The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1862-05-16

/ acknowledgement to Mr. Brown, for the grea
Labor which he had performed in his bill
and he could say that he had not found
/ anything in it to which he could not give
his assent. The principal features of the
! bill will be the groundwork of the action
/ taken in refe-e ence to back taxes. The
| Committee had, and he doubted not the
Legislature would, provide for future uni
form system of taxation He asked to be
excused from auv further discussion of the
subject.
J. A. Noonan, on behalf Of the Com
mittee, reported and read the following
Address to the people of the State;
ADDRESS
To the people of the State Of Wisconsin
The system of taxation which prevails
in this State has become one Of the most
complicated and confused features in its
| government. Nor is this feature confined
to this State. 1t is the case generally in
the new States In the early settlement
Of most new countries, Capital is in great
demand to aid Labor in developing their
resources. Hence Legislation, in such
countries, generally tends TO aid capital,
and induce its Introduction. Wisconsin
has not been Al exception 10 this tendency
of the legislation Of all frontier states and
territories Hence too high rates of in
terest have been allowed, and partial il
not complete exemption Of capital from
taxation encouraged. Particularly has
tnis been the case with reference to cor
porations. This policy has goLe on until
from onefourth 20 a third of the entife
property of the State is paying but nom
inal, and much Of it no proportion Of tie
burthens Of the government which defends
and protects it. While this is The case
with money, or monied securities either
in individual hands, or in the possession
of corporations, it is an undoubted fact,
that the Agricultural, Mechanical and
Commercial interests pay taxes on all, or
nearly all, the property they possess. The
result of this is that the laboring and bus
mess interests are sustaining more than
their proportion Of our State, County and
Municipal expenses.
A new era is about to commence in
this State, on the subject Of taxation. lis
Supreme Court has recently decided that
the taxes, for several years past, have been
Illegal, aud the assessments void. TO reg
ulae this-to collect from those who have
not paid their taxes, and protect the cti
zens who have, and prepare a policy for
the future-our State Legislature holds a
special session in June. Besides this,
within the next six months there will be a
nationa! tax to be paid, in support of the
war which is at present upon the country
The share which Wisconsin has to pay
this year in support of this war is over
half million Of dollars The industria!
and producing interests of the State have
! depleted and enfeebled themselves by
/ sending nearly twenty five thousand ot
/ their most energetic and active men to
/ fight for the preservation Of the govern
ment and country. Under this condition
OF affairs they demand-as they have 4
right TO demand-what every right mind
ed citizen will cheertullv concede-tha
ALL the property interests Of the State
shall share equally with them ia sustain
ing the blGhens of the n National, State
and Municipal governments. They have
to do nearly all tie fighting. and it is bu
! fair that they should do no more thar
/ their share in paving the public expense
! One OF the creates, and best practica
I statesmen of modern times has remarke,
with equal force and beauty, There arr
T no NECESSARY evils in government.
Its evils exist only in lis abuses fit wo',
contine Itself to EQUAL protection, and, a
/ Heaven does its rains, shower its tavO
alike on the high and the low, the ric
and the poor, it would be an unqualihe
blessing"
Your Committee have not time with
the brief limits of this address, 20 enumer
ale all the instances of inequality in th
present system of taxation, but beg t
snrgest few of the most elaring
/. OF the "a 511.36O acres centaine
in Wisconsin only 1881 600 were re
turned As taxable, at the last assessment
The United States. it is true, owns a larg
amount Of lands in the northern part {
the State which are not subject to taxa
ton. But this does not amount to one
half of the number Of acres in the State
The deficiency, therefore, can only be &C
counted for by reason of the large amount
Of land left out Of the assessment roll
under the color Of law. Indeed, numer
ous instances have been mentioned wher
in regard to exemption from taxation, th
assessors have been very erroneous il
judgment, if not criminally negligent i
design.
. Full sixty acres Of the most vaIua
bic real estate in this city belongs TO va
rious railway companies, on which are Il
Gated their depots, machine shops, etc
and rot dollars tax was last year reali2
ed OF even assessed upon this large am'
of property The same favorltsm and il
equality IN taxation exists in all the othe
towns and cities Of the State, In which ar
railway stations and depots.
3. 1t Is a we'll ascertanad fact by thos
who have investigated it, tha; last yea
full EIGHT MILLION dollars of the mos
valuable real and personal property With
the corporate limits of Milwaukee, did nC
paw auv tax into the CITY treasury, aud
, cost the city government more TO proteC
and defend the eight millions which avoic
. ed municipal taxation, than ii did th