The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-05-18

lD& Ss - Ae~-9$nS~SV
The Legislature OF West Virginia
was organised. dominated and operated
By the combined coal, oil and gas inter-
ests Of the state.
ITS officers were chosen by those In
terests.
1T passed just such general log
islation IS tho paid lobbyists Of the
coal oil and gas interests allowed to
DO passed.
The passage OF this legislation was
very largely facilitated by the activity
OF Governor E f. Morgan who used all
the power OF the Governors office to
further the special tax measure of the
agents Of the coal. oil and gas interests.
and also advance other bills they de-
sired.
';As = result OF the legislative session,
the coal interests OF this state will pay
, in direct taxes, under the gross sales
Tax bill just little bit more money
than they extract from the state each
year IN public service. In other words
the coal taxes will hardly pay the costs
which the coal industry creates for the
state. As a result OF this legislation
| the oil and gas companies arc actually
relieved OF taxation which they had to
pay under existing statutes.
AS q result Of this legislation a tax
burden OF upwards Of ten million dol
lars for the next two years will be i'm
posed upon the whole people OF the
state and the bulk Of this burden will
DO paid By the small merchants the
: o. A. ~A-t
Virginia
The above were the carefully meas
ured utterances OF State Senator Jesse
A Bloch, in suming up the work Of the
state legislature. Mr.. Bloch's state
! rnents were prompted BY tho now state
Wide criticism OF tho srosS sales tax
| bill against which he fought throughout
tho entire session.
| Tho gross sales tax bill" no said.
/ was passed by, for, and in the interests
Of the coal, oil and gas combine 1t was
| Drought forth by their lobby. drafted
and compiled by them. and forced over
| by political trckery and chicanery un-
eQuAlled in West. Yirginia's history.
| Its effect upon tho business OF this
state will be baneful. In tho districts
bordering upon other states industry
! faces actual destruction because OF the
| unfair competition this tax forces II to
meet, while tho coal, OIL and gas inter
! eSes OF the state escape almost scot
! free
Before entering into a discussion OF
the tax. its inequities and shortcomings
Senator Bloch stated that he wished to
make some OF the actions OF the coal
and oil lobby and Its supporters clear
to the public.
The people OF West Virginia ought
to know" continued Mr.. Bloch. "somt-
thing about the methods OF the coal. oil
and gas combine, and particularly. eHe
| methods OF the Coal Operators Assocla-
ticn- That body not only maintained
\ well-organlxed lobby at Charleston
keeping open Offices, but it maintained
also q large number Of paid agents who
worked secretly and under cover. J.
@. Bradley. president OF the Coal Oper-
AtorS' Association. head OF one OF the
biggest coal companies operating IN
! Clay county. a company. by the way.
which has many thousands OF acres or
coal lands assessed at the nominal value
liof hHteen dollars an acre, spent most
OF his time In CharleSt on. and took per
Bonal direction Of the campaign for the
gross sales tax bill 1t was a matter
| OF cOrnnsn report that Bradley was In
frequent conference with Governor Nor
Kan and that the latter reported TO
Bradley after no had made his appeal 10
| the Legislature for the gross sales tai
bill II Is not too much - say that the