Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-03-13


II iew CD tfle seeond term as eougi.
csARmhn4 the Indications are that h
has the powers to sustain his prestige
Mr. Lenroot is OF Scandinavian stock
his father reaching Boston in 1856
Polk county five years later, and COINS
TO Superior In 1870. when the city hat
2, 500 people and a boom was on. Du
luth, across the bay, was not though
of until later. The assemblyman was
born thirty-two years ago. and poi
ished off a common school training
with study in business colleges in Du
luth and Minneapolis. As with many
lawyers, stenography was his ladder
and he was reporter for the supreme
court In Douglass county. After sew
en- years study he was admitted III
1897 He married the daughter of Cir,
cult Judge Clough, who, after twenty
years on the bench, Is now in Califor-
mia, his wife being in poor health Mr.
Lenroot has two girls 10 and s years
of age, and Just now talks with his
family through the window of Madi.
sons contagious hospital, sickness hay
ing beset one of the little girls some
weeks ago.
Mr.. Lenroot's great bill is the one
allowing citizens TO vote on franchises,
il 10 per cent. of the citizens diSap
prove of the common council action.
This is a measure which passed the
Pennsylvania law house some years
ago. 1t Is now blocked in the senate.
but Mr.. Lenroot hopes TO get II out
A uniform system of taxation, Wis
consin. Minnesota and Michigan par.
ticipating, is u plan on which Mr.. Len-
root Is working, and MessrS. Mills,
Overlook and linn having conferred
at st. Paul with Minnesota commits
sioners. The Michigan commissioners
will soon meet our representatives
either In Milwaukee or Madison Mr..
Lenroot says copper and gold is being
unearthed up In his section. and Bos-
ton capital is even ut the point Of put,
ting up gold stamp mill.
Trying TO Advance Hallway Taxation.
Last week was largely given over
to railroad hearings. aud an able lot
of attorneys these "counsels" Of the
great corporations are. With Govern
or LaFOllette insisting for term of
years that railroads should pay more,
and the tax commission naming SG6 :
600 az the merited increase, 1t would
seem an easy matter; but the ability
of these visitors has had welght. TAX
Commissioners ellison and Curtis were
called in by the joint committee, Of
which Senator Whitehead is chairman,
and the dispute between them and
Bowers of the Chicago ard Northwest
ePn and the others at times wdXed hot,
The railroads object to the ad yalorem
plan Of taxation, they object to find
ing the value OF d railroad by calpulatv
ing the stocks aud bonds, they ques'
ton the findings of the tax commits
sion. and most of all they insist that
railroads pay more now than other
property. If there is any weak point
In their armor n is they offer no bet
ter plan of taxation. The debate made
IL clear that the state must always
nut able men on the tax commission
60 meet the arguments of these corpor=
alton attorneys, at least one IF whom
has $25. 600 year salary The rail-
WAYS already contribute large sum OF
money to the support Of the statel It
f. easily levied and collected. The
question of whether they pay their
share Is for experts and the tax CON-
mission has apparently worked 1t out
carefully that they should.
Great stress has been laid upon this
sentence IN Governor LaFollette's mes
sage: at is but just to note in this
connection that as appears by the
above tables. the railway companies
have been fairer than the average OF
individuals, who, as to the great mass
of personal property, assess them
selves: the percentage of assessed OF
ni,fp. ~ ruIr 80 hal ~
20 5-fO0 as against II 9-1o0 for all 9th
er personal property in 1897
The discrepancy Is In the return of
taxable personal property by the
labor commissioner. Mr. Erickson
1862. 500, 00o-and $3.50. 00000o by the
commission. Judge ellison stated that
the estimate of the tax com mission
covered only the personal property
which Is actually uncovered and SUBJ
ject TO taxation under the laws of the
state, while be presumed that the gov
ernor's figures included all personal
property which should be taxed
Railroads Will probably have to pay
more When the proposed increase Is
divided mp among them II Is not n
sensational increase, and as one of the
attorneys frankly admitted. Il will
come out OF the people anyway.
Primary Elections Getting Warm.
As for the primary election bill, we
may look for exciting developments
from now on. Friends of the bin ex
pect clinching testimony from unex-
pected quarters soon. The bill will be
materially amended, bat it is a mis-
take to regard 1t as dead. When CON
sentative men like Stout, Riordan and
KreutZer are willing to go at least part
way In trying the new plan. in addi-
ton TO the thick-and-thin LaFollette
senator's the idea that at least a direct
vote for city and county officers will
not be tried, is misleading There 10
good deal of threatening on both
sides, of course. but the thought ami
mates the cautious that II they vote
with the governor on his favorIte is.
sue, they Will be forgls en- by the other
faction, whereas TO stand out uncom-
promisingly against a platform pledge
may make them trouble with the peo-
pie,
have little idea that the state con-
yentiou viii be abolished and the plat
form and other features will likely be
plucked from the measure.
ORLANDO BURNETT
Six ladies now rank In the profeS-
sorate of Swiss universities. Berne
has four: one is the professor of his
tory OF philosophy, others are in the
departments of surgery and Of the
Tellurle observatory, while the fourth
Ia civic librarian. At Zurich there
are two in the department OF surgery
A lecturer on sociology wants tC
hsar a reasonable examination of why