The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-05-18
SCORES LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR MORGAN
Continued from Page One)

equal to thc special expenses wh'r" the
stare has on account OF thus me- SIrS'
If the conditions now prevailing In
Mlngo. Logan and other countIes are
TO continue. the coal industry VIII pc
come an actual charge upon the state
treasury oC West Virginia. the greatest
industry in the state falling 10 pay 10
the state Tn. bills which it creates Tor
special service.
Gas Taxes Lowered
AS to the gas interests. the gross
sales tax bill is an actual relief. Gas
production in West Virginia last year
amounted 70 $l35, 100000. Cncer INC
gross sales tax bill the gas interests
will pay about S415.00o a year. sam
less than they would have paid II tn"
legislation. which was put upon the
statute books in 1919 was allowed 10
stand. even aa0er, the supreme court had
rendered it's ,decis!on invalidatinS part
OF the 1919 gas tax laws.
In other words when the Legislature
of ,hiS state was faced with the neceS-
sity OF raising about four million dol-
Lars extra Asyenue per year for pcrloo
OF two yCs~2. as 10 the biggest produc-
ing interest in the state. the law ~hlch
was framed by it's agents and put
through the Legislature under the whip
and spur applied by its attorneys re-
turns 10 the state scarcely NOR" imam
enough money 10 pay the "AceSSlre
charges which it creates itself. ana as
=" tnc gas interests in the face q: rev
needed revenue the bill actually re-
'.cveS them rom taxation already eH-
listing.
In this connection il may be we'll TO
poin, out q most significant thing. when
Governor Morgan appeared before the
legislature TO make his plea for the
gross sales tax bill. ne announced In
mos, condcscending manner that the
Goa. oil and gas interests would per
m;t'-obServc / use the word permit
he announced the coal, oil and gas IN
terestS would permit the passage or
bill. imposing a tax Of two-htths or ono
per cent upon their revenues. permit
That is exactly what happened at Charles
ton. The Legislature was able TO pass
just such legislation az the coal. oil ana
gas interests would permit. ana the
Governor Of West Virginia. uncon:cious-
Is. no doubt. but very truly. placed him.
self in the correct light when nc APP
pearcd as spokesman for these inter-
ests and told the Legislature what they
would permit. AZ it>now stands. these
interests. representing more than 20 per
cen; OF the wealth Of the state Will
actually contribute less to the Treasury
Of IVES, Virginia in 1920 and ls2l tnan
they would have contributed had our Ola
laws been allowed to stand, and had no
excessive expenditures been Incurred by
the Legislature on their account. The
great shortage In state funds, amount
ing 10 eight or nine million doliars'
which will have to be ma>C up In some
way. will. as present legislation now
stands be made up from the farmer. the
merchant. the manufacturer. and the
working men Of the state.
TAX Multiplied
GAS 20 the merchant. the manufa ctur-
er. the farmer and the small trader IN
general the gross sales tax will be null
tiplied very often, many times for the
,eason OF turnovers. Instead of one
ffth. in many cases. II will be two-hfths.
and perhaps. four-ffths, and this tax in
particular will be felt in the increased
cost Of everything which the buying
pIblic will have to buy. AS nave
heretofore pointed out. the tax Will or
course. be evaded to a worry great de-
gre BY business concerns, located IN
towns and cities near the borders or
the state, who will create the machinery,
In the course Of time. 10 transact much
OF their business through agencies out
side of the state. and as THIS prnctice
crows. the burden of the tax VIII fall
more and more upon the small oea1er'
the country merchant the farmer ana
the working man"
The senator. after Celebrating upon
hi. points OF attack. turned again to the
action of the governor. He charged that
Morgan's attitude throughout has been
against the laying Of any tax upon the
coal. oil and gas interests OF the state
greater than that which they now bear.
even though the cost OF state govern
men, be more than doubled.
Morgan Iknorsd Depletion Tax.
Morgan, in all Of his confere noes on
this great problem Of taxation" said the
senator, never once took into consid-
Grafton the claims Of the production
tax supporters. He never asked them
what their views were and never at
tempted to aid them in securing sat
,, istactory compromise. I think that II
is safe to say that not one conference
! was held between Governor Morgan and
any Of the depletion tax supporters.
THE claims Of the depletion tax ad-
vocates were Sood. They advanced
them time and again. only to have the
! sink it beneath the weight OF their ma
chine Their efforts to bring tax bill
out Of the committee room in time TO
| give all an equal chance to amend Il
and thus evolve a measure suitable to
every class and interest, were fore
l. doomed by the coal combine. The in
| terests very efficiently held the tax
! question off the calendar until a time
such as they knew must come had ar
| rived: the time when II tax bill was
| to be passed. 1t must necessarily have
! been acted upon within a few short
hours.
There were charges OF political
| 'crookedness made on the floor Of both
! houses by the supporters OF the deple-
| ton tax. Delegate Miller, Of Wood
| county, in the lower house stated that
| they had sent emissaries to him with
! a promise Of lucrative position in ono
Of the departments of state il ne would
! turn from his position and support the
! gross sales tax. On the floor of the
! house he charged that such attempts had
|, been made not only in his case. but in
Il number of others, and stated that in
some they had been made successfully.
The session is over. and I will not DO
! surprised to see the names of many Of
the members Of legislature on one or
| the Other or. the state payfoll1 before
! the end Of the fiscal year"
Mr. Bloch then dropped the tax bill
as subject Of argument to so into
! the terms OF the budget bill. He pointed
! out that a number OF appropriations
had been made for which there Is little
or no need at this time. In discussing
| the bill he said:
orsat nerSAss In ExpsdttnxSs.
Il would like TO point out that when
! the budget bill was first drafted by the
! Board Of Public Works il called for the