Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-09-13
RAILROADS. BIG TAXES
N~orthWestern's Increase S42,.
Over 1899.
A SURE SIGN OF PROSPERITY.

perior's Hope of Eigness-Bigger Com
nnerce Than Saez CanaI-A scheme to
Make Madison II World Resort-Too
Many Game Laws = Other Gossip.
Madison, Wis, Sept. 5.-The in
crease in the revenue to the state from
railroad taxation is encouraging. State
Treasurer Davidson cheered the legis-
lature with such a prophecy last winter
and it is coming true.
There are sixty railroad companies
that pay taxes, and they are due twice
a yaar-February and August. The St.
Paul made its second payment Aug. 10,
and paid a total for the year of $685.
282.25, an increase over last year Oh
S23,671.
The Chicago and Northwestern lifted
its tax payment from S406, 59S to S448,-
40, an increase of some $42, 900 quite
an item that will go some way toward
paying salaries. The Omaha system
paid this year two payments of $685.
1876, a total of S198,gE2, against S127, 0S9
last year. an increase of $11,7 63. The
burlington increased from $47, SOS to
$49.6SS. The wisconsin Central from
SAT, 921 to S161 400, an increase of $13,-
$40. The increase of the "Soo's'' taxes
is marked, S11, 900 more than it's $42,-
GA paid in 1898.
AS is well known, the volume of rail
road business is one Of the most trust
worthy indications of general prosper
ity or stagnaticn.
Histories of the State.
1ne historical meet at Green Bay is
rot the first local rally of the kind.
There was a gathering with papers,
addresses, etc, at Madison during the
stmi-centennial, but a more analogous
occasion was the visit to the Bad Axe
battle ground. from Soldiers Grove
and Viroqua. Secretary Thwaites took
along some antiquarians and leading
citizens on the pilgrimage. Mr..
ThWaites was formerly a writer on the
Madison State Journal under David At
wood. He is a busy, accurate little
man ana a good executive, as shown
by the excellent efficiency of the his
torical library. in the operation of
which lie is associated with !. G. Brad
ley. the librarian. Mr.. Thwaitcs has
gradually drifted into historical pro-
auction, until now he has a recognized
standing in the country. His deScrip-
tive style is animated and hecked with
humcr, and now that Moses Strong of
Mineral Point is gone, probably he and
Henry Legler of Milwaukee know as
much Wisconsin history as anybody.
Both have written books on the sub
ject. Moses M. Strong's work is a his
tory of the territorial days-1S36 to
1913. Old Preacher Brunson of Prairie
du Chen, who lived to be very old.
left a book of state history. Tuttle's
history dated 1850 was II of a Sc
ries of state histories. It's author had
Il knack of readily aceumulating and
and digesting historical data, n it
was no effort for him to drop down
into an entirely new commonwealth
and dash off quite a readable book.
The Story of Wisconsin Indian
spelling retained) was by Donald Nc
Lcod, a Scotchman. who wrote i'll the
torties. William r. Smith was also
authorized by the legislature of 1854
to write a state history. which he did.
And there are others-enough mate
rial for every young person, or old
either, who desires to know OF the be-
6AAAlLIilS vi Ihih5os
Ancient History Nj Far Away.
1T seems strange that 1872" should
seem ancient history, yet Ashland is
thoughtful at the tearing down of two
buildings. An Ashland paper says
citizens are reminded of the early days
in Ashland, when the present city was
a tangled mass of wildwood, and that
old store building was the only place
in the scanty village to buy life's
necessities. The people used to gather
there to learn tn news. 1t was during
the days OF Julius Austrian's venture
in this northern country. One of the
old buildings was his store, and it was
the first ever built in Ashland. The
profits from this store helped in the
establishment Of the great lake carry
ing business OF Leopold IL Austrian. 1t
was here, in 1872, that the people of
the village gathered to witness the ar
rival of the steamer Peerless, JUS
huilt, and on its maiden trip to Lake
Superior. Only last year its sturdy
frame was pounded to pieces by a ter
rife storm. which drove it aground at
some place along the shore of Lake
Michigan,
Superior's Big
Superior people believe, and with
reason, that they have Il city of des-
tiny. Looking at the map, itseems clean
that in time there must be a great
city at the end of the lakes. Whether
interest and taxes viii eat up the pro-
fit on investments before that big pop-
ulation comes is a question each must
settle for himself.
A gentleman returning from Tacoma
tells me values are woefully fiat. One
Wisconsin party living there for some
years was offered $50, 900 for his hold
ings when coming away. Today the
price might be So, 900 If a purchaser
could be found.
But speaking OF Superior it has
railroads han any other Wis
consin city, Railroad Commissioner
Rice notes that it is the receiving OF
a vast commerce extending into twelve
states of the union, a large portion of
the British possessions, and across the
the Pacific to Asiatic countries.
OF the $500. GOO, eco tons of freight
handled by rail in that city, the cop
per regions of Montana furnishes 49,
Gee ons of copper; the salmon indus
tries of Oregon and Washington PIP. 900
cases of canned fish; the sawmills as
000,0 coo feet of lumber; the grain prai-
ries of the west 81 ,00O, 900 bushels of
grain; the Touring mills 1000, 900 bar
rcls of flour; the iron ranges SOC, 600
tons of iron ore: besides this, train
loads of tea from China and Japan
were railroaded across the continent
and loaded into boats at Superior for
shipment eastward.
The freight brought from the east
To be distributed in western markets
we're 1.S00. 600 tons of coal; 1920 bar
Te,s of salt; go. 900 barrels of sugar:
$4,000 barrels of oil; AZ. 10 tons of steel
rail. The of this lake port
is greater than that of the SueZ canal,
and reports from the government de-
partment at Washington places the
port of Lake Superior fifth in the
ocean and lake ports of the United
States.
How t0i Make Madison Great.
Great schemes are expanding the pro
Pressive merits and speculative in.
stincts of many Madison citizens. Some
want an electric line about Lake Men
dota. OtherS think a line about None.
ria would be better %patroniZed and in
cidentally develop South Madison and
Lake Side Assembly. The plan tC
connect Madison with Columbus
t~wenty-eight miles--is also lurking il
sa%gacious minds. One real estate ex-
pert said the other day: If | had the
millions Id show them whether
was visionary or not, I'd build al