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

| lDGlYtdudis escaped assessment ana AKA
ton. 1t is presumed that proportionate
sums have been held, in similar way
| throughout the State, alike free from as
sessnent and taxation and they are held
too, by class of men who have the deep
est interest in safe and stable govern
ment, and who should be the first to come
| forward with alacrity and defray their
portion of its expenses. Indeed, it is
3sesumed that of investments in the State
which are drawing the highest rates of in
terest from the arm OF labor-by this we
mean money used in shaving notes and
! other securities-not over twenty five per
cent. is reached by our present methods
Of assessing property
Parties whose interests have been sub~
served by partial Legislation, in reference
to taxation, and who are opposed to the
repeal of the laws exempting their prop
erty, and to uniformity of taxation. have
been industrious in misrepresenting the
views of the friends of impartial and equal
taxation. Their motives have been rep
resented as purely selfish. They leave to
time and the public sense of right, to vim
dicate them from such aspersions They
claim that railroad. bank and other cor
poration property, should be subject TO
taxation for local revenue; and that the
business lots held by railroad companies
and banking institutions, should be taxed
the same as property held by individuals
No class o. property or business needs the
protection of a police force, fire depart
ment, aud other branches of city govern
ment, more than railroads. There has
been no business in the State more remu-
nerative than the railroads for the past
three years, Why, then, deprive the great
mass Of tax payers of the share Of the pub
lie revenue, due from railroadss
The revenue from taxing the rolling
stock and tracks of railroads, should be
50 arranged that they would be certain
to 10 their share in supporting the gov
ernmcnt under which the companies en-
JOY their privileges, and from which they
derive their franchises.
Nearly every railway corporation, if
not every one, has passed from the hands
Of the original stockholders and managers
in this State, into those of non resident
capitalists. These NONRESIDENT proprie
tors purchased the securities which enable
them TO control the roads at heavy dis
counts, while the local stockholders here
who were stimulated by generous spirit
of enterprise to invest their money in rail
road stocks and securities, have lost al
they invested. These non residents have
no other interest in our STATE than to
draw from the sweat and toll of its citizens
the largest possible return from their in
yestments among them For the as,
two wears those returns have been enor
nous.
Some of the roads have been diverted
almost entirely from the original oojec
of their construction. and are now run
ming more for the benetit of neighborine
States and cities, who have loaned then
no credit and lost no money in their stocks
than they are for Wisconsin and its cite
and citizens who have done both, anC
through whose agency they were construc
ted Some of them, too, have even tbe
head offices or places OF business, anC
their books and records. outside Of the linn
its a1d beyond the jurisdiction Of an(
where they are not amenabe to the law!
Of the State Can any good reason exis
why this species Of property, thus situated
and yielding, as it does, to its proprietor
an income of from 10 to | 3 per cent pc
annum, should not pay as large proper
ton Of the expenses and hurthen OF tn
government, as farm of 100 acres tha
does not Weld its owner return of fv
per cent or the homestead, of the mechan
ic or laborer, that could not be rented $
As to afford an income of seven per cent
The proposition to tax ALL proper.
alike and to make no distinction betwee
public and private property, or propert
belonging to corporations, societies o
individuals, may at first blush appea
startling to some minds. But if we retieC
that by adding such a large amount to th
gross sum of taxable property, the bur
then upon the property heretofore take
becomes proportionably less-and the pr
vate taxes of members of societies or col
porations become less even in far great
I eT IdliO, III du tItlt COiiti iouliOuS W vi
societies or corporations will be increase
the objections vanish.
Uniformity of taxation has become
public necessity. The views entertaine
by the Supreme Court of the State hav
varied. Its decisions have neither bee
uniform O. consistent. As good citizer
however. it is the duty of all to abide b
the decisions now in force, ana which wer
last made. until they are again over.rule,
Those decisions are that unifornitv of tol
alton is imperative under the constitution
To restore confidence, therefore, in tn
validity of our tax laws, it becomes ne,
essary to remove, by uniformity of taxa
ton, all cause o. doubt.
The climax of the injustice ald absurd
ty of the present unwhoIesome and unJu
system of taxation was attained and illus
tra,ed in this city last year. In Jur
last, some Of the banks were mobbed b.
. cause they did not fulfill their allege
promises in redeeming certain kinds
currency. To repair the damage of ii
mob the city paid three thousand dollar
, That same year of our Lord, 1861, Il
! civ government did not receive one mi
| il revenue from the two millions Of banl
ing capital within its bounds, and whiC
, il had cost it three thousand dollais