The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-10-26
Voice Of the People
Editor Evening News.

Editor Evening News.
l received an invitation from the
Deputy Collector Of Internal Revenue
to call at his office in Kenosha and
bring with me all my books, papers
and records, so as to go over my 1920
income report, to see whether / paid
the government too little, too much or
Just the right amount of income tax.
When we pay bill in ordinary BUSH
ness we consider the transaction closed
unless some evidence of mistake or
fraud is brought up within a reason
able time. ! think that a year is a
reasonable time. believe that court
would so hold, that if q party did not
look into business transaction for
Which he had given receipt within
twelve months, he would be barred
from an action.
was not brought up an expert book
keeper. sort Of grew up, and grew
into a good many things, and got along
fairly we'll until the income reports
got to be the rage, Then l found that
the systems / had worked out for keep
ing straight with my fellow men
wouldn't tell all the story to the gov
eminent. I have tried to get hold Of
this job, but find it is very hard to
crowd in twenty years of education
and experience into two or three years
and do your regular work besides.
do not have a filing cabinet and would
not know how to use one if l had it.
do not have safe or vault to keep
my old records in. l am not a very
good penman and there are things that
1 have written less than year ago
have to study quite a while to read
readily. / took all my accounts in
when they were complete and fresh,
and the deputy collector made out the
report and I9signed it. He had every
thing his own way; did not try to
dodge or crimp anything. When there
was no complaint (and they don't say
there is any now) during the following
year I considered the matter closed
and have not been particular with the
papers. What can 1 do now? Can
make any more complete or fair report
with some of the papers missing and a
years farther tax on memory, not to
say anything about the cold penman-
ship? If the government is a year or
more behind in checking over its in
come reports, it ought to be shook.
There isn't q trace Of business about
that kind of work. When are they
going to catch up? Never, but keep
falling behind more and more. By the
year 1000 they will be living ten years
in the past.
When my grandfather was postmas-
ter at Woodworth, the inspector used
to come around three or four times a
year When grandfather turned the
Office over to father, the inspector
came and checked the one out and the
other in. There was one cent coming
to grandfather, and The government
sent check for that cent. Grand
father kept that check as long as he
lived, and it is in the family yet if it
was not lost in fire. When the post
Office came to me, father was checked
out and was checked in, and the in
spector used to call as before. When
gave up the post Office in May, 1917,
there was no inspector to check up,
and there has not been one since. /
saved my papers carefully for several
years, but changes in the house and
lapse of memory may make them hard
to find. Still, i and my bondsmen are
yet responsible to this dilatory gov
eminent. Maybe when our tombstones
are covered with moss, some official
may discover this Enclosed deal and
send inspectors to straighten it out at
the cost of thousands for the sake of a
cent. / am awful glad that this "dig-
ging in the past" bill was killed in our
state last winter. Wisconsin's motto
is, forward" Let us go forward, not
back. Clean up the slate each year; il
is just as cheap and lots better. Oh
course know that this hunting in the
musty past makes lots of desirable
jobs, but we have to pay the bill and
should be interested in having it rea-
sonable.
Our courts are way behind in their
Jobs, sometimes so far behind that all