockingham to show one single instance
wherein the money OF this Common
wealth has been prodigally or lavishly
expended. / find in the general appro-
priatlon bill for 1908 that the Legisla--
ture in establishing a State Normal and
Industrial School at Harrissonburg au-
thorized the expenditure of ten thou
sand dollars for thirty acres of Rocking-
ham county land assessed at $270. 90, all
told, or little less than SO per acre,
authorizing price to be paid for said
land at more than twenty-five times the
assessed value thereof That reminds
me further, that sixty-five thousand
dollars has been drawn out of the treas
ury for that Normal and Industrial
School, every dollar of which was uu-
necessary and misapplied.
NOW, for the Senotor's benefit / will
,enumerate few of the many expendi-
lures of this General Assembly which,
In my Judgment, are prodfRal and for
which this State gets no adequate re-
turns.
We. find that in 1908 that it only re-
quired So, ,081 to meet the expenses of
the State Board of Health, but in 1909
this same board was permitted to draw
out of the. treasury of this Common
surance expended in the same year
$28. 265.00. For the support of the Com
mission of Fish and Game we expend
annually $45, 900, more than fifty per
cent of all revenue derived by this Com
monwealth from those industries. The
State Highway Commission expended
IN salaries last year at least $22, 992,
and the Lord only knows how much
more it did consume, because the last
GeneralsAssembly appropriated $3.50, 600
to be apportioned among the various
counties of the Commonwealth for road
Improvements, yet the Auditors report
shows that only $66, 285.05 went to the
various counties for the purpose for
which it was appropriated. Tell me. if
you can, what has become of the resi-
due of that $3.50, 900. We paid in 1908
Sll5, GIG GO to the University of Virgin
ia. In 1909 we paid $104, 999. 80 to the
same institution. We pay to the higher
institutions of learning in this State an
nually about $500, 600, while we pay for
the support of our public schools and
high schools, with a school population
of 800, 900 subjects, only s., ,602, goo,
making per capita expenditure of only
| 81. 81, yet in the University of Virginia,
for the education of 126 Virginia stu
dents in the collegiate branch of that
institution $50, 900, or a per capita of
1854 80. We pay to the same .Univer-
sity for the education of lawyers, doc
tors and professional men who can pos
slbly have no claim upon the bounty of
this government $256. 90 per capita, and,
yet, the gentleman from Rockingham
has the audacity to say that the public
revenues of this Commonwealth are ju-
diciously expended.
w. C. T.