The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1922-07-06
Republican State Tax Commissio ner
Arbitrarily Takes Charge Of As
ssssaeat in Fsyette County
to Boost Property Values
11ye Of lEsEHnkxI SWEEPS sILIE
Newspapers Riss sy b Protest G. o. p.
Plan to Obtain Funds to Meet De-
feitm Increased Operating E1-
penses Of STATE GoveYnmsnt


vested In him by tho Republican lcsis-
Ature TO get the money" to meet the
millions OF dollars increase In opera at
Ang expenses OF the state government
authorized at the last session, Waiter
q Hahanan, Republican state tar com
missioner, has arbitrarily removed from
authority the duly elected assessor
sf Fayette county and placed In his
stead Republican trained money-get-
eng experts With specific instructions
% boost property values In Fayette
The action OF the tax commissioner,
coming as an official announcements
frcm his. Office, heralds the first or,en
break IN the volcano OF resentm<,nt
against the program OF the tax ccm-
missioner and the Republican state
administration which has been smc,ul-
dertng IN every nook and Granny OF
ahe seabe. Indications are that the
Sppoess1nn WI not be confined entire
y TO F~p1the county. but Will spr cad
uaptdty azpug tSe assesso<s in nun1er-
Gus other counties.
-Mzztstocrease," He 10 Ordered.
r. B. Rocke f. the assessor Of Fay
1tte who 'decffned to enter wholehtart-
edly Into the plan Of the tax commits
sioner to increase the assessment OF
property upon erptsclt instructions
from the commissioner. Mr.. Rc.cke.
according to Fayette county new spa
pers which. along with the majority
OF property ovDers OF the county are
backing the assessor in his refusal
20 carry out explicitly the etfict Of the
state tax commissioner, received in
structions-fnom the commissioner that
ne must Increase all property vsllua-
Cons In thescounty He was given TO
understand. 81 Is said. that the vtIlua-
Sons Should be doubled" at least
In taking the assessment OF Fayette
county property into his own hands,
Commissioner Hallanan has announced
Shat ne Will send a corps Of deputy
assessors from heB ONCE into Fayette
county, who-are not acquainted with
local conditions, 30 zee that the prop
ertysfor tauE1son purposes Is proper
y" boosted. This additional heavy
assessment expense must be met by the
county court, Mr.. Hahanan says
Discussing the plan editoriasly. the
FayctSe Democrat, published by J. f.
Philips, resnsr4ed before Mr.. Hag1a-
nan carried out his threat to take
cnargo'of the assessment in Fayette
we note with interest an article
which states that the assessments In
Fayette county have been Increased
over sfx million dollars this year. and
that unless the assessments are given
further increase the tax commission
er viii take charge OF our books and
make the assessments to his own Tx
ing. The reason given Is that when
0he valuation Is increased the levy
nzuSbe reduced. Some bosh
"stomaehs Full OF Normally"
~Our stomachs have been filed with
&ortnalcy and political trickery. and
n our property valuation is to be IN
creased, why not be frank and state
the facts to the people? The facts
are that the state officials are now
spending approximately thirty per cent
more OF the peoples money in salaries
and other expenses In conducting our
state government than has heretofore
been expended"
THE Instructions going out to asses
0ors from the tax commissioners Off ce,
1t is said, make no reference to de
ereaslng property valuations where
they might have been previously as
Sessed too high. It is obligatory upon
6he assessors to boost the rates, under
threat Of having Republican trained
experts from the Office of Mr.. Ha Ia
nan take the matter out of the hands
Of the county assessors In other conn
ties.
1t Is what many newspapers, includ-
ing some Republican dailies and week
heS. term as ~this hiRh-handed course
~ procedure" that Is being generally
eesented over the state by taxpayers.
coming At a time when II Is extremely
nifticuft for farmers and persons en-
gagged IN most every other kind Of oc-
Eupatfon TO meet tho already heavy
eaxes and current expenses.
While the task OF garnering the
extra shekels for the Increased salaries
~ himself and other state officials
@nd the refiIhng Of the pork barrel
for other state attaches is said to be
very distasteful personally for Mr..
HallanaO because OF the storm OF pro
test and criticism It has heaped upon
his head, the po&4tieal future of the
tax commissioner depends largely upon
his abHity 70 get the money" In this
case, according 10 information from
reliable sources
How The Deaf Was Made
The proposal made to Mr. Hallanan
by the Republican state organization
Is reported to have been presented
something like this:
Now, Waiter. you make an honest
effort TO get the money by executing
1he program to bOOst assessments and
Che whole gang viii Jump in and help
Alect you governor In 1924. In order
4eD4Aa p1eSent administration 20 make