The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-08-12

throughout his public life, he has
been thorn In Democratic flesh.
He has been the instrument Of ad-
ministering many costly defeats and
rebukes to the Democracy, and we
do not blame the party organs for
having a brainstorm every time they
think of Governor Dawson. But
their reason for being so bitter
against Mr.. Dawson does not alter
or change the effects of the tax laws
which bear his name. For the past
ten years the people have lived un-
der this system OF taxation and So
well is 1t grounded into our fabric
of state that there is no serious in
tention, even by the Democratic crit
les Of the system, of changing it.
The small home owner, the farmer
and the great masses OF the people
have by this system had their tax
burdens lishtencd and the tax re-
ceipts show it, and the large tax
payers, and especially the railroad
companies and other public service
corporations, have been made TO pay
the difference by having their prop
.erty assessed at its. true and actual
value. II there was half'tlie'ihiquity
about the Dawson tax laws that the
Democratic organs allegc, the people
would have risen up in their wrath,
long ago and wiped them from the
statute hooks. Under the old Demo.
cratic plan the state tax rate was
IS cents on the hundred dollars val
uation and now with the lost rcvc-
nue. from the liquor traffic to be
made up 1t will be only 10 cents on
the hundred dollars valuations, and
has been as low as cent on the
hundred, being increased this year
from cents to 10 cents.
When the people voted for prohi-
bition they knew that that some
source of revenue must be provided
to take the place of the license mon
cy. They did not expect the state
government to suspend operations
and close It's institutions for the lack
Of money to go ahead. The loss in
revenue will be about 100000 and
the additional state tax of cents
will only raise about 100000 OF
this amount, leaving, 100000 to be
raised in some other manner.
Is prohibition worth A cents tax
ON sthc hundred dollars valuation to
the people OF West Virginia? We
believe 1t would be cheap at double
the price. a
but this loss of liquor revenue
will in time, adjust itself and the
increased taxation will be only tenn
porary. Tho court costs will events
ually be lowered, the increase in in;
sanity will be stopped, the aims
houses and charitable institutions
will in time have fewer inmates, but
these things cannot all be realized
at once, and we believe the people
of West Virginia will welcome an
opportunity to repay TO the state
treasury all the money lost in liquor
tax knowing that 1t will come back
to them a hundred fold in the salts
faction of having the traffic ban
ishcd from the state, and in actual
money savings which is now already
going into the savings banks, in the
building of homes, and into the
stores for the necessities and even
the luxuries of life by the hundreds
Of thousands of dollars. The savings
bank accounts in West Virginia will
show that no better money will be
spent than the small pitance of ian
extra state tax OF 4 cents on tho
hundred dollars valuation. rf'
Those oppose this plan are stand
ing in their own light and must oe
placed on record as reactionaries and
shall the people infer from their
stand that they favor propaganda
for the return of the saloons and
their ATTENDANT nyiIso