The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-11-13
MATCHING THE PENNIES.

WATCHING THE PENNIES.
A city administration which watches the
pennies coming in. is pretty certain. to- be
Thoughtful of the dollars going out, and 1t IS
interesting to note that the officials OF Keno
sha are making determined effort to collect
all of the outstanding personal property taxes.
It is stated that scores of summonses have been
issued to hail into court delinquents in this
line of city collections, and it is hoped that
these suits will be pushed to the limit.
Some people have an idea that they do not
have to paw taxes They believe that they
can bluff the city collector off until he will be-
come weary of seeking to collect and give up
the fight 1t may be that there is only few
dollars in sight in these cases, but there is
big principle at stake The total of the uncol-
lected personal property taxes in Kenosha at
the present time is considerable sum OF mon
ey but were it only thirty cents it is the duty
of the city officials to make collections.
People who seek to eyade taxation are usu-
ally the people who demand the most from
CITY. They are a lot of parasites seeking to
get something for nothing. Many of them not
only evade the tax laws but evade many other
laws. If they can get away with the evasion
of the tax laws they are convinced that they
can evade all laws.
Some of them may not have the ready cash
to pay the taxes, but in most Of these cases it
is noted that these same people have money
to buy automobiles and to buy gasoline to run
them They can find money to go to- the show
pretty regularly, and for the most part their
own personal needs are not sighted
People who pay their taxes when they are
due and pay them with degree of cheerful
ness are entitled to some consideration They
want these other people to pay the taxes and
the penalty provided by the law, and they want
them to be sued in court and forced to pay
court costs if necessary.
Two or three of these cases taken into court
and pursued to Judgment and property sold to
pay the judgment would be great eye-opener
to the little body of parasites who want the rest
of the people to pay their municipal expenses
There should be no compromise in any of these
cases and no hesitancy in forcing the delln-
quents to pay up in full. t-~a M
1t is interesting to note that the income tax
board of review has started a crusade to force
men who made fortunes" out of the illicit sale
of liquor to pay. The people will appreciate a
determined effort on the part of this board to
bring every one of these fellows into court
and enforce payments, The men who
made money in legitimate forms OF bust
ness have all paid their income taxes, and
men who defied the law and boasted Of the
profits they made, should not be allowed to es-
cape with the money. mere are QOzeHS. oo1
these men in Kenosha county. Some of the
ones who made the most money out of the
liquor traffic in defiance to law have left the
county and many of them did not leave for
warding address. Many of these men still own
property in this county, and an assessment
should be made against the property for the
taxes and the title of it should never be cleared
until the tax bills are paid.
1t may be that the collection of the proper
tax would mean financial disaster for these
men. They courted financial disaster when
they knowingly and defiantly violated the law,
and no sympathy should be shown for them
now.
The state, the city anC the county needs this
money, and it should be collected without any
show of favoritism.