Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-10-29
JUDGE JOHN {. KAREL
An Enthusiastic Speech Listened to by Large
Audience at Elks Hall.

why didn't some of you people say:
'McGovern, Stopl Prove some of those
statements, you makep
81 stand before you, hands free and
feet loose, and if Gov. McGovern can
bring down one fact showing that /
am allied with any special interests, l
will give you 81 900 to apply on any
charitable institution you may name.
"If elected, and / do not give you a
better business administration, want
you, two years from now, to come
down and kick me out"
He paid his respects to the game
wardenS, showing up the army OF men
supported by the state, for no other
purpose than to help build up the
LaFollette- McGovern machine. He
discussed the income tax at length
and showed in its present shape it
would greatly increase the taxes of
every property owner in the state.
He replied to the defense of this law
made by McGovern while here the
day before and said:
"One of the difficulties which I'VE
are up against in discussing the in
come tax law is that at the present
time we are unable to get all of the
figures which should be considered in
connection with an intelligent under
standing of this matter. Our oppon-
ents on the other hand have free
access to all of the figures and can
get whatever is desired by them for
the purpose of establishing their con-
tention.
/ understand that last evening
Governor McGovern gave out many
figures especially with regard to assess
ments of the income tax in MilWau-
kee, but did not give out any with re-
gard to how it would work in Mara
thon county. For instance the law
absolutely requires that the state tax
commission shall complete the assess
ment of income for each corporation,
joint stock company and association
on or before the 18th day of October
in each year and compute the tax
thereon and forthwith certify to
each county clerk statement of the
assessment of each corporation, Joint
stock company and association. /
quote this from Section l087m-20.
The tax commission has not yet made
this statement or at least has not so
far as this county is concerned certi-
fed to the county clerk the amount
assessed against each corporation, and
today is the 25th day of October In
other words the tax commissions is
ten days behind, and why you can
guess.
We are at a disadvantage in this
regard because if we knew just what
the corporation tax was to be in this
county / could give you just the
amount of increase which will haze
to be assessed on the real estate of
the county, farmers included and
poor men owning homes. l am able,
however, Notwithstanding thls condi-
tion 20 give you few definite and
accurate figures. Outside Of the
corporation income tax the persons
liable to an income tax in Wausau
will only pay SO, 1892. AS you can
readily understand, this amount is
mere pittance, bagatelle. The in
come tax of the corporations generally
cannot be very large because of the
fact that very few of them have been
during the past year making any
money. Now, further than this, by
reason of the reduction caused by the
withdrawal of property from assess
ment under the income tax law
Wausau suffered loss in its total
assessment on personal property of
$4,000.
This will have to be made up, of
course, by an increased assessment on
real estate in the city and you can't
get away from it. There is no escape
from the proposition that the tax on
the small homes and farms will have
to be raised in order to make up the
loss. Let me give just one illusCra
ton of the unfairness of this income
tax right near you in the city of
Grand Rapids. Last year Geo. L.
Williams as trustee of the Frank
Cameron estate was assessed for $780,
600 and paid in to the city treasury
as tax S750.0G. This year that $4,000
of personal property is cut off and he
is assessed only on the income, and
according to the records in the county
clerks Office, will only pay 1884.
These are facts and they simply illus