The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-07-13


Republican nomination for governor Of
Wisconsin. This trump card" was to
reveal the first statistics that he has
made public on the income tax issue,
upon which he will base his chief
claim for denomination for the posi-
tion of governor.
Before more than two thousand peo-
pie, gathered at Library Park, Cover
nor Blaine in a vitriolic campaign
ing of the special session and attempt
ed to justify his act by citing the fig
ures that the 116 corporations which
had thus far been investigated had
been forced to disgorge $1,430,9 52.06
in withheld taxes" He went farther
and declared that of the 116, there
were five Kenosha corporations, which
he mentioned in particular with the
amount of the additional assessments
which had been imposed upon these
concerns.
''NOt Nearly All of Them"
"The special session of the legisla-
ture cost $685." declared the gov
ernor. "My investigation had shown
me that of the $4,000 corporations in
the state, 1900 had made honest re-
turns and paid an honest tax; 5000
corporations had made fraudulent, dis
honest or incorrect returns; 116 of
these latter reports have thus far been
audited and from those corporations
$1,430,95206 in back taxes has been
paid to the state. The special session
was called in order to enable the Off
Gals to go back not three but six
years"
In giving out any figures and naming
any corporations, Governor Blaine de-
clared that there were many more cor
porations which probably should be
mentioned" and that without doubt
there were others in Kenosha. He de-
clared, however, that thus far the Off
Gals had been able to audit only 116
reports and that those mentioned hap
pened to fall within this group. He
mentioned corporations in other cities
without naming them, thus showing
that Kenosha was similar to other
cities in this regard. y
Continuing, Governor Blaine said:
"There is no veil of secrecy, no hid
ing Of the assessment returns of the
property taxpayers of this state. Their
returns, showing the assessment of
real and personal property, are filed
with the town, city or village clerks,
and are open for inspection.
ffrrT /.
hire any auditors to audit their Re
turns, for the very simple reason that
there is no necessity for it. The prop
erty taxpayers have not withheld ono
dollar in taxes. They have borne a
disproportionate share of the burdens
Of taxation, as President Harrison
said, by reason of certain corporations
having withheld millions of dollars
from the state, county, town, city and
village treasures.
Cites KenOsha Assessments.
stake, for example, the city of Ke-
nosha. / will give you a list of five
corporations and the amounts they
have withheld for q period of three
years, namely:
4
from the soldiers bonus funds $S9,200,
a normal income tax in the sum of
over $14S,0 and Also from the teach
ers' retirement fund several thousand
dollars, making total that that one
company alone withheld in three years
Of ever $245,0oO.
"The F. L. Wells company withheld
from the soldiers bonus funds over
S849 and withheld a normal tax of
SOL, or total exceeding $1,650.
"The Isermann Brothers company
withheld from the soldiers bonus
funds $1,286, and withheld a normal
income tax of $4,049.04, making total
Of $5,395,04.
"The MacWhyte company withheld
from the soldiers bonus funds $S,678.16
and withheld from the normal tax
S20,192.6S, or a total of $28,S70.74.
"The Barden Store company with
held from the soldiers bonus funds
S46S.22, and withheld normal income
tax of $390.1S, or total of $S5S.40.
"Of the normal tax withheld, 1919
goes to the state, 209o to the county
and 1000 to the city
"The amount withheld from the city
would have paid all the expenses of
the general government of the city of
Kenosha for 21A years; it would have
paid its expenditures for highways and
bridges for one year, with a surplus
of SIS, 1000 The amount withheld would
have paid all the public charities in
this city for over five years.
"In fact, the amount withheld is one
sixth of the entire total city tax for
the year 1920.
Raps kenosha News.
"The taxpayers of this CITY are en-
titled to know these facts. The Keno
sha News had this information for over
six months. That information could
have been obtained at the office of
YOUR county clerk. The Kenosha News
failed to comeAto the assistance of the
public officials in the present crisis,
snd it has suppressed all this informa-
ton. The Kenosha News, like other
similar papers, protects the tax-dodg-
ng corporations; but if man steals
? loaf of bread to keep his family from
oger, that mans disgrace is spread
9ver the front page of the Kenosha
and like papers.
course, the poor can't buy large
Using space