The Kenosha telegraph and tribune. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1859-1860, 1860-01-19

H.
taxes is to make the property of the Stat,
pay the taxes ofthe State When all proper
ty, real and personal, is assessed at ifai7
cash value, the burthens of government ok
penses are equally and fairly distributed
The property of every man is protected BY
the law, and each should be compelled tC
pay to meetthe expenses of the State accord
ing to what he has. 1t is difficult to conceive
why any discrimination should be made il
the assessment OF personal and read estate. ~
An offset OF indebtedness against assessed
valuation might as well be made upon ar
lncumbered farm, as debts deducted from
the valuation of personal estate. This cues
ton OF assessment and the levy and 3eollec
ton OF taxes commends itself to your care
iul Reconsideration. Independent of the de
| fect IN the law, growing out of the .discrimin
a at above suggested, our present law is de-
fective in its details and machinery, It re
quires simplifying and perfecting. u a'f.:a
The total taxation levied last year fol
State purposes including, the amount tc
meet State Indebtedness, and for township
libraries, was 4-l0 mills per cent. on the
dollar OF valuation, producing in the aggre
gate the sum of s$2343l011, of revenue
Ihls is $500, 900 less than the previous year
and less than any year for the past six years.
.eel ie 4ur-au. Il STATISTICS. ,fr a. s
IS The returns required by law to be made
TO the Secretary of State of agricultural man
utactunng and mineral statistics, are very
imperfect and show an inexcusable NEGLECT
IN the officers charged with the duty of max.
ing such returns. So far as they have beer
made, they show the valuation of the pro-
ducts of industry to be $33,-99677l, the
counties of Grant, Kewaunee, La Crosse
Manltowoc, Milwaukee, Portage, and Wood
making no returns - These counties are
among the mostimportant in the State. The
same neglectis. exhibited in other particulars
Inc number of Deaf and Dumb reported is IL:
/ Inc number of Blind reported is ...r 5!
The number Of Insane : 10y ~ .sot' .i 9;
And the number of Idiotic -. -.-,.- s2- 6;
Forty-nlne counties make no report.-Tht
law which requires statistical information tt
| be furnished, is entilely inadequate, and ough
70 e.revlsed Severe penalties ought to b,
imposed upon officers who either carelessI
or wilfully, fail in the performance of suci
duties It's matter of great public concerl
that, every year, information be furnished O
the evidences ofinereasing wealth and pros
perlty of the State. 1t is safe to conclude
that scarcely more than half the mineral anC
agricultural products and manufactured ar
hcles and fabrics of the state are shown b,
the reports made .Ofthe vast lumber ant
timber trade of the North and Northwest
| we have but a very imperfect knowledge. TIL,
Legislature ought to be furnished with al
the facts showing the wealth of the state, anc
the energy and enterprise of the people L
would be useful to our citizens at home anC
do credit to the state abroad 1t would invite
capital hither for permanent investment
from which far greater advantages would b.
reaped, than from foreign capital Eoaned al
twelve per cent.
! COMMON SCHOOLS.
| The number of persons of school age
that Is between four and twenty years of age
as returned for 1859, is 279,87
The average length of time schools have
been taught, is five and one half months. Tota
number Of school districts in the State. i
1881.
Valuation of School House Property S1,IS5.1S1
Inc average wages paid to male Teachers
per month, has been % O
The average wages of female Teachers l42
The amount paid for Teachers wages during
the the last year, is $50, $50
That sum is an increase of over $20O,OOC
above the aggregate amount paid for tn,
same purpose the previous year
According to the figures of the Secretary
of State, as fhave before stated, the amour
to be apportioned for the support of schools
next March would be $245272, if the inter
est due the School Fund should be properl
paid; but the experience of the past YEA
showed a deficit Of about $40 900, owing t
the failure to pay interest, and the Suprin
tendent of Public Instruction estimates for
considerable, but not so large, deficit til,
present yeaa
The School Fund is less, by about $69, 900
than last year, owing to the failure to pa,
for, and the consequent forfeiture of land
heretofore sold.
The policy that has been SO long pursued
OF selling the school lands, either in large o.
small quantities, with so small portion c.
the purchase money paid down at the time O
the sale, has been most miscellaneous. TIT
evils of that system now begin to be realized
The entry of large quantities of the bes
agricultural lands belonging to that fund b,
spectators, to be put into the market a
! specializing prices, has retarded the settle
ment and cultivation of the lands, and fnan
clal reverses have returned them, by thous
ands of acres, upon the fund. Lands, valua
bic chiefly for tim Der, have been held unit
their value has been destroyed by exhaustion
OF the forests growing upon them, and ther
forfeited The school lands still in the hands
OF the state unsold, are every year deteriorat
ing IN value for want of adequate legal means
to prevent trespasses The Commissioner
should be armed with the necessary lega
process by the Legislature and ample means
furnished them to pay the expenses inciden
to prosecutions and protecting agencies.
The Board of Regents of Normal Schools
composed of educated and discreet men, ha.
been an excellent auxiliary to our school sys
tenn The Teachers Institutes under thu
direction and supervision Of Chancellor Bar
nard, an accomplished scholar and teacher
are giving new life and vigor to education il
the state They are making teaching pleas
ant and profitable duty, rather than a task
land the children in the schools are reapine
rich harvests of knowledge and thoI ght from
the intellectual soil well prepared, and thu
seed well sown
! BANKS AND BANKING.
On the first Monday of January, 1859, thu
whole number of Banking Associations, do
ing business under the laws was ninety-nine
having an aggregate capital of So, O45, 900
During the year 1859, fftehn new Banks have
been organized, with an aggregate capital O
| 1915, 900.
Five Banks have increased their
- capital. $4,000
Total capital, January l, 1859,
and increase $500
Ten banks have reduced their
capital $4,000
Six have relinquished business
with aggregate capital of $50, 900 1920, 00
The whole number of banks in
operation on the first Monday
In 1860, was one hundred and
eight with an aggregate cap
italOf 100000
The decrease of banking capital
for the year is 285,OO
The whole amount of counter
signed n ties issued and deliv-
cred to the bankers and out
standing the first day of
January 1860, is $4,609 432,