Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1911-04-05
The Great Question Tor W. Va. :

oW,NO,OOO cubic feet OF natural gas.
Nearly sos OF this enormous volume
is pumped through pipe lines to distant
cities. Ii goes to Pittsburg, To Cleve-
land, TO Columbus, to Cincinnati, and TO
dozens of other towns outside OF the
borders of West Virginia.
In these cities it is sold at prices rang
ing from twenty. i've cents To thirty
five cents per thousand cubic feet.
tax OF one cent per thousand on
natural gas would bring a revenue of
approximately 5000 day to the state
or nearly 50 200, 900 year. The bulk
oil this revenue would be paid by people
who live outside of the state of West
Virginia. ard IL would he only a moder-
ate return TO the state itself, for the ex-
ploitation OF n great natural resource
that morally belongs 10 the whole peo.
pie OF West Virginia and not TO a few
men.
Natural gas is an intangible product.
When pumped into the main or confin.
ed I'm tanks, no human being cnn iden-
tiiy any particular one thousand cubic
feet OF natural yrs, rs the property that
belonged particularly TO any particular
individual or as originating under any
particular piece of land.
Gas wells draw their gas supplies from
enormous areas of territory in dozens
OF different directions. If itwere possi-
be for some enterprising individual to
invent device that would confine or
combine the air we breathe, he would
have the same normal right TO pine and
sell itSnd otherwise exercise individual
ownership over it as the gas producer
has to pipe and sell gas and exercise i'm.
dlvidual ownership over gas.
The greatest mistake this state ever
made was not to have retained for pub-
lic use the enormous gas supplies under
Its surface That mistake cannot be
entirely remedied now, but it can be
remedied In some small degree by the
imposition of production tax, which
will return to all the Ieople of West
Virginia small portion of the profits
which they should have had from the
exploitation and development of n
natural wealth which belonged to them
all.
The lntolligencer seriously and earn.
estly advances this program. Namely.
the imposition of production tax, of
not less than one cent per thousand
cubic feet on natural gas, and the use OF
the money to be derived therefrom in
the building of improved highways in
the state Of West Virginia; the mon
ey to be divided among the various
counties in proportion TO their pcpula-
ton, and to be expended under the di-
rection of their local county commission
ers and representatives of the state.
The man who has the courage and
strength to appeal to the people of
West Virginia on that issue, and con-
vinces them of his sincerity, next year
will be elected governor, and a leRisla-
ture will be elected to support and sus.
tain him.
To West Virginia this is bigger
question than any other question that
ever came before the people of the
state.
1t Is bigger than the Virginia debt.
1t Is bigger than tax reform.
1t is bigger than the primary law.
lt is bigger than the tariff or Canadian
reciprocity, or government control of
railroads.
To West Virginia it is bigger than
all OF them put together and 1t is the
one question that ought to be kept to the
front in the interests of all the people
OF West Virginia today and for the
generations misunderstanding Intelli-
yencer