The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-10-16
Addressed Enthusiastic Crowd ir
ManitOwOc County.
HIS SPEECH AT THE OPERA HOUSE
Touched on the Vital Issue OF Doubl
Taxation.
IT WAS ATTENTIyELY LISTENED TO.
|Henry MulhollaGd Presided at the Urea
Mass Meeting and feIicitOusly In
tr0duced the Candidate.

Large audiences greeted Mayor
David S. Rose, the gubernatorlal can
didate on the Democratic ticket, on
Tuesday and Wednesday in Manltowoc
The mayor spoke in the city ON Tues
day evening and long before $3.50 O'Clock
the Northside Opera house was Jammed
with great crowd, all enthusiastic. Ii
fell to the LOT of Henry Mulholland to
introduce The nominee and he did it in
a few graceful words which were well
received. After paying his attention to
the game wardens the mayor took up
the absorbing question of taxation.
Upon this vital issue he said;
Since 1853, perhaps before that date,
our statutes have contained law pro-
viding that all property shall be taxed
This includes mortgages and credits as
we'll as all species of tangible property
But Notwithstanding this fact that law
has lain dormant and it has not been
the policy TO enforce payment of taxes
upon mortgages.
The last legislature by section ! OF
chapter 445 created anew Office 10 each
county of the state known as the
county supervisor of assessments. he
is elected by the county board of super
yisors, and is given full and complete
supervision and direction of the work OF
the town, city and village assessors OF
the county" He is required to report
annually to the county board and to file
a copy of his report with the state tax
commission. The county supervisors or
assessment are placed under the super
vision and direction of the state tax COM
mission, while the state tax commission
is in turn directly accountable to the
governor.
These county supervisors OF assess
ment are nothing more or less than in
quisitors, given power to bold inqu'si-
tions upon the people of their respective
counties as we'll as the town and village
assessors.
These county supervisors of assess
ment in almost every county in Wiscon-
sin have insisted upon the taxation OF
mortgages.
If taxation of mortgages operated as
a tax upon the capital represented by
the mortgage it would present differ
ent question, but the application of this
law in practical effect has precisely the
contrary results, and effects tax up
on the property covered by the mort
gage.
Through the activity of these inquisi-
tors the old law that had become obso-
lete from long disuse was revived and
put into operation. With what resultf
Have general benefits accuredf HAS
greater uniformity been obtained? Far
from it. On the contrary. it has result
ed in a species of double taxation most
burdensome to those who can least af-
ford to bear it and who, under the rule
of uniformity and equality, should be
exempt from it.
Real estate is required to be taxed to
it's full value, and mortgages upon that
real estate are likewise required to be
taxed, and here is effected the double
burden.
The farmer who owns his farm, or
the laborer who owns his home is taxed
to the full value of his property. Then
if perchance through misfortune or ad-
versity that property is incumbered by
mortgage, the mortgage is likewise
taxed
Nor is this the worst feature of this
condition.
While presently the owner of mort
gage may be required to pay the tax up
on that mortgage, when the mortgage
natures and the new loan is applied
for to succeed it, the interest rate will
be increased to include the tax; or,
provision will be inserted in the mort.
gage requiring the borrower to pay the
tax, and in either event the tax will not
be paid upon the capital represented by
the mortgage, but by the borrower who
is driven by force of circumstances to
carry the incumbrance.
Supposing that the owner of home
stead desires to borrow money with
which to go into business and for that
purpose places a mortgage upon hiS
home. In that event, under Mr.. La
FoIiette's reform vagaries, he would pay