Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-12-06


ing property Of her manufacturers in
recent years.
They are facts that should fill
every citizen of wisconsin with pride,
and every manufacturer with new in
centive, and make Of each and all
boosters" for this great common
wealth. its SURPRISING advantages
and opportunities.
Yet what do we find?
we find, throughout the state, both
newspapers and public men, political
spokesman and special pleaders, who
draw picture of Wisconsin as state
where manufacturers are prosecuted
and close to ruin, where industry is
falling and being driven from the
state
For nearly year now, these news
papers have iterated and reiterated,
with all the power Of headline, news
article and editorial, that great and
important manufacturing concerns
HAVE LEFT or ARE ABOUT TO
LEAVE Wisconsin.
And these allied spokesman, in in
terviews and in speeches, have repeat
ed and emphasized the same tale, and
like the newspapers, have carried that
propaganda, not only to the people of
Wisconsin, but to the people of neigh
boring states and of the country as a
whole.
In other words, they have ADVER-
TISED and STILL ARE ADVERTIS-
ING Wisconsin to the Nation as a
statewhich industry should shun as
it would an economic plague. And the
reason they have held forth is that
industry in this state is taxed out
of profits and existence, whereas
neighbor states offer taxation para
disc.
The natural result has been that
the newspapers of these and other
states have eagerly seized on this
homemade propaganda and given still
further publicity to Wisconsin, THEIR
PEER IN MANUFACTURING PRO-
GRESS, as a state where industry is
afflicted and declining.
Naturally, too, the Chambers of
Commerce in the cities Of these states
have not hesitated to make bids for
Wisconsin plants; and, most astound-
ing thing Of all, Wisconsin newspap-
ers have not been lacking to broad
cast these offers to the state.
The utter and contemplate falsity
of proclaiming Wisconsin as a state
where industry is in the doldrums,
the opening facts Of this editorial give
proof
But this is a case of ''falsus in unum
falsus in omnes."
To begin with, NOT ONE SINGLE
INDUSTRY HAS LEFT WISCONSIN
during recent years, nor is there the
slightest evidence that any INTEND
to leave.
On the contrary, the past few years
will show an increase of at least Is
per cent in the number of Wisconsin
establishments, with new plants and
engagements represented by an in
crease of so per cent in capital invest
ed.
The whole false and injurious claim
that industry has been driven whole
sale from the state finds it's sole foun-
dation in the removal of two execu-
tive offices to Chicago.
That course, as one of the concerns
freely and emphatically explained, had
NOTHING to do with taxes, meant NO
curtailment of the local industry, but
was dictated solely by the greater
accessibility the better mail, market
ing and distribution facilities, of the
American trade center.
In spite of that, in spite, too, of the
fact that one of these concerns is ac-
tually ENLARGING it's Wisconsin
plant, the fa1sifiers and knockers of
Wisconsin's Industrial status contin-
ued their howl about industries leav
ing the state because of taxes.
Indeed, their inventions and misre-
presentations on this score, their far
flung hue and cry, naYe INCREASED
rather than diminished so much so
that, after a certain Senator carried
this propaganda to Chicago, the Tri-
bune of that city announced as afact
that several hundred industries have
been driven out of the state!"
But more of that later on.
The falsehoods spread by Wisconsin
newspapers, by public men and pro-
pagandisas, about Wisconsin taxes
and the taxation paradise of other
states. is the natural pendant of their
falsehoods about industry
The Wisconsin Tax Commission,
last spring, issued comparative re-
port of taxes in this and oNeer states.
That report plainly showed that Wis.
consin, considering the fact that it
lives within it's income, pays as it goes
and does not rely upon future-burden-
ing bond issues, is better off in the
matter of taxation than majority of
manufacturing states.
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