Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-03-11
DISLOYALTY In CONGRESS.
Milwaukee Writer Takes Rap at Ger
tain Congressman. Some
Figures on Taxes.
(By Ellis 3. Usher.)


Washington, indicate that, as in 1861
congress is full of cowardice and dis
loyalty. They also point very strong.
ly to new political lineup, such as
| have been predicting. l have trav.
eled, in the middle west, great deal,
for the past eight months, and have
taken note of public sentiment, az
these letters have, from month to
month, indicated. Mr.. Wilson may
need Republican votes in congress
but there is every assurance that he
will have them There is no commu-
nifty in Wisconsin where he will not
have Republican votes. AS usual ouI
congressman are traitors. A poll OF
the Wisconsin delegation early this
week, by the Chicago Tribune
showed only Reilly, Democrat, and
Frear and Lenroot, Republicans,
standing with the president for the
honor of the United States. A sorry
spectacle that, but they will hear
from Wisconsin before election day;
and they will not be likely to misun-
derstand. The people are loyal to
their government. Party politics are
very likely to disappear this year, as
they did in 1862. The Lincoln slogan
of 1864 may be revised I'VE don't
swap horses while crossing stream. -
ON STATE TAXES.
For some months the people of Wis
consin who think and who know
something about state expenditures
and about taxes, have been puzzled,
even more than they were under the
McGovern regime, to understand the
fragmentarv figures, and the persist
ent claims that taxes have been re-
duced." The state tax commission
is authority for the statement (see
special report dated Dec. 81, 1910
that the gross receipts of the state for
1904 were So, 1867, 949. 62, and for 1914
500, 707 ,946.51. That is an average
annual increase of over 81 $3.50, 900.
The laws are so constructed that most
of this increase continues, automa-
tically. Just how our expenses, not
state taxes" or any other juggling
term, have been reduced, does not
appear.
INCOME ~rAX.
The Wall Street Journal had an ar
ticle the other day from Mr., Kent X
KEENAN, of this city. discussing the
income tax experience of this state.
most interesting feature of which
is the showing that ii is tax that
gets ode mon" In the first four
years 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, firms and
individuals paid 1867 ,337, and cor
porations $40, 1902 1886. under this law.
This is adduced as the evidence that
ii is success. Likewise, during
the same four years, receipts from
taxes on railroads grew from 50, 269,
220.s2 to 81, 300 ,917.33. Receipts from
state licenses from corporations, au-
tOmobiles, etc, fourteen of them
new within recent years. grew in the
same time from s346, 27q.sS to 1898.
045.67. There are many more equally
interesting evidences of the Success
of Wisconsin laws in taking much
money from productive industries and
ant arpriS ii r0 irdSxfd,toIo The Ho0,
tinuing appropriation" to the Uni
versity and other schools, which in
crease year by year, automatically,
with the rise of the general property
assessment, are, also industrious.
From this source the University will
get about sl50,000 more this year
than it did last. All these devices en-
courage public expenditures. If large
and steadily growing expenditures
are evidence of tax success" all our
Wisconsin laws are highly successful.
state expenditures, by which l
mean money that passes through the
hands of the state treasurer under
the mandate of state laws, rose from
SIS, 49l ,923.6O in 1911 to So, 7O7, 949. 81
in 1914, and all these laws are still
busily working.
PER CAPITA TAX $1T.I2.
These figures are all taken from a
special report of the state tax COM
mission, which says by way OF intro
duetion. that our population increas-
ed from 1908 to 1914 inclusive. t4.5 per
cent, taxable values, (Which have
been raised fully 100 per cent during
the timel increased 81 per cent and
taxes l0l per cent. Taxes per capita
increased from 5000 to Sl1.I2. Al
lowing for the fact that taxable val
ues have merely been marked up by
the assessors, and do not represent
actual increase in wealth or real val
ues. and the increase per capita is at
least 50 per cent greater than it APP
y airs. Ii is also worth remembering
that local bonded indebtedness has
risen rapidly with the growth of as