Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-07-31
GOVERNOR PROTECTS THE STATE
TREASURY.
TOO LIBERAL TO COUNTIES
Executive Points to Large Appropri-
ations Made by Past Session of
Legislature and Says Counties
Ought not to Share in Collections
From Pending Estates.



Governor Davidson last night vetoed
the inheritance tax bin on the ground
that it purports to amend chapter 4
and yet adopts the sections of San
born & Sanborn's annotations, and
on the further ground that the provi-
sion in the bill imposing a fine not to
exceed $4,000 for violation of the
act is an excessive punishment and
would be in violation of that section
of the constitution which prohibits
the legislature from imposing exces-
sive fines and punishments. AS a
third reason for Withholding his APP
prevail the governor says that the pro-
visions OF the bill authorizing the
county treasurer to retain 20 per cent.
of the inheritance tax collected, while
the present statute authorizes the
county treasurer TO retain only 5 per
cent, would greatly reduce the reve-
nues of the state. On this point the
governor says:
9TH appropriations made by this
legislature have been very large in
deed. and all the resources of the
state will be needed to pay the appro-
priations already provided for. The
large percentage authorized by this
bill to be retained by the county will
seriously reduce the amount to be re-
ceived by the state for the inheri-
lance tax and lessen its revenues to
an extent to which / am unwilling to
give my approval at this time. In
der the provisions of the bill the in
creased percentage authorized to be
deducted by the county would also ap-
ply to the payment of taxes which are
now in the process of collection, and
which would amount to very large
sum. Several estates are in litigation
at the present time, involving inheri.
lance taxes amounting to many thous-
ands of dollars. This litigation has
already cost the state about $4,000.
| If it is successful the counties under
this bill will receive one-fifth of the
sums collected. feel that this would
be unjust to the state"
Vetoes Supplement Bill.
The governor also vetoed the bill
providing for a distribution of the
Sanborn & Sanborn supplement to the
statutes. The governor calls atten-
ton to the fact that to furnish the
state officers, judges, county clerks,
sheriffs, district attorneys, town, city
and village clerks, and the members
of the legislature with copies of this
supplement at a cost of four dollars
approximately $4,000.
THE publication is not an official
publication" says the governor 1T
will be necessary in the near future
revision of our statutes, and the
amount of expense incurred by this
bill would pay large part of the ex-
pense of such revision. The large
appropriations rendered necessary by
the legislature at this session, which
will exhaust the revenues of the
state that are available, has COM
PEELED me to withhold my approval of
this bill, which would add a consider
able sum thereto. A large part of the
statutes copied in this work has been
amended or superseded by the work
of the present legislature and the of
fetal publication thereof must be dis
tributed as soon as published Con-
sidering that large part of the San
born & Sanborn's supplement does
not now contain the statutes in force
in this state. it seems to me desirable
that so large an expense be not in
CURED for the purchase of the copies
provided for in this bill"