Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-12-26

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The telephone hearing is develop
ing much interesting material for the
public and the Wisconsin Telephone
company seems to be meeting crlti-
cisms with frank and thorough expert
testimony. The opinion of the dis,
interested people, who are hearing it
all, seems to be that the showing IS
good one for the company.
The Independent telephone scheme
got body blow from the supreme
court this week, that is all the harder
because it was just what was predict
ed. The court decides that the So
called franchise granted the com
pany by the common council, is void
and of no effect, because the state
law governs telephone construction.
Mr.. George P. Miller, attorney for
the Bell company, told the committe ,
of the council that, if granted, 1le
franchise, or permit, would not be
worth the paper on which it was
NluUlCdL-
ed. The promoters, of course, want
ed something that would sound well
in prospectus, but as they have, So
far, failed to finance their shadow,
the sequel leaves them worse off than
if they had not asked it. told
you so, is at times a grinding phrase.
The subject of higher taxes is a.
tracing an attention this year that
! it has not received for several years,
because people are counting their
dollars more closely. The average
tax payer is beginning to inquire
what it has profted him to make the
corporations pay more taxes, as be
looks over his receipts and sees a
steady increase in his tax bills. The
fact IS that the state and the cities
and most of the counties and towns
have been having the boom fever
and expenses have kept growing. Il
is not political question, but it is
one that touches vitality the condition
OF every property owner anu indus
try. This year Illinois is assessed
for purposes of taxation, $1,138,6O0,
600, and can not apply to that rate
of more than per cent Wiscon-
SIN is assessed, this year, on $685.
100000, almost double the assessment
Of Illinois, which has more than twice
our population and contains the
great city of Chicago. Wisconsin in
! dustries will not be benefited by such
a state of facts.
The life insurance companies are
making ready to move out of Wiscon,
sin the first of the month, and there
are a lot of blue agents getting ready
to break camp. For the general
agents, especially, it is a serious
matter They have renewal con
tracts and have invested money as
well as years in building up organl-
cations that will now be all snot 10
pieces and, even if the laws should
change so they could return two
! years from now, the damage will new
er be recovered. The probability is
that, after spending two years IN q
new field IN another state, these men
| will remain rather than sustain the
double loss Of another change, and
lnew men viii come to Wisconsin
when the companies return, if they
( do. at some future time. To illus
trate the permanent aspect q
changes now making. the Mutua
Life of New York will send Smith
its superintendent Of agents to Fargo
IN. D., to take charge of the Office
there, and McWilliams, the chief in
side man in the local Office, will q
to Fargo as superintendent of agents
This is a permanent change. Their,
5 are cases, where men have homes ans
interests outside their insuranc
work, where return to Wisconsin