Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1922-05-02
TAXPAYER IS
BETWEEN TWO
| CROSS fires
National Administration Ham
msring Down Value of His
Services and State Govern
| ment Rulers Boosting
Property Values


with the national Republican adj
niaHtration "hammering down the val
ne of his services and property" and
Shs Republican state administration
s1i local governments raising the
rates and the assessed valuations" in
ertier to meet the deficit In state OPP
Grating costs as the result of high sal
aries, extravaganza and waste. the
taxpayer Of West Virginia Is caught
berween cross fires.
That IL the opinion Of former United
States Senator William e. Chiffon.
who has made close study of the tax
situation and who discusses 1t during
the course of an interview with a
Charleston news writer.
in referring to the plan of State Tai
Commissioner Walter s. Hallanan,
which s now being put into effect by
county assessors, to boost property val
uacions at a time when the tax burden
Ia especially heavy and the revenue IN
usually light by increasing property
assessments with the promise that some
time In the future that state legisla-
tire might lower the assessment rate
By authorizing a constitutional amend
aent for the people to vote upon, Sen
ator Chiffon says:
Some May BE "EquaIlzed"-
The word 'eQuali1ng' has a friend.
" sound. but when 1t Is used for the
avowed purpose Of getting more mnoey
Sor the treasury everything vanishes
bot the sound. The taxpayers dread
the lottery Of equalization that has
for It's object the raising of more money.
After the process Is over, some will be
equalized,' some shaken down and
others black lacked
Senator Chiffon says the tax rate
and the tax burden In West Virginia.
sHaye reached the danger point, even
for prosperous times; but for these
days Of normally they are ringing
alarm bells that spell calamity"
The issues of the coming campaign
have been made. Senator Chiffon says,
TN the state, we find the highest tax
bill ever presented to the people, and
It comes with the apology that more
Is needed and with the threat that ii
the assessment now going forward does
not produce more, then probably the
legislature will be called into extraor
binary session to provide means for
meeting deficit. Since the last legis-
1ofr,ro uac Ranuhliaan nv q txUn fhi ri c
majority, in both branches, and has
been controlled by that party from
1913 till the present time, and never
forgetting that the Democrats have not
controlled both branches since 1893,
there Is no trouble to fix the blame OF
praise for this condition. When one
examines the pay rolls Of the various
departments, and notes the regularity
and persistence with which salaries
have been raised and new offices Great.
ed, one of the chief reasons for the
size Of the tax bill, the apprehensions
Of a deficit become apparent. The eff.
fort to increase valuations on the as
SCISSORS boks is subject to many crit.
Gsms.
Hammer Down Earning Power
These are days of national de
hstion,' promised in the Republican
Platform on which Mr.. Harding was
e3ected-one promise that his admin
istration has kept. Values are going
down, when measured In money. Now
since the taxpayer must pay in money
be Is shocked at the suggestion that
the national administration is ham.
maring down the value of his services
and property, thereby weakening his
ability to pay, while the state admin.
istration and the local governments
are raising the rate and the assessed
valuations.
Capital Is alarmed; labor is sick al
heart; the farmer is discouraged; the
business man Is forced to wait and
hope. 1t requires no sage to compre-
bend that taxes are sapping what Lit.
tie life 'deflation' has left in industry.
To add to the distress railroad rates
are so high as to be almost prohibitive.
This is the time to reduce, not to
raise salaries, and taxable values and
rates Economy is now a joke. The
budget system at Washington has In.
creased appropriations as it did In
West Virginia. Congress, like the leg
islature, has found means to evade 1t
Nothing in the way of appropriations
has stalled Congress, except the al.
bwance to the soldiers, clearly and
fairly promised them, and justly due
them In equity. They fought and risk.
ed their lives for our liberty. That is
all sufficient; but when their pay, as
soldiers, and the average wages OF
those who were not mustered in, are
put side by side, the justice of their
claim rises to the point that precludes
all arguments, except the total inabil
ny Of the government to pay. But
when one observes that the railroads
owe the government 700 millions fol-
borrowed money, and that some of the
railroads are demanding over bill
Hon dollars for damages under gov
eminent control all this talk of il
being 'unpatriotic' In the boys vanishes
and there appears possible reason
why this railroad and big interest
Congress Is 30 clumsy with the bonus
question What the boys get the rail
roads can not get. But there have beer
about 2 billions withdrawn from clrcu
lation. All this was based on gold
and since 1t was issued, the country
has gained 800 millions In gold If
washington was called upon, by pub
lie sentiment, to finance the railroads
for or billions, 1t could be done In
a week. Besides all this the Euro
,peAn government owes this country IL
billions In addition to the 241 millions,
ths - g kD1uf1g eur sold3srs % TIE
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