The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-07-13
Governor in KenOsha Address Gives Out In
formation Regarding Investigations
of Income Taxes.
NAMES FIVE KENOSHA CORPORATIONS
Cites Figures in Statement that Five Kenosha Corpor-
atoms Had Withheld Taxes "TiII
Forced to DsgOrge."

There are newspapers that are true
toi the public interests, and mere adj
vertising contracts do not close their
voice, and l want to distinguish be-
tween the newspaper that is independ-
ent and the newspaper that betrays the
public. Advertising is legitimate, but
the newspaper that takes advertising
and then remains silent when it ought
to speak, has sold out, and the public
is helpless.
This has been so evident during the
recent strike of railroad employees.
The railroad companies have large ad-
vertisements in nearly all the daily
papers. These advertisements consti-
tute pure propaganda designed to mis-
lead the public and are causing just
that much additional expense which
the public must pay. Their advertise
ments do not relate to either time ia
bles or excursions, and they are de-
signed for the specific purpose of pre-
judicing the public against the railroad
employees now on strike. And you
will find, if you will search the columns
of the daily newspapers, that those
who are taking these large advertising
contracts either remain silent or con-
denim the employees who are demand
ing only decent living wage"
Here's the Other Side.
In regard to the figures given in con-
nection with the special tax assessment
made against the Barden Store COM
pany, Governor Blaine departed from
his set speech to explain that he had
not examined this return carefully but
that he was under the impression that
the additional assessment had occurred
because of scme misunderstanding re-
garding exemptions.
Representatives of the corporations
named by the governor declared that
the whole question was one which had
been left to the tax commission to
decide relative to whether or not GER,
tain exemptions should be allowed It
was maintained that the corporations
were only within their rights in with
holding these sums until such time
as the tax commission had ruled re-
garding the exemptions which they
claimed. 1t was inferred that the gov
ernor in his address had placed the
assessments in an unfair light mas
much as this had not been explained.
Made Voluntary Audit.
H. E. Barden, president of the Bar
den Store company, one of the corpora
tions mentioned by the governor, de-
clared that his company had made
voluntary audit of their business and
that this had revealed the discrepancy
in the tax return, which the governor
attempted to make political capital Of
in his address.
"Our report had been made out by
an attorney in 1917" declared Mr.: Bar
den, "and an error was made. Later
the company sent corrected return
to the state. The amount made abso-
lutely no difference in the taxes since
the personal property tax offset the in
come tax for that period"
M. W. Isermann of Isermann Broth
ers made a similar statement regard
ing the alleged shortage in his report.
Others mentioned declared that they
did not care to make any answer: it
was evident from their attitude that
an investigation would have revealed
that the entire matter was question
of whether or not certain exemption
claims were allowed by the tax COM
mission and that in no case had there
been an attempt to evade the law.
Failed to Explain All. :
Governor Blaine failed to explain
fully in his address how "The Kenosha
News" was supposed to have had this
information. In a private interview