Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-01-24
MOTHERS PENSION
LAW IS TARGET
Jefferson Board Asks Legislature
to Repeal Act.
ENACTED AT 1918 SESSION
Petitions From Members of Body AS.
sert Same Good Can Be Accom-
pIished if Each County Cared
for Its Own Poor.

MadiSon.-The whole question of
mothers pensions will be gone over
| again at this session of the leg
| islature. The county board of Jeffer-
son county has petitioned the legisla-
ture for the repeal of the law. The
state board of control. which has the
| general supervision of the law under
/ Its direction, is asking that the act be
strengthened.
Petitions from the members of the
Jefferson county board received by
each member of the legislature de-
clare that the same good could be
accomplished If each county were al
| lowed to care for its poor independents
iy The mothers pension law was en-
acted Mt the 1913 session of the legis-
| lature, and as amended In 1915 pro-
vides that the state shall contribute
one-third toward the support of de-
| pendent mothers. Since the enact
ment of the new law, in August, 1915,
| there were 694 families aided.
Instead of its repeal the state board
of control is asking that the scope of
the mothers pension law, in at least
one particular. be extended. Aid
should be provided for the dependent
children OF a worthy mother. even
though she is divorced from her hus-
| band, according to the recommends
ton of the board. At the present time
the law does not grant any aid for
the children of a divorced mother.
1.-The home is the proper place to
bring up the child, because the home
produces the highest class of citizens, -
| the board of control said to the leg
| islature mo child should be re-
moved from a home in which there
are good moral conditions and proper
| environment, even though the child be
| dependent"
Want New Normal School.
The northern part of the state is go
Ing to make a demand Of this legiSla.
ture for a new normal school. The
question was agitated before the las,
session of the legislature. but the &C
| ton for new school was deferred
| largely because the members of the leg
| islature felt that the school at Eau
Claire should be put into operation be
| fore new school was established. The
| talk of the session two years ago and
| the sentiment expressed by some of the
members of this session would ind.
cate that, at least, four cities will file
applications: Green Bay. Rhinelander
Shawano. Amigo and possibly Oconto.
OF these, two cities, Green Bay and
| Rhinelander, will be leaders, largely
because of the fact that Senator Tim
Othy Burke of Green Bay and Senator
w. I. Stevens of Rhlnelander have
large followings in each of the houses
At the present time there are nine
normal schools in the state: Eau
Claire, La Crosse, Whitewater, Platte
Vile, Milwaukee, River Falls. Oshkosh
Superior and Stevens Point. The whole
northeast section between Oshkosh
Stevens Point Superior and the north
east boundary of the state has no nor.
NAL schools.
Tax Laws Present Problem.
One of the biggest problems with
which the Wisconsin legislature will
have to grapple will be the subject OF
changing the taxation laws. Several
administration bills covering points in
| the governors message on this sub
| iect have already been prepared. As
semblyman f. A. Everett Of Eagle
River, administration floor leader, is
expected to offer some of these bills
The foremost problem of consideration
will be whether the personal property
tax law shrould be repealed. Such a
plan is favored by the Wisconsin tax
commission. II is opposed by Govern
or Phillip.
Aside from the special taxes col
| lected in Wisconsin from inheritances
and corporations, Wisconsin levied a
tax on real estate, tax on personal
property and tax on incomes. 1t is
| proposed by the tax commission to
abolish the tax on personal property
| because the tax commission claims
| that experience has demonstrated that
it is difficult to locate the personal
| property. Al the present time, d
man who pays a personal property tax
may use his personal property tax re-
ceipt as an offset against his income
tax. The governor agrees with the tax
commission that this personal prop
erty offset should be repealed. He
| does not agree with the tax commits
miOn that the entire personal prop
erty tax law should be wiped out and
income tax rates Increased. Should
the personal property law tax be re-
peaIed. it is claimed by the tax COM