The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-09-21

Kenosha Will Send a Delegation to
Madison to Appear Before the
Board of Equalization.
DEMAND EQUAL TAXATION.

DEMAND EQUAL TAXATION.
All the Cities in the State will Unite to
| FTustrate the Efforts of the So-CalIed
Milwaukee Tax Commission" in Their
Plan to Reduce the Taxes of Milwaukee
at the Expense of Others in the State
Business Men Favor the Plan.
A movement has been started among
the cities of the state to make a decid-
ed fight against the effort now being
made by Milwaukee manufacturers to
have the taxes of the city of Mi1wau-
kee reduced at the cost of advanced
taxation of other cities in other parts of
the state, and the city of Kenosha will
be in the vanguard of the army which
will go to Madison on the 10Th of this
month to fight the case before the
State Board of Equalization. Mayor
German this morning received letter
from the Mayor of Racine inswhich the
case of the cities outside of Milwaukee
is plainly stated and in which the
Mayor of our northern neighbor asks
that Kenosha join the great movement
to assist in demanding justice from
the state board for the smaller cities in
the state. AS soon as the letter was
received the Mayor held hurried con-
versation with prominent business and
manufacturing men of the city and all
of them seem heartily in favor of
entering a decided protest against the
hog tacticts which have been adopted
by the so-ca11ed ''tax commission" in
Milwaukee. A short time ago this So
called commission, which has no
authority from the state or any where
else, visited this city and without
securing any figures from manufact ur-
ers made report to the State Board of
Equalization which was as far from
the facts as it was possible for cold
figures to be. Not single manufac-
turing industry in this city was repre-
scented in anything like proper light.
,Wierd and fantastic prices were placed
upon reality, and personal property in
many cases was boosted to a value
which, if it were right and equitable,
every man in the city connected with
a factory might well be considered
millionaire. Of course the figures as
presented by the so-ca11ed commission
made a pronounced sensation. Wien
they were shown to the people of
Kenosha they simply laughed at the
affair, but on the strength of these
fake figures, obtained only from the
gination of the so-ca11ed COM
missioners, the State Board of Equal
cation will be asked to cut off a gener-
GUS part of the state taxes now paid by
Milwaukee manufactures and bankers
and have them placed upon the people
of the other parts of the state.
Various business men and manufac-
turers were interviewed today in 1e-
gard to the appointment of a commits
sion to meet with the other cities be-
fore the State Board and all of them
were heartily in favor of such course
being adopted. Several of the men
stated that they were willing to go be-
fore the Board and ask for an increase
of the taxes in all parts of the State,
as they did not believe that the manu-
featuring industries of the State were
taxed proportionately The Kenosha
contingent will, however, fight vigor-
ous1y against any increase in the taxes
of the industries of this city unless
some proportionate increase is made
for the Milwaukee industries. The
question of the appointment of the
commission from this city is the only
question which is bothering the Mayor
and his assistants. Some of the mem
bers of the industrial population seem
to think that the whole affair should
be turned over to the Business Mems
Association and they be permitted to
take final action in regard to the APP
pointment of this commission. This
association has not met for several
years and the president seems to fear
that it would be impossible for the
association to get together in time to
make arrangements for the meeting at
Madison on next Tuesday evening.
eve are in favor of the protection of
our home INDUSTRIES said a prominent
city official this morning, "and if it is
necessary a mass meeting of the citi-
zens should be called to appoint dele
gates to represent the city before the
State Board.' The time for the ap-
pointment of this commission is very
short and some immediate action
should be taken.