The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-10-08
GOVERNOR
CONTINUED from page /. first section.

S~-~--N~s~~~~-~-s-~----
the expenditure Of $4,000 in connection
with the criminal proceedings inyoIv-
ing an alleged attempt 10 bride two
mombers OF the public service commits
sion and showed that the expenditure
which had been questioned by some
Democratic speakers was approved by
the legislature Of 1915 and commended
by committee Of the House Of Dele
gates, composed Of three Republicans
an dtwo Democrats.
AS to the subject Of taxation the gov
ernor said: Il have stood for IN
equalization Of taxation. believing that
the burden. II It can be called such,
should rest uniformly upon all. The
goal OF my efforts has been reached
and leave the governors office with
the full knowledge and feeling that
many remedial and just laws have been
placed upon the statute books and that
the states financial condition can now
be compared with that OF any other
state In the union in favorable way"
He declared that there was in inn
mediate sight, beginning next year,
the time when direct levies would not
be needed for state purposes. but can
be reserved entirely for local pur-
poses. He pointed out the fact that
with the improvements brought
about at the state institutions in the
last two years, that there would be
comparatively little demand the next
year or SO for additions and inn
provements at the state institutions.
More money has been expended
during the last two years for build
lngs and lands and permanent inn
provements than during the preced-
Ing seven years." said the governor.
He took up in detail the conditions
confronting him at the time OF his
Induction into office by the reason Of
the extraordinE.y expenditure that
the state had been called upon to
make in the Industrial difficulties in
the kanawha county coal fields, and
also the loss Of $650,000 license rev.
enue yearly beginning in 1914, which
condition was made worse by the
fact that the legislature Of 1913 had
appropriated one million dollars for
improvements at institutions and for
which no provision in the way of rev.
enue had been made.
Submits Figures.
Concerning the charge that Mr..
Cornwell has been making Of the
failure of the Dawson tax laws and
the prophecies which he has been
reiterating,\ Governor Hatfield sub
mitted figures to show that If Mr..
Cornwells ideas OF taxation prevail
ed in the way of direct levy, that
the levy based upon the principles
of taxation in vogue in 1897 at the
time the Democrats turned over con-
troll to Republicans, would be s1.29
on each 800 Of valuation instead Of
mine cents. He ridiculed Mr. Corn
wells statement that the increased
valuation of properties this year
would make up for the decrease In
the state levy from fourteen cents to
nine cents, and said what can we
expect of a candidate who would
make such statement as this?" He
gave the valuation totals for the
state and showed that the increased
valuation based upon the nine cents
levy amounted to less than $4,000,
while the decrease in the revenue
from the reduction OF the state levy
from fourteen cents would amount to
$578,000 or a difference of $4,000.
He pointed out the fact that with the
increased assessment valuation the
direct levy for 1897 was twenty-five
cents on the 500 for state purposes
which raised S547,00 while direct
levy for 1916 raised $643,0O0, an
amount over 100000 in excess of
that raised under the old method of
taxation, while the population OF
the state was only 10000 as COM
pared with nearly q million and a
half people today, and with an in
crease in state institutions, as we'll
as the creation Of many new depart
ments.
yet Notwithstanding all this great
progress our per capita cost in 1897
was S1.9s as compared with $2.75 in
1g15. No state in the union has
such record for economic admins
tration Of governmental affairs as has
our own state, and 1 challenge Mr..
Cornwell or anyone else to name
one," said the governor.
Bond Issues Decreased.
In discussing the subject Of ex-
travagance he said that while it is
easy to make the general cry, that
the people of the state should ask
the critics to be specific in their point
ing out of extravaganza. He gave
figures showing that more than
twelve millions of dollars In bonds
had been voted in various counties OF
the state for road purposes alone, as
well as many millions in bond issues
for other improvements.
IF West Virginia citizens are
paying n high tax 1t is on account of
their local government and not from
any excessive burdens imposed by
the state" he declared.
Il believe many who have not
agreed with me will conclude that
my efforts have not been in vain or
directed in the wrong way, but were
for the purpose Of bringing about
bigger and better manhood and wom-
anhood in our commonwealth. And
with this realization 1 shall feel. that
the strenuous and turbulent days 1
have spent in public life, from which
am soon to take my departure to
my profession, was an effort not In
vain" said the governor.
The governor spoke as follows:
You have heard recently from the
lips Of demagogue much about