The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-01-12
Entered at the post-Off1ce at WaShburr
Wisconsin. as second-class mail matter.

THE plan advocated in several
states to tax bachelors has
caused considerable fun, and at
first thought it would appear that
a tax was proposed on a man be-
cause of his success III escaping
cupid. But the matte" is to be
taken up in all seriousness in the
Wisconsin legislature and Senat-
or Roehr, of Milwaukee, will in
troduce bill imposing a small
tax upon all unmarried men over
twenty-on not having a family
dependent upon them. And why
not! There are plenty of young
fellows in every community,
prominent in public affairs, en-
joying all the privileges and
rights of government, who do not
pay a dollar into the public
treasury. And all because they
are not obliged, in order to live,
to maintain home Or an estab-
lishment. They have police and
fire protection, are as big as
any one else when it comes to
shaping public affairs, and bar
ring the fact that they have only
themselves to look out for-still
there is no reason why men OF
this kind, earning good wages,
should nothelp to pay the burden
of government. And besides it
would serve as an annual remind
er of the error of their way, and
such a system might induce
some of them to ''go thou and dc
likewise The tax on batchel-
ors is right and proper, and while
Wisconsin is reforming in mat
tiers of taxation let this be one OF
the reforms.
ONE of the Milwaukee papers
has been making a big howl
against tie management of affair
of the LaPoint Indian agency,
ard / as leer eiyj1 6 l;lticrla1
attention to the affairs of the
Stearns Lumber Company on &C
count of their method of operat-
ing at Odanah. 1t has dug up
some things that don't seem to
look just right on their surface,
but the accounts are no doubt
highly colored for their political
effect, there evidently being a
particular desire to make as
much trouble aspossible for Ma
jor Campbell, whose political az
gressiveness has angered some
of the factionalists. It will nc
doubt develop, in case of an in.
vestigation, that Major Campbell
has run his !ofice as we'll as any
Indian agent in the country, and
that the wrongs that may exist
are not his fault, but the fault OF
the whole parental system
adopted by the government in
relation to the Indians. Indian
Commissioner w. A. Jones, who
has just retired from the head OF
the department after a service Of
seven years, during which time
he has earned reputation as
having more satisfa ctorily con
Quoted the department than any
other man, gives it as his opinion
that the hemming in OF Indians
on reservations, should be aboi-
ished, and that Indians should be
obliged to get out into the world
and hustle the same as other
people. He POINTS out the fact
that Indlansare made to feel that
they can absolutely depend upon
the government to support them.
aud says that in hundreds OF
cases they simply live upon their
allotments and have no desire OF
incentive to work. The Commits
sioner is advocating policy thai
cannot hep but appeal to people
familiar with conditions among
the Indians, and if it was put in.
to operation the Indian would be
oo4lr bopofffoI bu +bo olonro