River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-02-26
RIVER FALLS, WISCONSIN, THURSDAY. FEBRUARY o. 1880
TAXATION OF DEBTS.
FEBRUARY 10th, 1880.

TAXATION OF DEBTS.
FEBRUARY 10th, 1880.
EDIToRs JouRNAL:--Your article in
the JOURNAL of the 5th inst. on taxa
ton meets with our views. 1t has
always seemed to us unjust that peo-
Pile in the eastern States, or elsewhere
should loan money on real estate in
this county and avoid paying taxes
thereon. They do it in this way: A.
is the agent; he loans ST. 900 on farm
and takes a mortgage; when asked to
pay taxes on the notes secured by said
to person in another State and not
| to himself. Now it is likely that
when the assessor in the town of the
capitalist who furnished the money
| loaned makes his annual round, such
capitalist fails to report to the asses
sor the 81 900 loaned on farm here.
In the meantime the farmer pays the
taxes on his farm, and 800 year in
| terest; after toiling for five years and
failing to make his payment, agent a.
steps forward and forecloses the mort
gage, when the farmer, like the In
dian, must pus. his way further west
and begin his task of slavery in a new
field.
Messrs. Editors. is there no way to
make those capitalists pay taxes on
their money and relieve the farmers
and others of this burden of paying
taxes on other peoples property?
Yours, etc.,
OER OF THE OPPRESSED.
In reply to the interrogatory of
our correspondent we will state that
in our opinion there is way, if pur-
sued by the people through their rep
resentatives in the State legislature,
by which the owners of all mortgages
against real estate can be made to pay
taxes upon such mortgages to the re-
lief of the mortgagor. This course
was indicated, in general way in the
article referred to by the writer of the
above letter, but his inquiry implies
that we were not sufficiently explicit
to be clearly understood. We are I'M
reservedly in favor of legislation that
will relieve the debtor class of the
burden of paying taxes upon their in
debtedness, and think that law en-
bodying the following main features
would accomplish such II result, with.
out q shadow of injustice to the mort
gagee or his successors and assigns:
Whenever it can be satisfactorily
shown to the assessor of any real prop
erty that any portion of said real prop
rrty Is incumbered by mortgage, the
amount of such mortgage or mortga-
yes SO shown to be existing, should be
assessed against the mortgage or
owner of such mortgage. The owner
of such real estate should be required
to pay the full amount of all taxes as
oCooCN OuOtl lCdI COOdbC,
ing the amount assessed against the
MORTGAGE, and take separate receipt
for the amount so paid upon the mort
gagged assessment, which td.r receipt
should be made to apply in payment
Of a like amount upon any interest or
principal due or to become due upon
any such mortgage. The law embody-
ing in effect the provisions suggested
should relieve the mortgage from
listing his mortgage as personal prop
erty in order to avoid a double assess
ment of the mortgage, as such double
assessment would be as unjust as the
present oppressive law againstdebtors.
Every consideration of justice de-
mands the passage of law such as we
have briefly outlined. and when the
people take the nomination of legis-
lative officers out of the hands of those
who make politics a profession and
nominate and elect men whose inter-
ests are identical with those of the
people--honest men who are commit
ted to a system of legislation in the in
terest of the people, not one class
against another, and against jobs and
steals-then and not till then, will
such legislation be secured. This
whole matter rests with the people
themselves and we still insist that the
people should look after their interests
~ attending the primary meetings
and general elect ons. The question
IF taxation is not 50 we'll understood
~ the general taxpayer as it should
re, and Is IA fruitful theme for discus
sion.