The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-03-24
NEAR DEADLOCK
|NLEG|SLATURE
OVER GAS BILL
PRESENT WEEK WILL
SEE SESSIONS END
Growing Belief in Success Of
the Gas Measure if it
Comes to Vote.

CHARLESTON. March 2".-Wi,h
nearly Two weeks Of the special session
of The West Virginia Legislature gone,
and with no final action taken by both
houses on either Of the two most impor-
1ant questions many persons here arc
wondering how many days Of this week
will ht required to co1nplctc the job.
Certainly not less than Two or three.
possibly six. The situation at present
could not bc termed Il deadlock. though
such Il situation is Il possibility.
The prupoSitnin over which tho dead
lock will occur. if it comes. is not the
state police or public safety bill. IL ~
now pretty generally believed that m"n-
SURE as amended by the house will be
by the senate.
Tho revenue feature OF thc Virginia
d"nt settlement bill is tho rub between
the Two houses Tho senate passed that
measure with n direct lax on all the real
and personal property Of the state. AS its
method Of raising the revenues neccs-
sary for retiring the bonds and paying
the interest
The Gas Bill.
Before the debt bill had reached il
from the senate. the house passed the
.Tohn bill. providing for a tax on the
transportation of oil and gas in West
Virginia.. This hill is estimated to have
tho power Of raising nearly two million
dollars annually. part Of which Will so
rto the general revenues nf tho state.
part in the school fund and part in the
road fund.
Then when rhc Virginia debt settle
ment bill came over from tho senate the
house refused td accept the direct tax
feature. Fastening on tho people OF the
state direct tax for tie next twenty
yrars" as some Of tho members said.
hut amended the revenue feature "f the
I bill. tu provide that the sinking fund
each year shall hn r>nlrnished from the
general revenues OF the stale. if suffi-
cicnt amount. otherwise unappropriatcd.
should be- found thcrl for tho purpose
The direct lax under the house amend
m"nt may he laid only in tho "v"nl the
general revenues are short. when II Is
made compulsory.
Position Of the House.
The position of the house. therefore.
is pretty well defined It's leaders
point III that it has bcrn regularly
passing the gas lax bill for number
nf sessions. only TO hav" its work null
Lifted in the senate by committee burial.
Its leaders now insist that In" time
has, come when the oil and gas lax
! insistcncr at least to Justify Il record
vote ON lis merits III tn" scna'". and
they signify their intention OF insist
ing on that 1T the very least.
Some Of them even x" so Tar MS 70
say they are in favor nf holding up all
the legislation of tn" session until IN"
srnat" has passed til" gas tux hiil. OH
rrS would sec neglect or their own
duty in going so far.
Members Of the senate. IN The other
hand particularly those who are OPP
posed 1u Ihc gas taN resent the aitl-
rudr Of what they term 'atlrmpird dlr-
, The old question. Am ! my brothers
keeper" does not apply between III"
house and tho senate" and n"in! ont tur-
thrr that they arc responsible" To IN"
people for what they do.
Mondays Hearing.
The senate finance cUmmitt"r. by
which the gas tax bill has .hcfn So tran
uuilly put To sleep many times in INC
past, has this time at least decided
upon Il funeral service. and VII! con-
duci :: hearing on The "practicahility'
Of The measure tomorrow night. 10
which all members "f tn" legislature
have h"rn invitrd
What it may do fer mat IS an open
that the hill will be- r"p"rlcd out. even
liz il is rr-rnn,mHnI"d not To pass: In
hat event il might not come up Tor Il
record vni" on the question of rcJec-
lion. There are some observers who
hclirv" lhr hill would have = good
chance to pass if it should h" brought
out on the floor Of tn" senate. and IN
support of that belief point 10 tRr pas
.nrr Of tho St@ptur bill AT the regular
session. despite the pressure that was
brought against IT,.
The biggest pr"h"m "f Inc present
scssiun--that Of r"vfnucS-haS not
hccn solved. and tho lin" Of probable
adjournment depends entirely on how
brief or how long The fight between
thr TWO houses over that issue may be
drawn out.