The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-05-02

two vOteS-tWo-thirdS of the senate
and is unlikely. A number Of the We
toes have to do with local measures,
the reasons being that the bills are
loosely drawn, that present law is suf-
ficient, or that the enactments are in
the nature of special legislation
Taxing Railway as Other Property.
The assembly will deal this week
with the third railway measure
Halls railway commission bin and
the increased license fee proposition
having failed. This is another tax
commission bill, embodying the idea
of taxing railway property as is other
property. 1t has the advantage Of q
majority committee favorable report
a to 3 and as some of the members
hesitate to turn down twice running
the recommendations of the tax com
mission, it may get through the as
sembly, though hardly further than
that The opposition is getting all
their arguments before the legislature
in newspapers and otherwise. 1t is
a great question whether railroads
should be taxed on earnings, or ac-
cOrding to their worth as property;
and if the latter, shall the worth be
determined by stocks aud bonds, or
the original cost, or what 1t would
cost to duplicate the road. One can
find authority for most any PROPOSE
ton. The Wisconsin plan is the com
promise plan of license fee (percent-
age on earnings). 1t is an anomaly i'll
taxation and the railway attorneys say
that it is unconstitutional and the tax
is unduly high that they will shatter
it in the courts-and this is believed
~ L. TT Ion -
agreeable to them as now operated.
Gates County-Northern Chippewa.
There has been quite Il furry over
the new county to be carved from
Chippewa, whose immense area is
seen in the fact that even the new
division will be the seventh largest
county in the state. There will be
about 10000 people there. The assem-
bly, by a vote of two to one accepted
the name Gates in honor of the Mil
Waukee man whose company owns
about 435 square miles in the terri
tory. James L. Gates is a man of so
who went Ca boy of 81 into Clark
county and made success of lumber
ing Mr. Gates gives literally toward
the cost Of the necessary court house,
etc, but there is a strong feeling in
tached to the new county. Mr.. Gates,
on being interviewed, expressed mod
est pride in the fact that the assem-
bly, voted for his name, adding that it
was the second county to be named
for some one except a politician"
Is the State University Punched? .
The claims committees are working
hard on the budget and there is the
usual reluctance to make apprOpria-
tiOns so large as to neceSsitate a spe-
cial tax. Some of the veterans take
the ground that a special tax is not
felt by the people nor complained
about, whereas a deficit always raises
a howl. One of the reasons urged
against increase of railway taxation
is that if appropriations are properly
kept down the state does not need the
money. Professor Henry does not like
the idea of cutting the amount for his
new agricultural building from $175,-
600 to $150,00O; but the other re-
quests of the big school are similarly
scaled: Engineering school from
$4,000 to $4,000; and annual in
come college Of agriculture $4,000
asked, $4,000 granted; college of en-
gineering. $4,000 asked, $1,000 grant
ed; and college Of commerce, $1,000
asked, So, 800 granted. The bill pro-
viding annual appropriation to the
normal school fund was cut from
1925, 900 to $215,OO0. The apprOpria
lions for teachers Institutes was re
duced from $4,000 to $4,000, and the
bill providing for state aid to graded
schools was cut from $4,000 to $50
coo.
With the increase for the agricultur-
al schools annual income to $4,000,
comparison with other states is inter
esting agricultural colleges: Min
nesota, 1921 coo; Michigan, $124,000;
Iowa, $4,000.
Those who know say that Wiscon-
sin is far behind in equipment of
buildings, etc, on the agricultural
side of the state university, because
not enough money is appropriated
However the farmers Of the state can
have what they want and if they do
not care to back up BabcOck, Russell.
CARLYLE and their famous experts, it is
their own affair.
Reform Bills i'm Hard Luck.
There is an association known as the
Wisconsin Federation of Reform
which formally indOrsed eleven bills
proposing moral betterment. These
bills have mostly fallen down. Seven
of them fell in the assembly, where
they originated: Bills 1914, prOhib-
iting selling liquors by persons en-
gagged in mercantile business at the
same premises; 1924, to forbid free
lunches in saloons; 290A, to forbid the
sale of liquor within one nile of
the state capitol or university grounds
or within 800 feet Of a church or school
house; 2S1A, to establish a home for
inebriates; 3O1A, to provide that all
liquor licenses be paid into the county
treasury (one-half for support of the
poor; 306A, to prohibit delivering to
minors, even on request O. parents or
guardian, of Intoxicating drinks; 28OA,
ward option. The anti-cigarette bill
got as far as the senate, but no far
Their; ditto the Roe bill defining intOX
ication. Another bill is in the nature
of a referendum. The net result to
date of reform hopes is senate bill
aimed at publications of the nature