Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-01-19

10Y. Schoneld bleHhlal message rend to the
legislature Thursday was one OF the longest and
most comprehensive g. which any executive al
this sta,e over attached his signature a very
exhaustive explanation, Of the stntc,s fiscal
System IL given. Az the opening the gov.
elDor says he is ''Impelled TO suggest al
though nm innovation upon established
practlee,-1that II would be mn advantage to
the legislature and also to the incoming
executive II 1t were the duty Of the retIl-
Ing governor TO address 10 the legislature
message, covering fully the condition Of
public business with such recommends lions
az his experience and observation in Office
might commend to his judgment. Tho expc.
rlehce ana observation OF nm executive who
has served two or four yenrB, and embodied
In such n message, could not fall to be bcnc.
fetal to the legislature and helpful 10 his
successor This would not In any wise super
sede the message Of the incoming governor "
The sources Of state revenue ind the
channels OF expenditure are next noted. Wis
conSln has no bonded Indebtedness tech
nieally speaking aud yet the state owes on
eerthcnt N Of indebtedness $2,251 900 This
debt was contracted for war purposes be.
tween 1861 and 1865. The state FIRST raised
were redeemed by money accumulated In the
trust fund, and certificates Of indebtedness
given to the several trust funds representing
The amounts borrowed The state pays,
back into these funds the sum of Sl57 800
annually, the interest being at the rate of Z
per cent.
The governor fnvors the budget system ~
that IL, II seems to him, In studying the re-.
cGpta ana disbursements of tho various de.
partmenia, That 1t In necessary, If the legIs.
iainrS to vote nleIIsenIy upon
each Legislative session such "A state
mont. lie hopes that II viii become II
seitled practice of the state That all appro.
prntlons VIII be made upon the basis OF rstl.
mates aud be binding to the extent that
no considerable expenditures can be mnde
In any department beyond the estimates FUR
nlahed ut the opening of each session of the
IpHlHIutIlrp The governor virtually urDDDApA
u budget for the rest Of the present biennial
period. This nllows tho university the $780,
ready been provided; $i,5oO,O0o for the
common schools for the same period and II
too has been provided %0i0,0O0 for The nor
mai schools. nlrendy provided Sl,2DD 23s
lstrntlyc purposes ", 770, for the courts
$220,53s, nnd for the legislature S2l l,2lO
total OF So,S17.aI3 for the present bcn
Bile total income, bnsed upon the receipts for
the ast few years aud Including one ycnrs
receipts from the special Tux levy mndr To
reimburse the general fund In 1897. nggrr
gateA S6,S3u,SIO In this amount there IL
not included the money received from roun
ties for care Of their own insane IN other
county institutions, ns the stntt IN tina
particular nets merely M II clearing house
for those, counties. paying ench the amount
duo on TINS account but there IN Included
will be- received by the treasurer from churI
table and penal institute Ions mud from coun
tlen for maintenance OF thclr Insane IN the
various state instit at ions Thus there liz
shown to bo small probable dr)cIt Of
SI0b22.
There nrc asked special approprln ions
amounting To more thnn ySoo,0Oo These
ARE: $500 900 by the bOuvd of control hnlf
Of which h nskcd for nddil ionnl buildings
for the state rcformaiory S200.O00 for com
plotting the state Historical building $H5.
600 by the agricultural department Of the
state university; $4,000 Tor the erection
of n suitable building for the college OF on
cheering OF the university, mud $4,000 by
tho normal schools, besides nm appropriation
Tor the tnN commission, TO reimburse tha
trust funds Tor tha loan to the agricultural
society md smaller amounts for other pur-
poses, II al or amy of these appropriations
nre made, II viii he necessary Tor the cgs
lntnrp to provide by special tux levy or
Otherwise the money I" meet them.
nm convinced, says the governor, that
whlle the license system lnxiug certain cor
porallous now IN fore" IL the most prncii
cable method vet e"olNcd, II yet has rlr.
menla OF unInIrnet, nnd Inequality which
might, partially 81 least, he eliminated
There nrc certain foreign COrpnrat IONS doing
business within the state which believe are
not paying their share nr the expenses Of The
government Among those nrc Insurance COM
pnnes. the slG1plrg.Cnr companies and eN-
press companies I'hm thrrr are tho trust
companies and insurance companies of our
own state which do not scom tn hr fairly
taxed whom compared with other large cor
poratlons. our present graded license sNH
tenn of taxing the railroad companies con.
taIns some glnrlng Inconsistencies We have
un~ar this system Ave classes OF rond, tn"
classification being based upon tho earnings
per nile. The hrst class pays per cent.
upon its gross earnings the second Is taxed
az per cent the Inlrd : pc. cent the
ON all earnings over $1,000 per mllc ny to
$1,000 per mile, The hrth pays 81 per mile
only,
The clnss of roads which pay per
cent. of their gross earnings pny The rqulvn
lent OF II rate of forty.hNe hundredths Of |
per cent. upon the cost OF the ronds, The
third class which pays per cent. of their
gross earnings, pays hut tWentS-tiE one
hundrcdths of | per cent upon the cost The
fourth class phys but four aud one thlrd one.
hundredths of | per cent upon the cost
while the NTH pays hut one and eight tcnths
one-hundrcdths Of per cent upon the coat,
Some of the roads. which pay the thrilling
sum of 81 per mil" in taxes, and from
which the aggregate sums received varies
from 500 upward, show In their own
reports large earnings, aud IN such cases
that the management of the roads have
been able to pay large dividends. In view
OF thesc very Noticeable Inconsistencies.
recommend Tint the classification he nho)l
ished entirety aud that uniform license Zee
ronds dulng business Within the state. re.
gardlnsS Of what their mllcage or earnings
may hc. II the per cent fee, which the
first class leads nov pay, wrrr charged all
of the roads, the tuCumc Of the state would
DO largely Increased
The trust companies are somewhat Of Nu
experiment III NlScphSlh, ana rcnlIiC tnnt
II would be dlnieut to roach Il fNIr basis
upon which to tax them, Hut, until surh n
hhsls has been reached | recommend TINT
these companies he taxed ns other companies
are. upon the property they own, Certainly
there can be no injustice In this; rur there
Ii no reason why the property of u teust
company. whore II TX accessible, should he
exempt from taxation. more than the proper.
ty of u lumber company or amy similar cor
porntt iun. | am persuaded u would h. wiser,
temporarily at least, to abolish all foes In
connection with life. fire, accident and casu
atty companies, except level license lee
upon the gross premium receipts, Ii may
be found that the proper method OF taxing
Insurance companies Is to charge Il foe upon
their gross incomes. ns liz now done In the
ease of railroads.
The governor retorNtcs his declaration
that sleeping car and express companies
should contribute through taxation their
fair proportion Ia the expense Of the state
government, That they do not now do so
Is obvious | most earnestly commend this
subject to your prompt consideration aud nc
tion. IL IL possible that the hest mode or
reaching them is through II charge upon
their gross earnings within the state, whcth.
or 1t I've called II license Zee or n INK. II
II be found that this method cannot secure
from these non resident corporations y fair
.tlI ai,,p Ia