The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-18

other States, notably Pennsylvania.
and has been successful:
Let the State say 10 the coun.ics
and cities, take your own real estate.
II is your own; assess it at any rate
You choose and tax it as high as your
local necessities may require and the
state VIII get along with revenues
from other sources This done there
would no longer be -any necessity
for the cry for equaIizinp tho real es-
tate assessments in the different coun-
ties and cities. The assessments in
the different counties would then go
UP to something like fair valua ton.
and the rate of taxation would be
lowered.
At present no county VIII consent
10 having the assessment Increased.
because there is no guarantee that
other counties with equally low az
easements VIII do likewise. Should
one county increase and the Others
not, The result would be that the said
county so increasing would pay
greater amount TO the state and per-
haps double as much county tax.
The question naturally arises. could
the State get along without this real
estate tax Undoubtedly 1t could. 1t
has been my desire all my political
life to see this Object accomplished
and when my term as Governor closed
we were within about 100000 of en-
abling us to do this. The Corporation
Commission secured for us more than
three times the necessary amount.
The appropriations last year amount
ed in round numbers to nearly So
100000 During my administration It
was about half this amount. and in
1878, about s2,0o0,00o; in 1850, when
we had the whole territory OF Nir-
ginia and West Virginia to officer and
care for, the appropria tions for State
expenses We're 100000. Now the
State appropriation is s6.oOo.ooO. ten
times as much. Could we not re-
trench and economize? The income
haven't the statistics by me. but.
oven ii 1t was s2,0O0.0O take this
from S6.000.0o0, and we would have
s4,000O0O left, which is s1.0OO.oo0
more than we expended in 1901, and is
fully $1,000 900 more than the State
should spend.
II this plan cannot he adopted,
hope some member of tho Legislature
Will offer bill to reduce the State
tax to % cents on the $500, and APP
schools and cents TO the old sol
diers. The man who will offer it and
the party that will adopt it Will get
close to the hearts of the people.
Certainly our officers can be paid,
our charitable and public Institutions
run and interest met with S4,000,0O0
that will be gotten from the other
sources including all incomes, per-
sonal property tax, railroads. etc, etc4
I would like, If time permitted to
suggest a plan for better equalization
of the personal property tax; but why
worry over the poor farmers sheep,
hogs and cattle. which can be seen
by the commissioner of the revenue.
when the bonds, jewelry, gold and
silver plate. libraries and costly house
hold furnishings of tho rich and all
their Invisible property are not look
ed after? ] believe in equalization OF
burdens and I trust some system will
be adopted to bring about this end.
Counties that are allured into bond
ing themselves for good roads with
the idea that the State will pay tho
interest on their bonds must expect
the State to be looking out to find
some system for increasing their
taxes. J. IIOGE TYLER,
East Radford, January A.