The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-02-08
PUT FARMERS ON THEIR HONOR
kenosha County Assessor Will Seek to
Give People chsncs TO SHOW Incomes
but Will Reserve Right to Call Them
to Explain Schedules Filed with Him.

Joseph E. Dalton of Silver Lake. as
SCISSOR OF incomes for Kenosha county,
opened his Office at the court house
this morning and for the next two
months he will be busy in Kenosha
assessing incomes. Before the end Of
the week the work of sending out
blanks will be started. This work
would have been started this morning
but the assessor is waiting for the
coming of the blanks In the mean
time he is making up his list of income
earners in the city andP county and
every one of them will receive a blank
and be given a chance to make his
own return to the assessor.
In making up the list the assessor
found his first aid in the telephone
directory of Kenosha and Bristol and
nearly every man in the county who is
opulent enough to afford telephone
in his home will be asked to schedule
his income with the assessor. The
blanks are the best explanation of the
income tax law that has been giveF
to the people and the man who studies
these blanks will find that the income
tax is to be made a luxury and it will
not hit the man with an income Oh
$4,000 very hard.
Many stories have been written on
the exemptions that are allowed under
the law and in addition to those tina
have been enumerated tia blapks
snow that a man has right to claim
financial losses during the year as an
exemption. Assessor Dalton when be
showed the blank was at once asked
if the category of unexpected finan-
cial losses'' would include money lost
in poker and similar gambling games.
"Not on your life," was the response
of the assessor. "We are going to
assess a man s income but we are not
going to seek, to find out how he
spends it. If he prefers gambling at
poker or gambling on the board of
trade to picture shows and dinners
that is none of our business
Mr.. Dalton stated that what is
known as the honor system" will be
tried in Kenosha this year. In othel
words every man will have chance
to schedule his own income and will
be placed on his honor in making the
schedule. In addition to this, however,
the state will take the precaution of
having every one of the schedules
sworn to and the law is very strict
in regard to perjury in such cases.
cit is going to be up 6o--the man
who earns an income to start with,
said Mr.. Dalton, f"and if we are no.
satisfied with the way he looks at his
income we are going to give him
chance to see just what we think he
can earn and has earned in 1911. He
can come into the Office and show Us
where he is at fault. [ have a feeling
that this law will work out well and
that for the most part the men and
women of Kenosha county subject 70
income tax will make honest returns to
the assessor. What l want is to make
the enforcement of the law fair and
equitable with all concerned regardless
of the amount Of money collected fOz
the city and the state.
While Mr.. Dalton will give most of
his time to the work of assessing in
comes he will still have the duties OF
supervisor of assessments to take care
of and his office as supervisor of as
sessments will be located at Silver
Lake. The state tax commission in
sisted that the office of assessor of in
comes should be located IN Kenosha