Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1858-02-06
GRANT CO. herald
LANCASTER. WIS, FEB 6, 1858.
FITCH TAXES-THE CAUSE.

ELSA TAAES-lAE o1cNc'
We hear people complaining OF high
taxes and their complaints are well foun-
died. But let US look into the cause: The
people of the many school districts of
Grant County, acting most independently
as soyereigns at their annual school meet
ings, levied this year an aggregate OF
school tax for paying teachers aud bull d
ing school house, over tie continued STATE
and County tar! Thesschool tax in many
districts is enormous; in one district IN
Fannirnore there is levied a TAX of 81 600
on single section of land. In some towns
the tax for roads and bridges is also heavy
amounting to as much as the State tax
Now we are not opposed to levying taxes
for schools aud school houses; ON the con-
trary, that portion of the public money ap-
propriated and raised by tax for schools Is
gel orally the best spent and most profita-
bly, invested of any other. Building
bridges is also for the general good, and
we could wish people little more liberal
in this respect. But, we find that people
when acting in their most sovereign capac-
ity as IN little home school district legls-
lature, are far more prodigal in voting tax
es than either State legislature or
County Board of Supervisors! Suppose
that in lieu of the right Of people of dis
tricts to levy tax for schools, the Legislature
of Wisconsin were to levy tax of $780,
600 for schools and school houses. Thun-
der what rumpus it would scare up
Yet, the people of the school districts OF
Wisconsin actually assemble at their annu-
al meetings and vote more than twice thai
great sum; and what is more significant
the leading men of such school meetings
are the wealthiest men of the district-yet
the first and loudest in sheir complaints of
high taxes in every other quarter. The
explanation can only be made thus: what
men do of themselves, whether it be to their
ruin or salvation, is always approved by
them, but when the same is done by 9th
ers it is all wrong. Our forefathers, rath
err than lie taxed by little tariff on few
chests of tea, turned the tea into the ocean
of which they made vast teapot and in
voIved themselves purposely in destruc-
tive and bloody war, and to this day we
call it truly the glorious war of our faith
ers! We'd risk betting every cent we are
worth that were all the people of Wiscon-
sin to assemble at Madison, they'd vote
millions of tax and exact laws which dogs
couldn't live under-yet they'd never com
plain, but hurrah for democracy
For our part we have no confidence that
any party Or men, even the best, will ever
enact such laws or conduct affairs cheaper
and with less tax than the average Of
our Legislators in the past two or three
years. These are fast and dear times in
everything; nor will swiftness and dear
ness,high times and prodigality be les after
the panic passes by and times revive. On
the contrary, prices and taxes fortunes and
fast times will surely exceed anything past
or now conceived of in less than five yeays.
Economy is for single individuals, not for
the masses. The masses are not econom-
cal and economy in Legislation would not
represent the masses correctly. Therefore,
it is more popular to be extravagant than
to be saving. This is true, good poetry or
not, as Oliver Goldsmith told Tom Moore