West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1914-01-01

Against me ps~sen Tax Lave
orssss IN Tax RsesIps IL Outrage
-Rsply to Editor Mcpoussi
csrsdo Advance


B~f-ssER, Dec. 20, 1911
EDITOR ARoCs:
was about 10 write you, as /
begun 10 think you were not going
publish my letter in regard to the
crease in my tax receipt. But VIII
learned that you had gotten married
was off IN your honeymoon. / conclt
that It would no. be published until
came back. as / addressed it to
personally.
Since i wrote you about the incr(
In my tax receipt / have met quite a
people from different parts OF the cou]
and every one OF them tell me that
increase in their taxes is about one-t1
more than last year. 'One gentlel
from Valley district was telling me
he was looking over bis tax receipts
several years back, and he finds that the
taxes he paid under Sheriff Lee Shaw,
compared with the taxes he paid Sheriff
Hartman, that the increase has Just been
eight times as much. How will that i'm
crease compare under a law that prom
ised to reduce our taxes? When / call
the attention Of leaders Of the Republican
party they will say to me: Eyes, but
look how IL has increased the taxes OF
the corporations?'' / reply and remind
them that that was the very argument
they used in favor Of the new tax laws.
They told us hat it would increase the
taxes OF the corporations and reduce the
taxes OF the farmers. For the amount OF
property have / pay a greater increase
in taxes than the corporations. Old Bill
Dawson caught us all i'm his new tax law
web. And each year he is increasing the
burden. Where is it to stop?
You tell that editor that calls me a
corporation lawyer" that il he will come
out here and follow me on the hill-sides
for a few days he will change his mind.
| can say to him, as the old negro said
20 the gentleman who asked Uncle Ned
If he could change a twenty.dollar bill.
mo, sab; no, sab, but l thanks you for
the compliment all the same" But II he
is .laboring under the delusion that we
P~restonians who toll for n living cannot
express ourselves through the public
prints when an injustice has been done
US, i invite him to make a trip through
Preston and onverse with those who till
the soil. He will find that while they
may be a little defective in and
photography. they are possessed Of the
ordinary public school education. That
is the reason that the voters of Preston
have been voting so independently for
the past decade. The corrupt politician
and the partisan newspapers no longer
fool the voters OF Preston.
II may be that the Dawson tax laws
have reduced the taxes in the county in
which this editor is living. | do not know
the county in which he lives. Let me
ask HIM, however, if the tax receipt for
1913 is more or less than it was in 1912?
He may be a partisan when it comes to
politics, but / take it that he is an honest
man and that he would not knowingly
misrepresent the new tax laws, even "a
save old Bill Dawson's scalp. And right
here | want TO say to him, that he never
rorowed pninD awson more paftIsatIy an
blindly than have in the years gone by
But the time came when Dawson's repre-
sensations proved false.
Now, | would kindly ask this editor (
publish in his valuable paper tax receipt
tor the years 1912 and 1913, so that W
may learn whether the Dawson tax law
are reducing or increasing the taxes i
his county. / don't claim that they ar
increasing the taxes in his county. Bu
l most emphatically do say that they ar
increasing them in Preston. when we wer
promised by Dawson and the othe
leaders of u party that they would re
duce the taxes of the farmers.
Now, Mr.. Argus, if this editor pub
fishes his tax receipts for 1912 and 1913
you please publish them in your pape,
As you know, Mr.. Argus, / whooped 10
Bill Dawson for years and years an
thought he was the one man we needle
to save us and lead us into the PROMISE
land. But / have been compelled I
change my mind. He is for Bill Dawso.
first, last and always. And he has bee
living upon the fat of the land (pubti
o%iiices) for the past thirty years upon tn
craftsmanship OF such fools as myself. y
me say to the editor who praises Dawsdt
and his tax laws, he had better not conf
to Preston and attempt to praise Dawsd
and his tax laws. II you do, you wi
learn how popular they are with Pres
tonians.
In conclusion, / want to ask the edito
to publish his tax receipts for ~1012-1013
FARMER.