Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1925-04-02
Cosby Letter From
The State Legislature
By @. d. Brandenburg

Owners OF filing stations along
the southern border of Wisconsin
ere in a near panic over the effects
~ TIE new gasoline law They
roresee that all foreign cars enter
ing wisconsin will fiji tanks over
the border to escape the 2-cent
Wisconsin tax. Illinois has no such
tax, and probably never will be-
cause there exists an irresistible
combination in opposition of farm
ers and Chicago autoists. 1t IS
foreseen also that Wisconsin auto
lists will freely drift across the line,
where possible, to get gas free OF
tax A like embarrassment will
not exist where Wisconsin touches
Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan.
since all these states have gasoline
taxes. An immense lessening Of
sales within the Badger border is
anticipated, all the way from Hazel
Green in far southwestern Wiscon-
sin to Shullsburg, Darlington, Mon
roe, Brodhead, Beloit, GAINESVILLE,
Clinton, Walworth, Sharon, Lake
Geneva, Burlington, Kenosha and
Racine. New stations in Illinois
paralleling the line are expected to
be established numerously. An
other thing just how are farmers
to be prevented from getting gaso-
line free Of tax, for tractors and
using it for motoring?
But, anyway, there are just 3D.
100000 gallons of gasoline in stor-
age in Wisconsin that your Uncle
Solomon Levitan has scented as q
fit object for taxation and bill has
been hurried through both houses
levying a 2-cent tax against it.
This is a clear $680,000 which per-
coIates at once into the millions al
to be no questioning by tank own
ers of this summary procedure,
and Treasurer Levitan duly re-
ioiceth that this gas did not es
cape detection ere the fateful first
of April had passed. 1t is on that
date that the 2-cent rate becomes
effective.
* * y
The Kansas senate has passed a
bill to repeal the law of 1909 pro-
hibiting the sale of cigarets; also
bill to admit the Ku KluX Khan
to Kansas without a charter, while
the house passed a bill to repeal
the law Of 1877 which provides
compulsory service for all males
aged 1G to IS in fighting grassl1op-
pers
- ); :.
The ugliest feeling l ever saw ex-
hibited in the legislature followed
the advancement in the assembly to
engrossment of the senate tax bill.
Four angry knots almost came to
blows, and the popularity of the
situation was that the belligerency
was as much inter progressive as
otherwise. Assemblyman Gerald
son, a vigorous, clean-cut locomo-
tive engineer from Superior, and
Assemblyman Holly farmer meat
man from Calumet, were wildly ges-
tulating in hazardous proximity to
each others facades when Assem-
blyman Perry of Wauwatosa per-
suaded the latter to move away.
Concurrently Assemblyman Clinton
I G.. Price of Mauston. himself flush
ed but poised, was he center of an
excited rosette of gentry who re-
scented the cleture rule which he
invoked, thus peremptorily stop
ping debate, while off at another
point the chief clerk was voicing
resentment at the expense of As
semblyman Thompson of Oshkosh
who had earlier made invidious
allusion to him as parliamentary
guide. For half an hour the floor
was mojling, milling, eddying
mass. The vote for advancing the
bill was As to As, showing an al
most equal division, whereas the
normal progressive strength is
about rs.
The bill is just as it passed the
senate. II leaves income tax rates
as in the present law 1t abolishes
the personal property offset so that
taxpayers pay both income and per-
sonal property taxes. 1t increas-
ed the exemption for wife from
$1,000 to $780, and for children un-
der IS from $500 to $500 each. To
estimate effects take your last
years assessments. If you were
assessed for both personal properly
and income, you paid only the
larger of the two taxes. Under
the proposed law you will pay both.
Deduct $500 additional for your
wife and 500 for each child from