The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1905-03-16
NAY TAX INCOMES
Assembly Passes Bill to Amend
Constitution to LegaIize the
Taxation of incomes.
SAME BILL PASSED BEFORE
The Bill Passed Both Houses Two
Years Ago but by Mistake of the
Secretary Was Not Submitted
to the Voters Last Fall.

Wednesday afternoon the Assembly
after lively discussion, passed by
vote OF 70 to 16 a joint resolution TO
amend the constitution to allow the
Legislature to authorize an income
tax.
Pllny Norcross of GAINESVILLE, in
prepared speech, went into the sub
Ject exhaustive1y, arguing against the
proposition. He claimed that income
taxes had never been successful in the
many states in which the experiment
had been tried, reading statistics and
reports from several states.
Sixteen states have tried it, he said,
OF which only six are now continuing
1T. 1t has been successful in times of
war, but not in times of peace. He OBJ
jected to an income tax in that it
tended to discourage individual thrift
and enterprise, and maintained it was
none Of the business of the public
whether a man was making money or
losing money on his own individual
enterprises.
The amounts derived from income
taxes in other states are very small,
he proved by figures, and termed
the proposition as an expensive de-
1usive experiment, inquisatoria1 and
unpopular. He urged that the con-
stitution should be regarded as some
thing solid, permanent and enduring
and not something to be changed like
a weather vane to suit every passing
breeze of popular fancy.
Assemblyman Page of Milwaukee
submitted substitute amendment to
the resolution providing that the in
come tax may be graduated and pro-
gressive and that reasonable exemp-
tions may be provided with the under
standing that no tax shall be 1evied on
incomes of $4,000 or less and that no
income shall be taxed when the prop
erty from which the in come is derived
is taxed.
of the committee report. He said
that the failure of the income tax in
other states was due to the failure to
enforce the laws and that there ought
to be some plan devised to compel rich
persons to pay their share of the
taxes.
"The more inquisitoria1 we make
the law the better" he maintained.
Mr.. Page replied to him that there
should be certain safeguards against
the Entertainments upon the rights of
the people by future legislatures, and
that the constitution must be that
safeguard against radical legislation.
The motion to refer the resolution
back to the committee was lost by
vote of 90 to Is and the Page amend
ment to the bill was killed by vote
Of 70 to 10.
The joint resolution as passed is as
follows:
Resolved, by the Assembly, the SEN
ate concurring, that section of ar
ticle of the constitution of the state
Of Wisconsin be amended by adding
the following:
Taxes may also be imposed on in
comes, privileges and occupations,
which taxes may be graduated and
progressive, and reasonable exemp-
tions may be provided.
1t is not likely that the measure will
have SO easy sailing in the senate.
Such a measure passed both houses
two years ago, however, but through
an error of the secretary of state
the question was not put on the bal
lots last fall SO that the people did
not have chance to vote on the prop
osition.