The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-01

$500. .:::..--.-:
lnr, esnes shas time wings ha1 b4sn
added for the House and SenAts ~
still fhoae bodies had hardly room
In which 70 hold their committees
meetings without Infringing on tAe
vested rights OF this Or that board
or department.. 'There ars too many
soards already; there arc too many
eiared with fervor. The State u
paying too much money for q super
fluffy Of officers. II Is our duty 70
cut of sorne or these officers and spend
less money. .4
III we will use our ingenuity In
( reducing taxes the people Will be bet
ter satisfied"
He referred to the proposal to
create a board Of three tax commits
sioners at salary around four thous-
and dollarsa year law. 1t means, he
declared. another suite OF offices; an
unlimited number of deputies to go
all over the State in every county
With the power to stay in those coun-
ties an unlimited length Of time; en-
powered to summon an unlimited
number Of witnesses and to employ
| an unlimited number of stenographers
for the purpose of preserving their
| testimony. These deputies would have
I the power to investigate county OFF,
/ GERS and suspend or remove them
! under the terms of this bill--officials
! elected by vote Of the people. In
/ the name of God Uis that liberty? Is
| that democracy? questioned the
! speaker.
! AT this point Mr.. Byrd interposed
F, to say that an amendment would be
made to the bill providing for the
| trial of officials before their own
! Circuit Courts.
Unlimited Expenses.
Mr. Williams continued his speech.
Talk about curtailing expenses said
he. no man can tell what this bill
Is going to cost the State of Vir-
{ ginia. The Capitalization OF power
/ provided by 1t is absolutely unprece-
dented in the history Of legislation In
Virginia.
He referred TO the provision OF the
measure empowering the tax commits
aioners to require the installation Of
approved methods of bookkeeping in
| the various county Offices. He de-
ciarcd that the treasurer Of the coun-
~ OF Giles had served for twenty
years, hut that II he were required
TO Install modern system OF book
Keeping it might necessitate his. EN-
ployfng a bookkeeper who would cost
as much as he got out Of the office.
What boots 1t. IL my treasurer pays
to the State all the money due 1t on
the day it is due?" said he.
' If this bill passes the little clerk"
must suspend some one in order to
hold his job, and the speaker. was
OF the opinion that the victim OF the
| 10 I.s,~ir ~
ny reason OF the conditions confront
ling him In dealing with widely scat
tered citizens and several deputies
would not be able to say on short
notice exactly how he stood with the
State.
Equalization Difficulties.
lie declared that the matter Of
equalization of taxes on land in his
district offered exceptional difficulties.
iS5exentN -f1ve per cent. of the land was
not paying its owners one cent anc
WAS only valuable for its timber and
for It's possibilities from a mineral
standpoint A small part Of the
balance was worth hundred dollars
an acre. although he described some
OF the land in his territory as not
able to sprout hlackeyed peas Still
II a commissioner OF the revenue did
/ land that was satisfactory to the
] deputy of the tax commissions deputy
! he would be liable to suspension.
| West Virginia started on this basis,
said Mr., Williams. and the State was
! revoIutionized politically.
! with the spirit sf unrest and op-
/ position prevailing / certainly beg
leave to warn the dominant political
party in this State of the result IL
/ you continue in every bill to search
out new methods OF taxation" declared
Mr. Williams.
He said that when one referred to
the farmers and laboring people being
Durdened IT was at once suggested that
he was playing to the galleries, but he
desired to warn the House against In
2reasing the burdens of the people. -
III you are going to have a COM
mission. and 1t looks like 1t Is neces-
3 sary to have something, in the name
OF cominonsense, why can't you bring
the matter home to the people in the
various sections of the State?" He
suggested that n board Of three citi-
+ zens of each congressional district
! be provided to he paid per diem
/ for the time actually devoted to the
! work, and have the commissioners OF
/ the revenue of the district reported
+ W AfiS p1fiu mere Ir1lSIit De, ne SuR-
gested n central board In Richmond
( 10 cooperate with the district boards
but not to initiate or promulgate or
ders.
Tax Commissioner complimented.
If, said Mr.. Williams, il is to the
! best interest of the State let's have
him-but make that man a servant Of
| the people. but not a dictator and
! ruler. Mr.. Williams here paused to
I pay A tribute to the splendid COM
| plation of facts and figures made by
: Or. Douglass Freeman, the State tax
! expert. saying that it was a compila-
! ton that would prove almost tndis-
/ pensible in the formulating OF q meas
ure.
Continuing his discussion he declsr-
| cd 1t would be absolutely wrong to
! give to any one man the power to
remove or suspend the officers OF the
| State, declaring that such a measure
I would cause a revolution
i Mr. Montague asked II tt would not
| be better to offer amendments to bring
! the bill to "A form he desired rather
| than TO oppose the whole measure. Mr.
| Williams took the query as sort Of
censorship OF his remarks but Nfr.
| Montague disclatmed any such fnten-
| ton.
f%sN rt xN IL u -