The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-09-25
AGAIN-As OTHERS SEE Us.

Wisconsin people should not look through
glass darkly They should not get their ideas
of how their own state is being run entirely
from the statements of politicians seeking
office who have a willingness and an ability TO
make figures lie in order to have the spoken
word meet the demands of their particular
propaganda They should be willing to look at
their own state from the same standpoint as
it is looked at from the outside.
One of the most interesting and convincing
statements of the failure of Wisconsin and the
wisconsin idea" is contained in an editorial
in the current issue of Barron's Weekly. 1t sets
forth clearly where Wisconsin has failed. 1t
says: Under the caption "Wisconsin's Ideal
lied Taxes"
'"There is one state in the Union where the
condition as regards government should be
idyllic. Taxes should be right, the burden on
industry should encourage production 1t
should be a model for it's neighbors. It has had
the advantage of LaFollette government for
considerably more than decade. 1t would not
be fair to compare this state, Wisconsin, to
states like Pennsylvania or New York, or even
to seaboard states on the Pacific But it is fair
to compare Wisconsin to it's neighbors, Indiana
Michigan, Ohio, Illinois or Iowa. The Natlonal
Industrial Conference Board has made a COM
.parison for the eleven years inclusive from
1913 to 1928.
"An taxes are taken into this estimate, not
only state but county, municipal and village,
school-district, town or township Although the
great increase in all taxation has been made in
a relatively few years, Wisconsin is conceded
the advantage of an average. The result shows
that the tax burden in Wisconsin is so per cent
larger than that of Illinois, almost as much
larger for Ohio, 40 per cent larger than that of
Michigan, 33 per cent greater than Indiana
and 80 per cent greater than Iowa.
1T is shown in these figures that Wisconsin
has lost more going concerns and increased
less, in the aggregate of corporate production,
than any of the states named. Wisconsin's in
crease in percentage in persons engaged and
total wages paid was lower than that of Illinois,
Michigan Indiana or Ohio and, in respect of
value added by manufacture, lower than any
of the neighboring states, including such agri-
cultural regions as Iowa and Minnesota
There is no limit to corporation tax in Wis
consin Corporations there, on the average, pay
twice as much as in Michigan, four times as
much as in Ohio and twelve times as much as
In Illinois. 1t is not to be wondered at that
there is a significant movement of capitol out
of the state. The State Tax Commission de-
Eludes itself and it's citizens by figures of the
United States Census of Manufacturers from
1909 to 1919. But the effect of taxation is
cumulative, ana the significant migration of
capital has been in the past four years, or
after 1919.
1T seems almost superfluous to emphasize
the form of blood-letting and destruction of
capital involved in inheritance tax 1t hits the
widow and the orphan in Wisconsin On an
estate of 100000 left to widow the tax ex-
ceeds the averge for all other states in the
Union by 126 per cent, while children suffer
TO the extent of 125 per cent On like inner
ltance to widows or children the Wisconsin
state treasury takes from three to three and
half times as much as New Jersey, Rhode
Island, Maine, Virginia, Washington or North
Carolina, two and one-half times as much as
New York or Connecticut, and twice as much
as pennsylvania, South Carolina or South Da-
kota.
Wisconsin seems to be getting the govern
ment it deserves"