Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-04-20

| One Bill In Every Eight Taxes Somebody
Northwestern Life Willing to Pay $I75,-
900 Annually, but Resists $4,000 More
Telephone Companies Next TO Face
the Music--Abolition of Free Pass Will
Earn 100000 Annually to Railroads.
Madison, Wis, April 1S.-The new
tax commission bill Is what Judge E.
| w. Keyes calls "the most important
step In tax legislation in the history of
the state 1t makes Wisconsin a pion-
, eer In this reform" Governor Scofield
may we'll grid up his loins before he
fills the three appointments, for before
May Indeed, before adjournment, for
| the senate must confirm the appoint
ments) he must name three commits
sloners who will receive salaries Of
| S., 900, $4,000 and $4,000 each. They will
be entrenched in office for ten years
term, though, Of course, the Legislature
| may abolish the system at any time.
These officials. with probably an expert
| accountant at 81 800 a year and a stem
| ographer at 81 200 will occupy quarters
| in the state capitol, and no doubt 1t will
| take $40, 900 q year to sustain It, They
will have supervision of taxation in this
| state. They will investigate and study,
make reports and recommend legisla-
| ton. Not only state, but local legisla-
| ton will be within their sweep. For
| instance, the commissioners may go to
Portage and subpoena the whole county
board, send for papers and learn all
about taxation in Columbia county.
nna In EtuIf
At present there is no head or tail
to our system OF taxation. OF the bills
| introduced in the senate this session,
one in every eight is bill taxing some
thing or somebody. In the assembly
| the ratio Is one to seven and there are
almost as many methods of taxation
! as there are bills. One taxes telephone
companies so much per mile of wire.
Another taxes corporation on its
gross earnings Then there is the
unit" rule-any old way.
or course, all this means confusion
and injustice. Every year the people
OF this state pay $40 1000 600 in home tax
alton, to say nothing of $l0,0O0,00O fed
eral taxation. That means $50, 1000, 900
taxes n year Senator Whitehead,
whose efforts made the bill law, fol-
lowing Governor Scoheld's recommen-
dalton, says that in ten years state,
county and local taxation has nearly
doubled-from $l1 900, coo to $40 GOO, 000 1t
IL getting tremendous and some pub
licists like Benjamin Harrison and Bob
LaFollette have predicted that 1t means
anarchy, revolution and all sorts of
things unless the rate of increase Is
stopped and unless the load is evenly
distributed. This new commission Will
try to do this More than that, they
will look after expenditure, for 1t Is
estimated that from Is to 20 per cent
OF the whole is wasted.
Where IL tho $5, 900 Man?
The success of this new law wholly
| depends on the appointees and for that
| reason Governor Scoheld Is expected to
get us good men as he can for the
money. The salary for the chief posi-
ton IL $5, 000 and there Is chance for
| a good man to make national reputa-
tion--to become an expert and write
books-for, after few years, he would
know more about taxation than any
body else in the country, The chief
| precedents for this law are in Massa-
chusettS, where the assistant state
| treasurer was assigned to study taxa
ton, and finally built up a department.
| That state now spends Il big sum every
year In an effort to equalize taxes. In
| Indiana. too, an expert board Is at
work, General Michael Griffin, the con-
gresham, Is mentioned for the chief
| position, and he might take 1t. So, too,
| is suggested Burr w. Jones. the Demo-
cratic attorney of Madison, who served
~ 10 commission and Inbp
| NJ DIN. But these lawyers have large
| incomes and 1t Is uhlikely they would
| take the post, though the idea is to in
vest 1t with the dignity of a judgeship
| OF the supreme court George Green,
| the Green Bay jurist, who Is offered a
position on the supreme bench every
| time there is Il vacancy, would make
an ideal appointment. George KEENAN,
| of Milwaukee. who, with Mr.. Jones,
served on the temporary commission,
| was formerly tax commissioner of the
| Wisconsin railroads. and forgets more
about taxation every night than most
men know, will likely enough go on
| the commission in the second position.
| He is trained to the law, OF course, an
alert tax commissioner will open up
many new sources of revenue. The one
| In New Jersey III HNe years uncovered
more property that was not paying
taxes than had previously been UNI
covered in thirty years.
Some day the farmers themselves viii
be on the gridde and the corporations
time to laugh will have come. The alb
surd escape OF farm land from taxation
| Is notorious
Reaction rs to Corporation Taxes.
The bin taxing life insurance COM
panies so stiff an amount is in the sem
ute after passing the assembly. A re-
action has seemingly set in. No doubt
the high officials of the company have
been able to reach public opinion e.
some extent At all events, on a given
day number Of leading Journals of
the state counselled moderation and
there is much talk Of "eompromse"
and IAN nmcahle agreement"
The feeling that has most weight is
that life insurance has it's beneficial
side and should not he taxed too harsh
ly. And while It is true the great