The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1914-12-28

Sd1u ue 4pU44A8 NANCSE Wy
He got 100000 annually from the
lovers Of brandy, and he wanted to
know what virtue would pay him that
much.
Taxes Increasing Each Year.
Taxes are the sinews of the state,
and they are indeed heavy, but II those
laid by the government the only
ones we had to pay we might more
easily discharge them, but we have
Others, and much more gr1evous to
solne OF us.
We are taxed twice as much by our
ignorance. three times as much by our
disloyalty and four times as much by
our folly. and from these taxes the
commissioners cannot ease or deliver
us by allowing an Abatement
The stnte, county and town levy and
exact a certain tax from every piece Of
property located within their bound
aries. the amount depending upon the
official requirements. In a rich. pros
porous community. where marketing
and manufacturing lend their stimulat-
ing Influences. taxes are low. A COM
munity where the local town Is dead
taxes necessarily are high.
The explanation is ensy. The town
which Is prosperous has successful
merchants with large and valuable
stocks OF goods; 1t has manufacturing
plants and industrial enterprises Of
great worth: it has newspapers, bank
ing houses and hotels, and. above all.
1t is a marketing center. The large
amount and the high value placed upon
this property materially decrease the
tax demands made upon the farmer in
that vicinity
Streets Paved With Jimson Weeds.
Then take the other town, the dead
town. What are the cause. and etfect3
The cause is lick Of patronage. lack Of
industrial pride, %disloyalty and iSno-
rance OF ones own condition and best
Interests. The effect? The town hhs
become Il Jay" town. In the streets
have grown jimson weeds. the side
walks have gone to decay, the stores
are vacant, and an air Of poverty and
dilapIdatIon prevails.
In this latter town ana the surround
ing community, axes are high. prop
erty values have decreased. and alto
gether 1t is an undesirable place to I've
in, and the disposition OF such property
is an impossible feat.
As we stand and surrey the ruins OF
a once prosperous and promising city
we turn to the once successful retail
merchant. nov standing in the door Of
bis empty store, and ask for the an.
swer.
Briefly be makes reply: 1.-THE retail.
catalogue houses. Our residents In this
community became hypnotized by their
pictures and prices and misrepresenta-
tons, and this Is the result
On the Altar Of Greed.
They sacrificed their own interests
and their own town On the altar Of
greed and misunderstanding.
The farmer should easily compre-
bend that when a stock of goods IN a
store Is depleted one.halr or more It
cannot be taxed for more than Its
value. md in case the merchant for
lack OF patronage is forced to retire
altogether from business then there
remains nothing to be taxed but the
building. And what can it be taxed
at provided a tenant who Is willing TO
take a chance with bis money cannot
be found? Eventually the farmer will
have to pay the nxes. This merchant
formerly paid. and II the farmer con-
tinues throwing his patronage to out
side concerns be will continue to re-
dnce local values and increase his
taxes.
Reflect Too Little.
Some farmers read too much and re-
feet too llttle-depend too much upon
others, too little upon themselves.
They make of their heads cold storage
warehouses for other peoples ideas
instead OF standing up in their own
Independent. godlike individually.
Reading and rereading Of mail order
catalogues leave a man In about the
same condition as Mark Twntn's toad
with its stomach full OF shot.
What do the mail order houses do
for the farmer! Do they relieve him.
of any Of his tax bnrdensf No; they.
just relieve him OF his money. It Is a
case Of representation without taxa
tion, and we fear in time this manner
and method OF doing business will
cause a revolution among the pro.
ducers and consumers which Will
eclipse the American Revolution.
we would suggest to the mail order
catalogue houses that they shear, not
skin, their, sheep. 4
are assisting In making the transla-
tons otthe letters and the secret work
EcfithnAMaiaI sncietY.s -