The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-05-03

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-
fic:snt, 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 bill 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 a
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
i'll 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 and bonds, or
the original cost, or what it 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 in
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
! to be sound. However, the plan is
agreeable to them as now operated.
! Gates County-Northern Chippewa.
| There has been quite a 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 49, square miles in the terri
tory. James L. Gates is a man Of so
who went Ga boy of 81 into Clark
county and made a success of lumber
ing. Mr.. Gates gives literally toward
the cost of the necessary court house.
ETC., but there is a strong feeling in
favor Of Jerry Rusks name being at
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 politician"
Is the State University Punched?
The claims committees are working
hard on the budget and there is the
usual reluctance to make appropria
lions so large as to necessitate 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 $15O,OO0; but the other re-
| quests of the big school are similarly
| scaled: Engineering school from
| $4,000 to $3O,000; and annual in
Gomez college of agriculture $4,000
asked, $4,000 granted; college of en-
| cheering, $4,000 asked, $4,000 grant
| ed; and college of commerce, $1,000
| asked, $500 granted. The bill pro-
viding annual appropriation to the
normal school fund was cut from
| $225,OOO to $4,000. 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 $780,
| 900.
With the increase for the agriculture
al schools annual income to $4,000,
comparison with other states is inter-
esting agricultural colleges: Min
nesota, $4,000; Michigan $124,O00;
/ 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.
L Reform Bills in Hard Luck.
There is an association known as the
| Wisconsin Federation of Reform
| Wnlcn FORMALLY lHuOfSeu eleVou Oils
proposing moral betterment. These
! bills have mostly fallen down. Seven
of them fell in the assembly, where
! they originated: Bills 1S1A, prohib-
! iting selling liquors by persons en-
gagged in mercantile business at the
! same premises; 1S2A, to forbid free
! lunches in saloons; 29OA, to forbid the
sale of liquor within one mile of
| the state capitol or university grounds,
or within 500 feet of a church or school
house; 2S1A, to establish a home for
inebriates; 301A, 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 of parents or
guardian, of intoxicating drinks; 2SOA,
ward option. The anti-cigarette bill
got as far as the senate, but no far
ther; 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
| IL.