Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-01-21
Our Exc client Financial Condi-
ti0n.
The Watertown Gazette, in its is-
sue of the sth inst, contains the fol
lowing editorial paragraph:

sue OF the Sth inst, contains the fol-
lowing editorial paragraph:
As many taxpayers are asking the reason Why
taxes are 50 much higher for the year 1885 than
for 1884. it might be well to remind them that
no state tax for school purposes vas levied
during the latter year, consequently they have
been doubly assessed for 1883. The Republic
can took advantage OF this scheme in 1884, as
an election dodge to show taxpayers how eco
nomical they were in running the state govern
ment. Had the affairs OF the state been man
aged rightly, there would be no occasion for
levying a tax for any such purpose, since Wis
consin should have a state school fund of 81
$4,000. The question now arises, what has be-
come of this large amount Of money! We be-
lieye it has never been accounted for and il Is
high time that the people should know for
what purpose it was spent The low state tax
Of 1854, occasioned by leaving for payment in
1885 what should have been paid in 1854, is only
one Of the many ways the Republican man.
ayers endeaver to blindfod taxpayers, and that
dodge Is in marked contrast TO the one which
several Republican papers hereabouts are at
present using in their endeavors to convince
the people that the National debt has been
greatly increased since the Democrats have
gained control of the government, whereas just
the opposite is the case. From April LIST, 1885,
to Dec, 81, 1885, the reduction of the National
debt amounts to $50, l24,35s, gain OF SIS ,697,
l49 over the reduction during the same period
in 1884, under Republican administration.
Regarding the expenditures for running the
government, from July LIST, 1855, TO the end of
the year. during Democratic administration,
they are nearly s9,0000OO less than under Re
publican management for the same period in
1854. Taxpayers should note carefully these
figures.
To which the State Journal re
plies with the following refutation:
1t is seldom that so many glazing
perversions of truth are contained in
one brief paragraph. To allow them
to go undisputed, might argue to
many an Acknowledgements of their
correctness. The legislature of 1888
authorized the levy Of state tax of
$4,000 for general purposes in
1884 and 1885. But on account of
the large balance in the treasury,
Secretary Timme deemed it uunec-
essary as well as unwise to levy the
same. Consequently, the taxpayers
were not called upon to pay this
general tax in 1S94-5, and such is
still the excellent condition of our
state finances that no such tax will
be levied in 1887. During the
campaign of 1884 nothing but abso-
Lutte facts concerning the finances of
the commonwealth were stated by
the Republicans. 1t was shown that
this very favorable status was
brought about by the increase of
revenues from corporations and the
wise economy practised by the Re
publican state administration.
While the Legislature of 1885,
acting in accordance with official
suggestions, did not levy any "tax
for general purposes" for that year,
it did very materially add to the
common school fund, make provi-
sions for increasing the support ten
dered to high schools, and vote $lo,-
600 for the erection of a normal
school in Milwaukee, while the leg
islature of 1883 added to the state
university income.
The state tax, it will thus be seen,
is wholly made up of items for ed
ucational purposes, each levied ac-
cording to special statutory demand.
The common school, the one-mill,
the interest on certificates of indebt-
edness and the school fund income
taxes, aggregating $685., 82797, will
be apportioned back to the several
counties in next June's school APP
portionment, on the basis of the
school census. Therefore, while
technically state taxes, they are
practically county taxes for school
purposes, collected in behalf Of the
counties by the central state govern
ment. 1t Is presumed that no citi-
zen who loves the cause Of popular
education will ever regret it.
The Gazette'S major premise, of
intended deception on the part of
the Republican managers, being thus
proven false, it is presumable that
any sensible reader will see that its
conclusions fall also. The Gazette
makes very unfortunate allusiop to
the condition of the school fund.
Barstow and his Forty Thieves
squeezed the school fund sponge dry,
in good old Democratic days, and it
has never yet recovered from the
shock. The Republicans of Wis
consin are alone to be credited with
the fact that there is to-day any
school fund at ALL As for the finan-
cial affairs of the Nation, it is some
what early in Mr.. Cleveland's ad-
ministration to make any compari-
sons between their present and past
condition. A perusal of the treas
ury statements for the past nine
months will convince anyone that
the reduction of the public debt
under the new administration does
NOT cop,para fa,,,,.a ;, ~ with t,ravipus