The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-04-17
Henry George Idea brought
Out Prominently Among
Legislators at Madison.
LEGISLATORS ARE INTERESTED
Declared that there is Decided Move
ment in Favor OF Changing Wiscon-
sin Plan for Levyiug State Taxes
Single Takers Gain Support this Year

Although the resolution introduced
by Assemblyman Nordman providing
that taxing units such as municipali-
ties Of any character, or even towns,
shall be given the right to exempt i'm
provements from taxation and thus
make the available assessable proper
ty of the community the land in the
locality will not get by the legisla-
ture because Of the prejudice toward
the single tax idea, the fact that a
constitutional amendment resolution on
this question is being given serious
thought by the Wisconsin legislature
and that at least one member of the
state tax commission was willing to
appear before the Legislature in favor
of the plan, shows how near the single
tax idea is as a political question.
The fact that this was single tax
measure has been kept largely in the
background in the discussions of the
resolution. In fact, Tax Commits
sioner Adams, who was the member Of
the tax commission appearing for the
measure, proclaimed very strongly in
his discussion of the resolution that
he was not an advocate of the single
tax idea and claimed that his support
of the resolution was based rather on
the fact that it was a move toward
the broadening Of the powers of the
people as regards their right to fix
their own method Of taxation which
appealed to him as reason for the
adoption Of the resolution.
In a way competition is largely re-
sponsible for the serious consideration
which has been given the Nordman
resolution. Wisconsin is anxious to
see the settlement Of its northern Wis
consin land. 1t is admitted on all
sides chat such settlements would be
encouraged by the exemption Of the
improvements placed by settlers on the
land. Canada has adopted the local
community idea as regards the allow
ing of municipal units to fix their own
method for tax levies and the result
is that large section of western
Canada now exempts improvements
from taxation. Settlers who need all
the funds that they can command to
create prosperous farms out of wild
lands have been attracted by the lib
erality Of Canada on the exemption
question and as a result Canada lands
have been disposed of with great ease
and many sections Of Canada have
been improved much faster than the
sections of Wisconsin where there
are lands open for settlement.
Owners generally, also, Of the large
Wisconsin tracts are not disposed to
fight measure which has for it's idea
the exemption of improvements from
taxation. While they understand that
primarily if such exemptions were al
lowed their taxes on the land itself
would be increased and that the I'M
settled land would have to bear the
major portion of the tax burden, these
land owners consider that the in
creased sale of the land and the de-
mand occasioned for che land because
of the exemption of the improvements
from taxation would more than COM
pensate them for tho amount which
they would have to expend because of
the increased tax on the unim-
proved land.
Because Of the competition question
entering into the argument, it is not
fair to say that the entire attention
which the proposed constitutional
amendment resolution to permit i'm
provements to be exempted from tax
alton attracted was due to it's being
single tax measure. It is, however, a
TACT that many of the supporters of
the resolution saw in it move toward
the single tax and openly admitted
their support of the resolution because
! it was a single tax idea. The discus
sion over the measure both III public
and private before the legislature also
indicated the great amount of study
which is being given the single tax
proposition and brought forth the fact
that many people whom the general
public do not believe to be single tax
ers are fast becoming of the belief
that the single tax idea will by grad
ual steps sooner or later be adopted
in this country.
| Some of the most interested members
of the audience which listened to the
finance committee discussion of the
| Nordman resolution, were number of
wealthy manufacturers from Milwau-
kee, and there was considerable sur
price occasioned when one of the
wealthiest of these manufacturers,
whose corporation is a land owner, pub
licly announced that after giving a
great deal of study to the question he
had become convinced that sooner or
later the single tax idea would pre-