Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-11-29

EnDout the state tax levy, walicll we adj
init concerns us all, but we are not /. tax
lodging people ns We are aware that
/ government expenses must b. met
There We're a nunbersof reasons why
Fhere was no state tax levy during one
aud there are as good rcasoEs now to
Iellow Why the tux Increased ar the fol-
lowing telegram from Madison viii
show;
4 good deal Of discussion is Just now
1 going on over the increase III thea,nount
III state tax lexied BY the secretary Of
the state. Tile increase amounts to
nearly 100000, and OF this increase
| Milwaukee county pays nearly one third.
| The reasons why il is necessary to levy
80 large ii tax this year contains a pretty.
good storxof political iugglery By The
| democrats and short slghtedness OH the
part OF the republicans.
| When the republicans administration
c;aae into power ii 1884, after the state
4 had had four years Of democratic rule,
| the general funa out OF which all the cur
/ rent xpenslye theslate administration
| Is paid showed a deficit Of something like
$500 600. This was q good deal OF Il
surprise to the incoming administration.
l,pcause three mouths b fore the demo
cratic treasurer and secretl9'y OF the
atate III u report made public showed
that there was in the general fund on
| Sept 80, near $1Oo0,OOO.
III order to bring the general fund up
to this amount he democrats had put off
! the payment past due, forrnnning the III
| stitutions and state government, and
then between Oct. l aud Jan. ] had
paid these bills. After pairing them the
entire balance and some beside, was tram
Tered to the trust funds, and thus tax
Ell ont OF the general fund OF the state.
Tie transfer was, from the standpoint
4 iratlisaIl ttickery, a very sharp thing.
Ii left the republicans without dollar
to run their administration up to the
time that railroad license fees would be-
gin TO CONS in, and with the certainty,
algo that the income without Il tux
could not possibly meet the expenditures
for he next twelve months
The proper, businpss-like way to have
done was to levy enough in the general
fund 10 save theevying OF a tax or the
borrowing Of money The state treas
urer ilnmedrately found it necessary to
ask the railroad companies to advance
come Of their fees dusa month later III
order to pay the ordinary expenses.
/ The surprise OF the republicans was
! increased when, within two or three
weeks after they took charge Of affairs
something over $4,000 OF bills left
over Is tile democrats came in for pay
ment. These figures are shown il the
legislature records III q statement
furnished to the legislature by
the state treasurer and secretary of the
state in FEBRUARY, 1895. Ii the republic
canh had lpyiei state tax at that time.
| the onus Of a large tax would hayefallen
upon the preceding administration, be-
cause it was very apparent that he
condition in which the treasury was left
necesslated But the officers sought to es.
cape the tax by bringing over in one
way and another
In this way the matter ran up to
about Feb this year, when rllp present
Governor sent communication to the
legislature, pointing out the necessity
for leyying q tax in order to bring the
general fund OF the state up to the point
where it would not be necessary to Dor
row money. The tax this fall, therefore,
which is SO large, is the hax which
should have teen levied in 1898 and
charged up to the political iugglery OF
the democrats
Of course, the Pxpenseseo! running the
state are increasing each year The pen
al and charitable Institutions, the nor
NAL schools and the state university all
acquire increased appropriations eacn
succee ding year. This fact is also shown
i'll amount Of this levy
The people Of Wisconsin are willing to
pay taxes without complaint when they
know how The money is. expended is
shown by the fact that this increased
levy. while there has been considerable,
talk about it, has not.found any critics.
People seem to understand that money
is being wisely expended and the repubh-
can administration have simply been
made the victims OF a little partisan
trickerg on the part OF the democrats |
-Marshfe!d Times