River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-01-19
GOV, La TOILETTE
AT TER ROADS
LARGE PART OF ANNUAL MESS
AGE DEVOTED TO THEM.
POINTS OUT PRESENT EVILS
Urges Prompt and Decisive Action
in Effort to Correct Existing
Wrongs-other Matters
Dealt with.
POINTS OUT PRESENT EVILS

Madison, Wis, Jan 12.-Gov Robert NJ.
La Follette'3 annual message sent to the
legislature Thursday afternoon is over 80
900 words in length, and is largely devoted
to taxation and railway matters. The fol-
lowing is a summary of its most important
recommendations:
State Finances.
Upon the 1st day Of January 1905, the bal
auce In the general fund in the state treas
ury was $685.. 1917.
Existing laws are wholly Inadequate to
insure the safe-kceping and integrity of
the funds and securities of the state in the
state treasury. These funds and securi-
ties at times amount to a number Of mil
lions of dollars and always are Of great
monetary value.
The legislature cannot act too swiftly in
correcting these defects by the enactment
of efficient Jaws applicable to the subject.
The governor then goes on to outline ten
separate provisions which should be in
c.uded in such laws.
The Tax Commission.
The passage Of the law for the ad valorem
taxation Of railroads, together with the
legislation previously enacted making the
members Of the tax commission a state
board Of assessment, imposed much ad-
dltionai labor upon the members Of the tax
commission. Its duties arc now largely ad-
ministrative and take up the entire time
OF it's members
The first assessment Of railroads, just
completed, has received l believe more
painstaking investigation than has ever
been given to that important subject by an
assessing body in this country. The duties
of the commission, acting as u state board
have been laborious and continuous 1t
may reasonably be expected that future
assessments will be less so, and also less
expensive.
The total amount Of taxes paid under the
Inheritance law to county treasures from
July l, 1904, to January I, 1905, as reported
to the secretary Of state is $26 400. 81. Five
per cent, Of this amount or 81, 320.19, is re-
tanned by the county treasurer making
the net receipts paid into the state treas
ury S25,O83.65. The total receipts of the
state for the fiscal year ending June 90
1904, were $4,319.77.
The present system of taxation of the
electric railway and lighting companies
should be abrogated and the ad valorem
system substituted therefor. The assess
ment of their property, should be made
by the state board of assessment, the local
rate should be applied thereto by the To-
cal authorities and the taxes accruing
therefrom should go to the municipalities
In which they are located. They do not
pay their just and equal portion of the
taxes
L uG W CSlcfu u mon lGleSFapn company
paid to the state for the year 1904, license
fee Of $1l, 822 &C. This company ought to
pay much larger sum as taxes on it's
property than the present law provides
No good reason can be conceived why its
burden should not be fixed at the same rate
as that which the railways are required to
pay. 1t is recommended that some proVi-
sion of law be made placing them under
the control of the state tax commission
and requiring that their property be taxed
in accordance with the ad valorem system
The assessment of the property of tele-
phone companies and corporations should
also be made by the state board Of assess
ment
All the life companies combined col
lected premiums in Wisconsin during the
year 1903 in the sum of S. 107, 800 Oh. Twenty
seven and nine-tenths per cent. thereof
was collected by domestic and 721 by for
eign companies
The mortgage taxation law, so-called. of
1908 has proved disappointment. While
no statistics can be produced at present to
show it's exact effect, it is matter of
common knowledge that the rate of inter
est in Wisconsin upon mortgages as well
as upon other credits, has not been reduced
since it's enactment.
| recommend the passage of an amend
ment 10 the constitution authorizing the
legislature to enact laws providing for "a
graduated income tax"
Railway Taxation.
After reviewing the progress of railway
taxation within the past few years, the
governor says:
The tax commission, acting as a board
of assessment under the new law for the
taxation of railroads, gave full hearings
TO the representatives of the companies
with respect to all matters pertaining to
the execution of the law. The assessment
was completed and the tax roll filed with
k,sNr g4r,Fs,
on the 18th day of October, 1904, and each
company was Immediately notified of the
amount of taxes assessed against it,
Upon the 9th instant suits were begun
by all of the principal railroads of Wiscon-
sin to prevent the collection of any tax
under the assessment.
And so at the end of all these wears Of
delay. these corporations will seek still
further to defeat the ends of justice and
defy the will of the people in a state where
they collect annually transportation
charges amounting. in round numbers. to
$50 600. 600
State Control of Railways.
The power OF the railroads in legislation
has been, perhaps, as manifest in Wiscon-
sin as any other state in the union While
the railroads have provided an adequate
service to many communities in Wiscon-
sin all over the state, are to be found strik-
ing examples of unjust determinations in
schedules. against some interests in every
town, and many towns on every line
The state fails in one of the essentials
OF government when it permits railway
company TO leave a populous and pro-
duCtiye area like that between Madison
and Prairie du Chen, with a railway serv-
ice SO deplorably bad as to cause contin-
ual public protest for years, without any
redress whatever.
independently of the question of excess
sive freight charges the state should no
longer allow the railway corporation to
control without supervision, absolutely
and arbitrarily. the commerce of Wiscon-
sin and through the control of that com
merCe determine what villages shall be-
The Callers ADVANTAGE,