The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1922-10-26
BEE HOPKINS WRITES VOTERS
TO THE VOTERS OF CALHOUN

TO THE VOTERS OF CALHOUN
COUNTY:
find ii impossible to see and talk
with great many of the voters of this
comfy, as much as / would like to do
So and as | am the Democratic candi-
date to represent you in the next Leg
islature l take this method of telling
you what / will stand for if | am
elected.
FIRST: i am lead to believe, after
careful study of the subject, that our
lars each year by changing the text
books used in the free schools This
money comes Off of ii class of people.
many of whom are poor, and find it
difficult to raise. l am i'm favor of law
that-will prevent the constant changing
of these books from year to year.
SECOND: / believe there has been Il
disposition on the part of the law max
ers of this state to heap upon it's citi-
zens needless amount of taxes by
raising salaries and creating new of
fees and commissions. The salaries of
state officers were practically all in
creased and many of them were dOub-
led by the last Legislature. and many
new offices were created. so that the
per capita cost of running our state
government has been Increased since
the the year 1915 as follows: 1915.
$2,75; 1916. $3.0G; 1917, $2.SS 1913.
$3.G7; 1919, $4.54; 1920, 500; ana
1921. $7.42-almost three times the
cost in 1915. and this in spite of the
fact that the war is over and the coun-
try is getting back ito nOrmalcy". The
profits of the farmer have been reduced
and the wages of the labOrcr have been
lowered. And | cannot see any reaS-
on why the salaries Of the Office holders
of the state and the costs of the state
government should not be cut in pro
portion. ! am III favor Of reducing
salaries and doing away with useless
offices and commissions to the end that
the tax payers may be saved many
thousands of dollars.
If your farm products are cheaper
and yCu get less for your days labor
you are entitled TO reduction OH your
tax ticket.
THIRD: | am in favor of improved
roads, but l feel that every dollar paid
out by the tax payer should 90 to make
roads and not be wasted in salaries
and on useless commissions You voted
Il bond issue of fifty million dollars to
build roads, to he paid by you by direct
taxation. The salaries of your com
mission for 1920 and 1921 was seven
thousand dollars. The last Legislature
raised this to twenty-five thousand five
hundred dollars per year; the salaries
of the engineers and assistants for the
Road Commission for 1920 and 1921
was $4300000, and this was raised to
$152, 10000. / shall favor the most
rigid economy on the part of this com
mission. Ii must understand il is en-
trusted with the money of the tax
payers, many OF whom must sacrifice to
pay, and you are entitled to an ac
counting for every penny of it.
FOURTH: l am unalterably OPP
posed to raising the assessed valuation
OF the lands in this county. This is
being threatened, and i'm spite of the
fact that the assessed valuation of your
lands has been raised more than double
iii the last few years and your tax
tickets are more than twice what they
were. Other properties have not beer
increased In this state in the same pro
portion as your land. and you are now
paying more than your proportionate
share of the taxes
1 am citizen and tax payer of this
county and believe the issue in this
campaign is a lower tax rate. am in
favor of it and believe it can he had
by the elimination of wasteful and ex-
travagant expenditures, and by estab-
fishing an economical and business adj
ministration of the states affairs The
question is with you, do you want your
taxes raised or lowered i am i'm favor
of lower taxes.
Very respectfully yours,
BEE HOPKINS.